FEBRUARY KITCHEN: The Best Cafe Near Sensoji Temple for Japanese-Western Fusion Cuisine

February Kitchen is a restaurant near Sensoji Temple that serves delicious Japanese and Western-style dishes, including baked tea and Neapolitan pasta, perfect for travelers who enjoy fusion cuisine.

Ashley Chuang

This time, during my Tokyo trip, I revisited Asakusa for the purpose of trying out the restaurant “FEBRUARY KITCHEN” located near Sensoji Temple. This is the sister store of the popular “FEBRUARY CAFE” that many young couples in Tokyo love. Although the dishes sold at both stores are quite similar, we tried everything from roasted tea, ice cream soda, caramel-rich pudding, hot-pressed sandwiches, and even Japanese-style Neapolitan spaghetti. Every dish was delicious and exceeded our expectations, so if you like this type of Japanese-Western fusion cuisine, I highly recommend giving it a try.

【Transportation】Where is FEBRUARY KITCHEN located?

FEBRUARY KITCHEN is located in Asakusa, Tokyo, just 2 minutes northwest of Senso-ji Temple and next to Japan’s oldest amusement park, “Asakusa Hanayashiki”.

Must Read: 9 Best Things to Do in Asakusa to Help You Capture 100 Years of Tokyo within a Day

【FEBRUARY KITCHEN】Queueing Strategy

FEBRUARY KITCHEN is a well-known restaurant among locals in Tokyo. When we visited on a weekday afternoon, we still had to wait in line, but the restaurant uses a number system where you draw a ticket with a QR code. After scanning the code and joining the Line app, you will receive a notification when your number is up and can then proceed to the counter to order.

【FEBRUARY KITCHEN】Menu

FEBRUARY KITCHEN is a Japanese-style brunch restaurant that attracts many white tourists who just stop by for a cup of coffee. Their drink menu includes various types of coffee, roasted tea, black tea, fruit juice, and matcha.

Here’s a special note: I found that the staff can speak English because when white tourists come in, the restaurant staff will use fluent English to take orders and arrange seats, so there’s no need to worry if you don’t know Japanese.

The must-try part recommended by Piao Er is the main course. No matter it’s the omelette rice, omelette napoleon pasta, or hot-pressed sandwich, they all have people recommending them. I have tried the napoleon pasta and hot-pressed sandwich, both of which are delicious. I saw a young Japanese girl eating the omelette rice and leaving half of it, but I don’t know if it’s simply because she has a small appetite or for some other reason since I didn’t try it myself.

As for desserts, the must-try is definitely February Cafe’s proud “Bitter Caramel Pudding”. There are also three flavors of floating ice cream soda, which are quite nostalgic in Japanese style and worth a try.

【FEBRUARY KITCHEN】Dining Environment

The dining environment of FEBRUARY KITCHEN is also a renovated old house with mottled walls, but the use of special paint makes it look very fashionable. The ceiling belongs to the industrial style, but there are also some Nordic-style lighting fixtures hanging from it.

The seat by the window is the brightest and is usually reserved for solo diners.

There are also four-person tables and extra-large long tables. Many housewives gather here for meetings.

The dining space is relatively spacious in Tokyo, with a decent distance between tables, making it a comfortable experience.

【FEBRUARY KITCHEN】Baked Tea

It is said that Mr. Kurabashi Yoshihiko, the manager of “FEBRUARY KITCHEN,” is a professional Japanese tea master, so I ordered a cup of roasted tea to try. Although I already love roasted tea and often buy Houjicha and Nakamura Tokichi’s roasted tea to brew at home, I feel that all roasted tea tastes delicate and delicious, and I cannot distinguish any finer differences.

【FEBRUARY KITCHEN】Honeydew Melon and Herb Ice Cream Sparkling Water

Honeydew melon soda is a nostalgic Japanese drink, reminiscent of early Japanese marble soda. What’s impressive about “FEBRUARY KITCHEN” is the addition of delicate vanilla ice cream, which pairs perfectly with the soda!

【FEBRUARY KITCHEN】Hot Pressed Cheese Sandwich

The hot-pressed cheese sandwich absolutely amazed me, making me exclaim, “Oh my god!” Tokyo’s food is just so delicious and never disappoints. The seemingly ordinary sandwich was mind-blowing. First, let me introduce the lettuce salad, which is a unique Japanese dish made with various fresh leaves. However, it is seasoned with the kind of multi-layered sauce commonly found in Europe. Sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper, it is incredibly flavorful. I would be willing to order a whole plate of lettuce salad.

The french fries are also very strong, definitely surpassing Taiwan McDonald’s french fries. They are crispy and every single one is crispy, without any poor quality ones. They are only seasoned with simple salt, which beats most salt and pepper chicken shops.

Next is the highlight of the sandwich, the cheese hot-pressed sandwich. The cheese inside has the rich flavor of Japanese cheese, and it is mixed with the shop’s special pepper sauce. There are also hot dogs inside, making it taste like the famous German curry sausage. The outer layer of the toast is also very crispy. I love this dish.

【FEBRUARY KITCHEN】Japanese-style Napoli Spaghetti

Japanese-style Neapolitan spaghetti is not a dish that many people recommend, but because of the popular Japanese drama “First Love”, I was curious about why Japanese netizens were crazy about this Japanese-style dish that only Japan can eat. I ordered it to find out what the taste of Neapolitan spaghetti (ナポリタン) was like. Although it may be a bit different from what was shown in the drama, I found that Neapolitan spaghetti is really delicious!

The spaghetti at “FEBRUARY KITCHEN” has a texture similar to Japanese ramen, with a satisfying chewiness. Although I dislike tomatoes, their tomato sauce doesn’t have an overpowering tomato taste that makes me feel nauseous. It’s the kind of sauce that makes me silently want to finish my plate.

【FEBRUARY KITCHEN】Caramel Rich Pudding

The staff at “FEBRUARY KITCHEN” are really attentive to the atmosphere of Japan. After we finished eating, we took a short break for about 5 minutes, and the staff noticed that we wanted dessert. They came over to clear the table and asked if we wanted dessert.

The Caramel Thick Pudding (Custard Pudding) will be served soon. It is the handmade pudding that is the signature dish of the restaurant. However, there may be too many strong Japanese puddings, and their pudding tastes more like gelatin, which I don’t like. So, I think it’s okay, but their caramel flavor is really old-fashioned and fragrant, and paired with the creamy texture on top, I really like it.

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