As the largest retail space in Ikebukuro and one of the largest in Japan, it goes without saying that Tobu Department Store Ikebukuro also has a host of cafes to offer its shoppers. Each floor of the department store is designed to resemble a town, so it won't be difficult to find a cafe whenever you need to take a break from all that shopping!

Ladies love this fruit specialist shop because of their great-tasting food made with stringently selected fresh seasonal fruits. It's not just the usual stock of parfaits and fruit juices either. The cafe also serves light food such as sandwiches and waffles to help plug that gnawing hunger for a bit so that you can restart your shopping adventure with strength renewed.

We'd love for you to try this sumptuous "Muskmelon and Cantaloupe Parfait" that uses two types of melons mixed with a generous amount of sauces, jelly, cream and ice-cream. The juicy cut fruits are topped with muskmelon sherbet, vanilla ice-cream, and yogurt parfait. Having two different levels of sweetness doubles its luxurious factor.

Enjoy nature's bountiful produce in the form of plain fruits or fruit-themed dessert while surrounded by a subdued air of refinement in Kyobashi Senbikiya Fruits Parlor. The menu here contains a wide variety of items with seasonal flavors, and you can buy them as take-out as well if you want to get back to your shopping as quickly as you can!

Senbikiya has a long history as a fruit parlor shop, and the shop's experience in making tasty treats shows in their exquisite "Fruits Parfait". The dessert cup is showered with a combination of carefully chosen cut fruits that look and taste downright heavenly together. Little wonder, then, that this is one of the shop's most frequently ordered item among regular patrons!

The cafe's fancy interior really makes it feel like a secret hideout within the department store building! Warm hospitality is one of the main draws of Salon de The Chez Matsuo, along with their great food and enjoyable atmosphere.

Presented on a three-tier serving tray, the "Afternoon Tea Set" has been known to make hearts of expectant guests flutter a little faster by mere sight alone. The set meal will satisfy both your stomach and taste buds in one fell swoop and can be ordered even if you happen to be dining alone. What's there not to like?

The fifth floor of the building is where the men's clothing section is located. It is also where Le Poire, a posh-looking cafe incredibly popular among ladies is open for business as well. Comfortable seats deck the eatery, taking your fatigue away as soon as you slide into one. It's certainly a calm and wonderful spot to relax the afternoon away with a cup of freshly-brewed coffee in hand.

Le Poire is known for their fluffy thick hotcakes that were made using castella-style dough, topped with a dash of butter and maple syrup. The fluffy texture can be felt on the very first bite, and its exquisite sweetness is bound to put you in a good mood for the rest of your shopping trip!

This cafe offers food that is soothing for the body and soul, of which you'll find gems such as the "Attentive Set Meal", "Cafe Meal" and a variety of Japanese snacks. This includes parfaits, tarts, and many other items made with Japanese ingredients and reduced sugar content. Refresh your tired, aching muscles for the next round of shopping action with some great dessert and a cup of tea brewed from premium tea leaves!

Our recommendation for this cafe is this Japanese parfait made with a generous helping of local ingredients such as aromatic hōjicha-flavored cream (roasted green tea) and ice-cream alongside jelly and pudding that uses uji matcha from Kyoto as their main ingredient.

Honolulu Coffee is proud to offer customers kona coffee, said to be the best of the creme de la creme of the coffee world, and they've created the best sort of environment to serve it in - a vintage Hawaiian diner-style cafe that's the first of its kind among the brand! The comfortable shop interior feels Hawaiian to a fault, and is the perfect place for you to enjoy that amazing cup of kona coffee alongside other delectable Hawaiian delicacies.

You can't mention Hawaii without also mentioning pancakes. "Roll Pancakes" is a special item only available in the cafe's Ikebukuro Tobu Department Store shop, and that's why we highly recommend checking it out! This special pancake also allows you to choose three toppings from out of nine different types to personalize the dish to your preferences.

The building's distinctive hexagonal appearance and abundance of retail spaces that are popular among foreign visitors makes it an ideal place for both casual browsing or hardcore shopping alike. The open design and trendy cafes further lend to its warm and welcoming vibe.

This cafe looks so inviting, you almost feel like you're stepping into someone's cozy home. Simple meals are available for ordering, all made with fresh ingredients. The shop is so relaxing and comfortable, you almost forget you're in the middle of a busy metropolitan city while you're here! The open spaces and bright lighting allows customers to be warmed by the sun's rays, and the lush greenery outside is clearly visible through the shop's windows.

