Sakurado Chinatown, London's Dreamiest Japanese Patisserie

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London’s Japanese patisseries offer everything a sweet-toothed foodie might wish for, and when it comes to Sakurado, on the border of Chinatown, unexpected flavors blend with a quite instagrammable background.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to try out Sakurado on Shaftesbury Avenue, where a congregation of theatres welcome tourists and locals with open arms.

So, if you’ve been looking for Central London’s best bakeries, here’s a hidden gem you should not leave London without popping by.

Sakurado Chinatown, London’s Dreamiest Japanese Patisserie

I’ve already mentioned Sakurado (aka Sakura-Do) in my guide to secret eats in Central London, and in which you’ll find many other restaurants, bars and bakeries I’ve tried lately.

In terms of Japanese cakes, this gem hidden in plain sight not only provides the famous mille-crepes cakes, but also unexpected takes on chocolate with matcha truffles, as well as the oh-so-delicious genmaicha tea.

You’re here at a crossroads between a Japanese cafe and a really cute bakery, and if you’re traveling to London for the first time, Sakurado is one of Chinatown’s must visit places.

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About Sakurado Chinatown

Sakurado has two locations in London, one in the West End on Shaftesbury Avenue, where you can also find amazing doughnut places like Doughnut Time, and one in Kensington on Gloucester Road.

The Soho branch might feel spacious, because it is indeed airy, but if you would like to find a free table, I would recommend you avoid rush hour, as there tends to be a queue in front of Sakurado.

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On big screens, you can see the Sakurado menu, but I have found that asking the sales assistants to help me out made me choose pastries I would actually enjoy.

Believe it or not, even if I do have a sweet tooth, I’m quite difficult when it comes to food and I was really pleased with what the ladies working at Sakurado recommended.

Sakurado Chinatown: The Menu

Their most famous pastry is undeniably their ‘premium Franco-Japanese’ mille-crepes, made with 30 crepes layered with rich cream.

The flavors, inspired by Japan, revolve around tangy yuzu, Hojicha roast tea, black sesame charcoal, matcha, peanut, strawberry, vanilla, and rich chocolate.

Anyone who loves fusion food should try Sakurado, especially if you don’t like overly sweet pastries.

With ingredients and recipes that blend Japan, France and Italy, we’ve got the perfect redefinition of ‘East meets West’ in their many mille-crepes, cookies, chocolates and other strawberry cakes.

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I would say that at Sakurado Shaftesbury Avenue, the watchword is ‘cuteness’.

From the marble tables to the crisp white walls, which leave only the colorful pastries in the spotlight, everything is perfect whether you want to treat yourself to a piece of cake and a hot drink or want to take your other half on a romantic date.

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There are anyway so many hidden gems in Soho, right across the street, that you could start with breakfast or a snack at Sakurado and then make your way to Dean Street, Wardour Street and other Greek Streets.

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Sakurado Chinatown Review: What We Ordered

Between what caught my eye and what I was advised to try, since it was my first time at Sakurado, I think that little Japanese patisserie fulfilled my expectations.

I went with a friend and we ordered:

two Genmaicha teas
one matcha mille-crepes
one peanut mille-crepes
one yuzu cheesecake

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The mille crepes with peanut is the one I preferred; I have always loved my peanuts and everything made with them – the richness of the cream and that of the peanuts was perfectly balanced with the amount of sugar in the cake.

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The matcha mille-crepes, however, was fresher, and almost felt healthier as we were eating them. In this one, also rich in cream, I found there was also a great balance between fat and sweet.

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We were then given a couple of truffles to try, and while I am not the biggest fan of matcha, except in those green, really colorful lattes I love so much, I have to say I was left dumbfounded.

What I like most in chocolate is the sweetness, which means less cocoa, and I usually have much trouble eating that high-cocoa-percentage chocolate a true blue lover would very much enjoy.

Well, when I was given the Sakurado truffles, I found these were some of the best chocolates I had ever eaten.

Especially the matcha truffles.

If you’re looking for things to buy in London and bring back home, or if you’re looking for a cool gift for Valentine’s Day, think of these as they’re very much unexpected.

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My favorite cake out of all was the yuzu cheesecake – finding the best cheesecake in London is a mission I don’t seem to ever complete, to be honest, as that’s my favorite dessert.

Sweeter than the mille-crepes, the cheesecake was also quite tangy, but not so much that it disturbed the balance between acid and sweet.

I found the small sugar balls on top actually brought something, as well as the sugar snowman – this was overall a great dessert.

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Sakurado Chinatown Review: Thoughts

For one who is always on the lookout for new London bakeries to try, I was pleasantly surprised with Sakurado, which I had walked past a great number of times and never tried.

You’ll find many restaurants in Chinatown, with some being on my list of the best places to eat in Central London, but there are few bakeries and patisseries in this area.

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These are all amazing treats to enjoy when it’s raining in London, when you’re on a date, or when you’re traveling solo, and push the boundaries of the ‘usual’.

Again, the truffles are one of the items that most impressed me at Sakurado, as I’d never tried anything like it, and if you’d like to discover yet something else, this is also one of the only places to have Basque cheesecake in London.

They basically just have it all.

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Sakurado Chinatown, London’s Dreamiest Japanese Patisserie

During my last trip to London, I tried all kinds of new restaurants, bakeries and bars, ranging from Reverend JW Simpson, a secret bar in Fitzrovia, to Italian Bear Chocolate.

Sweet-toothed people, if you like Sakurado, chances are you’ll love Italian Bear Chocolate.

This is one of the best places to get hot chocolate in London, made with incredibly rich chocolate, a place that offers an intimate, almost retro background.

If, however, before you visit Sakurado on Shaftesbury Ave, you’d actually like to eat at a proper restaurant, I would strongly recommend Rasa Sayang, which I also tried on my last trip.

Rasa Sayang offers some of the best Malaysian food in London, and also happens to be completely halal except for two or three dishes.

There’s so much to discover in London, and before you pop in for a bite, why not go shopping on Oxford Street or discover Leicester Square’s statue trail?

Until next time!