We’d just polished off lunch at Japanese Steak Bowl & Beef Curry (Center Beef), and dessert was non-negotiable. My hubby loves anything matcha, so I’d already pinned Kyoto Saryo Suisen at Shibuya Parco on the map. Short walk, big payoff.
What is Kyoto Saryo Suisen?
It’s a premium matcha café built around proper Uji matcha. Think warm warabimochi, towering parfaits, freshly squeezed Mont Blanc, plus traditional and modern matcha drinks. A one-stop shop for matcha lovers, basically.
- Kyoto: 2 outlets, with Saryo Suisen Takatsuji as the flagship
- Tokyo: 3 outlets
- Yokohama: 1 outlet
- Menus & store list: saryo-suisen.com/en/shop
Getting There
We went to the B1 outlet at Shibuya Parco. Roughly 5 minutes from Shibuya Station. Easy. We arrived at 12.40pm on a weekday — peak lunch hour — and there were hardly any customers around. The whole mall felt quiet, honestly.
One thing to note: everyone must order their own item. No sharing one dessert between two. So we got two.
What We Ordered
Freshly Squeezed Strong Matcha Mont Blanc — ¥1,840
I fell for this style of dessert at 栗りん Kurin in Nagoya. Here, staff wheel a cart to your table and squeeze the matcha “spaghetti” fresh in front of you. Great for video. Also just lovely to watch.
- Barely sweet — refreshing change from most café desserts
- Fragrant matcha, but the natural chestnut still shines through
- Proper bittersweet profile
- Underneath: sponge cake, cream, and honeycomb (like the inside of a Violet Crumble)
- The layers give brilliant contrasting textures
- Even the candied chestnut on top was a winner
Tamba Black Bean Kinako & Gyokuro Hojicha Parfait — ¥1,480
Very Japanese in style, and very well built.
- Rice crispies at the base for crunch
- Hojicha ice cream that’s rich and deeply fragrant
- Cream for body, crunch up top, kinako powder tying it all together
- Every texture complements the next — ice cream never felt boring
Final Verdict on Kyoto Saryo Suisen
We walked out without that heavy, sickly feeling. Everything felt balanced. That’s exactly why Japanese desserts sit at the top for me — restraint with sugar, obsession with texture.
If you like your sweets thoughtful rather than sugary, put Kyoto Saryo Suisen on your Tokyo list. Worth every single calorie.