Check out their healthy vegetarian breakfast salad that comes with nutritious ingredients like quinoa and millet. The hefty volume and wide variety of greens is bound to satisfy.

This bold open sandwich uses the muhammara, a spicy dipping sauce well-known in Middle East and Asian territories. The paste is a perfect match with the juicy steak that's overflowing with deep flavors.

The cafe's menu was developed by restaurateur Bill Granger to evoke a sense of international travel, so you'll be able to catch the latest food trends all over the world in this small corner of Japan. Menus with English text are available upon request.

Originally from the United States, Urth Caffé is a place where you can enjoy a specialized cafe experience with premium coffee and Los Angeles cafe latte - all brewed with natural and organic ingredients. The popular boba (tapioca balls) offerings are must-try delights as well.

The one thing we would really recommend is their cafe latte (Hot 580 yen / Cold 680 yen), which some believe to be the most delicious of its kind in the world. You have to try out this organic beans brew for yourself to truly understand the superior experience it offers!

The cafe's food menu is similarly competent, filled with tasty treats like their exceptional New York-style sandwich (1,580 yen) that is prepared using fresh quality vegetables.

Instead of the coffee chain's usual cosmopolitan decor, the shop is connected to the Omohara no Mori rooftop terrace garden nearby and thus has a more natural design. Nothing says relaxation quite like having coffee and cakes while being surrounded by greenery!

The beverage's thick chocolate sauce and milky chocolate whipped cream creates a tasty contrast with its crunchy and fragrant almond bits. This full-flavored white chocolate drink is exclusive to the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Shinjuku Starbucks branch.

Coredo Muromachi 1/2/3 refers to a shopping center with three buildings. Of the three, building two is particularly remarkable in terms of the amount of interesting leisure facilities it has to offer, such as a cinema complex and high-profile gourmet eateries.

This is a cafe serving traditional Belgium fare, and Belgium is well-known for its good food and dessert. The staff will only start making your Brussels-style waffles when you order them, ensuring they're always fresh from the pan.

The tasty food is only part of the experience. The shop's interior design reproduces the authentic Belgium vibe, and we would love for you to feel that for yourself! The shop employs many foreign staff as well, so you'll be able to receive adequate explanations for the food items even if you may not be fluent in Japanese.

Choose from four types of delicious waffles: "Matcha Ice-Cream and Shiratama Red Bean Muromachi Waffles", "Chocolate Banana Waffles", "Berry Berry Waffles", or "Cooked Apple Waffles".

Vinosity means "lover of wine" in Latin, and the shop lives up to its name by giving customers the choice of enjoying good wine as they sample their food offerings. The shop's menu has been planned in such a way to showcase the appealing degree of freedom that can be found in wine tasting, as well as its approachable nature - all for the purpose of making customers love wine even more - if possible! We also recommend trying out their unconventional all-day terrace seats.

"Morning Picked Original Bagna Cauda from Miura" - 1,200 yen
Get ready for a wide variety of the freshest seasonal vegetables - picked that very morning itself! "Luxury" isn't a word often associated with the humble vegetable, but it is now.

"Two Sauteed Juicy Lamb Chops" - 1,500 yen (additional lamb chop for 700 yen per piece)
This main course dish contains the juiciest roasted lamb chops that will go perfectly well with a glass of rosé or red wine.

The shop offers a cocktail made from a careful selection of nihonshu (Japanese sake), umeshu (Japanese plum sake), and matcha to foreign visitors as a perk, demonstrating their commitment to hospitality. English menus are available upon request.

The well-established and popular Tokyu Department Store Toyoko is a great place to shop for fashion items and cosmetics. Connected to the scramble crossing in front of Shibuya Station, this building is also home to plenty of interesting cafes that cater to all age groups.

Cafe Cucina & Company's first shop opened in New York Grand Central in 1991, and its name carries the import of a "mother's kitchen" and "friends hanging out".

The 24 types of original coffee brews here are made from beans that were carefully chosen by baristas to provide the best coffee drinking experience. Needless to say, these coffees go very well with the cafe's exquisite pancakes. English menus are available upon request.

The pancakes are made from an original dough mix that uses butter milk powder as an ingredient. Beaten eggs are then added separately to produce a fluffy texture that is delightfully soft and moist in your mouth. Even the maple syrup is handmade! The gentle sweetness enhances the full flavor of the pancakes, adding to your enjoyment.

