Bakeries
As a Kiwi, bakeries are a huge part of home for me. So after developing my long list of “do not eats,” I honestly thought I’d never be able to comfortably and confidently enjoy baked goods from dedicated bakeries again (instead of always needing to make everything myself).
However, I’ve thankfully found some genuinely delicious bakeries here in Tokyo that cater to different dietary needs, and I absolutely need to share them with you all!
Below are some bakeries I personally recommend checking out.
Sunmerry's honestly felt like one of the greatest discoveries ever when someone first told me about it!
The bakery itself mainly sells regular baked goods that smell absolutely divine, though unfortunately most of them aren’t suitable for us allergy havers.
HOWEVER, they do have a small section dedicated to gluten-free and dairy-free options!
Before I managed to find a regular loaf of bread I could safely eat, I used to buy their gluten-free sliced bread. While it is a little pricey, the slices themselves are HUGE.
Nowadays my personal go-to items are their mini bread buns, which come with lots of different filling options. My favourites are the red bean paste, sweet potato, and seaweed flavours. There are also other varieties available, though some of them unfortunately contain dairy.
They also sell gluten-free cake biscuits, but once again those sadly contain dairy as well, meaning I have not had the pleasure of trying them myself.
Honestly though, Sunmerry’s has become one of my absolute favourite bakery finds in Japan, and I’m almost grateful they aren’t located too close to my house… otherwise I would probably spend all my money there and survive entirely off their bread!!
Beyond Sweets is a slightly more upscale bakery located in Minato, not too far from the main Harajuku area.
Their displayed sweets all have allergen cards beside them showing what ingredients are included. However, because of my extensive list of restrictions, especially those pesky additives, I ended up asking the staff if there were any items that would specifically be safe for me to eat.
To tell you I was shocked would honestly be an understatement.
The staff pulled out this INSANELY thick folder containing detailed ingredient information for every single item they sold. I was genuinely flabbergasted by the size of it! But at the same time, it was incredibly reassuring and helpful.
The staff were also super kind and patient while helping me figure out what would be safest for me to have.
In the end, I walked away with lots of their brownies… which were VERY worth it.
Now, I will admit that Beyond Sweets is definitely more on the expensive side. However, considering the level of allergen information available and how accommodating the staff were, I personally don’t mind spending a little extra money there for the peace of mind.
NachRa Gluten Free Cafe is run by such an amazing person, and honestly I absolutely love the café’s mission of making sweets more accessible for people with allergies and dietary restrictions.
The bakery itself is completely gluten-free, and their biscuits/cookies are AMAZING.
Now, my fellow gluten-free people will understand that oats can sometimes feel like a dangerous game unless they’re specifically certified gluten-free. Because of that, I’d avoided oats for a very long time, even though gluten-free oats are available online, as they can be pretty pricey.
So when I discovered they sold oat cookies here? Genuinely life changing.
I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten oats, and after trying one of their cookies I realised just how much I had missed them.
I will forever recommend this little café and all of its treats.
One of my favourite things to do is grab some baked goods from here and then head over to Yoyogi Park for a little picnic, since the café is located so close by.
Definitely one of my favourite little Tokyo activities and absolutely something I’d recommend doing if you get the chance!