Operated by Kobeya Bakery, this eatery naturally features snack breads, sandwiches, fresh pizza, and other wholesome pastries that can be thoroughly relished alongside freshly brewed coffee, tea, and fresh juices in a cafe environment.

This delectable pizza is topped with juicy tomato slices, fragrant basil herbs, cheese, and bacon. Definitely something you'd want to eat while it's fresh from the oven!

The concept behind Kawara Cafe is "a special yet approachable canteen", so don't be surprised by its charmingly warm and cozy environment built with a distinctly Japanese flair - something quite different from the usual cafe decor. Many laud the shop for being a cafe-canteen that makes it easy for customers to discover the delicious tastes of Japan at their own pace. English menus are available upon request.

These waffles are topped with a generous amount of strawberries and berry sauce and come with a scoop of strawberry ice-cream as well. It almost looks too cute to eat!

Ever since its establishment in 1895, Ginza Tatsutano has been a symbol of Japanese traditional food such as pot meals that has brought much joy to people everywhere. The cafe's dessert offerings include Japanese favorites like anmitsu (jelly topped with fruits, sticky rice dumplings, and red bean paste), oshiruko (red bean soup), tokoroten (jelly noodles), kakigori (shaved ice), and plenty of other snacks that will satisfy your sweet tooth. English menus are available upon request.

This hearty shaved-ice dessert comes slathered with thick matcha syrup, red bean paste, and sticky rice balls. The simple yet pleasing aesthetics of the item clearly shows its traditional roots.

Located right next to Kinshicho Station on the JR Lines is Arcakit Kinshicho, a shopping mall with a cheerful variety of retail spaces that cater to people of all demographics. From students groups to those with family in tow, there's a cafe for everyone in Arcakit Kinshicho.

Rosso Peperoncino makes its own pasta using ingredients of uncompromising quality, and this item is popularly paired with one of their similarly homemade tarts for a most fulfilling treat. Located on the 10th floor with a good view of the surroundings, you can catch a glimpse of the Skytree from one of their window seats, which will certainly add flavor to your already flavorful meal.

This homemade tart comes topped with a variety of seasonal fruits and is an item we highly recommend trying. Order it as a set with a drink for the best value!

Peko-chan, Fujiya charming mascot character at the entrance, is a friendly and familiar face in Japan - something that perfectly describes the reputation of Fujiya as well. This family restaurant is known to be well-stocked with all sorts of cakes, parfaits, and desserts. "Fujiya Milky" is one of the restaurant's most popular items, and some of their take-out desserts would make for great souvenirs as well.

"All-You-Can-Eat Cakes (60 minutes, comes with drink)" - Adult 2,268 yen (tax included), children 1,274 yen (tax included)
For those of you wanting to savor as many cakes Fujiya has to offer as you can, from its regulars to the seasonals, then we highly recommend the all-you-can-eat package for its tremendous value. It comes with a drink and allows you to enjoy all of Fujiya's sweets and snacks to your heart's content for an entire hour!

Directly connected to Ikebukuro Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line is Esola Ikebukuro, a posh shopping center with a collection of equally classy-looking shops. Drop by one of the comfortable cafes in this building for some quality quiet time away from the busy shopping areas.

This quaint cafe has the theme of a secret hideout where coffee meets books in the best way possible. About 3,000 handpicked books are lined up along shelves here for your reading pleasure. As you sip a fine cup of coffee in the cafe's relaxing atmosphere, you may just come across the book you never knew you needed when you least expected it. The "Daily Coffee Lunch Selection" is great value for money and available from the cafe's opening to 3:00 p.m. every weekday.

Every dessert enthusiast loves a good pancake, and pancake here is popular because it's served on a skillet while still piping hot! The simple and unadorned pancake makes its original flavor stand out, and it is an item we highly recommend trying at least once!

The cafe's original blend was made by carefully extracting its essence from a siphon, locking in an aromatic roasted nuts fragrance and a refreshingly sour taste. Truly the best kind of coffee to accompany you on a reading break!

Books and Coffee Fukuroshosabo (Esola Ikebukuro 4F)
Cafe and Books 03-3971-1020
Hours: 10:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. (last order 9:30 p.m.)

Written by: Yoko. English translation by: Huimin Pan