Japonaise Bakery & Cafe Menu
1020 Beacon St, Brookline, MA
This menu guide shows the breads, pastries and treats a Japanese bakery like Japonaise Bakery & Cafe usually bakes — 43 items in 7 sections.
This is a typical menu for this style of bakery, not the bakery's official menu, and prices are not listed. Ask in store or call (617) 566-7730 for today's selection and any allergen information.
Kashi Pan
Sweet filled breads made from soft, enriched dough, sold individually wrapped or on open trays.
- Matcha Azuki RollVegetarianGreen tea dough spiraled with sweet red beans, slightly bitter and earthy against the beans' mellow sweetness.
- Melon PanVegetarian · Popular pickA dome of fluffy bread under a crisp, crosshatched cookie crust, named for its melon-like look; buttery, sugary, and crackly.
- AnpanVegetarianA round, glossy bun stuffed with sweet azuki bean paste and dotted with black sesame or a salted cherry blossom.
- Cream PanVegetarianA soft, mitten-shaped bun filled with smooth vanilla custard cream, a nostalgic after-school snack in Japan.
- Choco CornetVegetarianSpiral horn of sweet bread piped full of chocolate custard; many people eat it starting from the wide end.
- Kuri PanVegetarian · Contains nutsA chestnut-shaped bun filled with sweet chestnut paste and a whole candied chestnut, glazed until deep brown; an autumn favorite.
Sozai Pan
Savory breads and sandwiches, a cornerstone of Japanese bakery lunch shopping.
- Yakisoba PanSavoryA hot dog-style roll stuffed with stir-fried noodles in tangy sauce, topped with pickled red ginger and seaweed flakes.
- Katsu SandoSavoryPanko-fried pork cutlet with tonkatsu sauce and shredded cabbage between crustless slices of milk bread.
- Tamago SandoVegetarian · SavoryPillowy crustless milk bread filled with creamy egg salad made with Japanese mayonnaise, rich and subtly sweet.
- Korokke PanSavoryA potato and ground beef croquette tucked into a split roll with cabbage and sweet-tangy sauce.
- Mentaiko BaguetteSavoryA short baguette slathered with spicy pollock roe butter and baked until crisp, briny, and garlicky.
- Kare PanSavory · Popular pickCurry bread: dough filled with thick Japanese beef curry, coated in panko, and fried until crunchy, rich and gently spiced.
Breads & Rolls
Daily loaves and rolls with the fine, tender crumb Japanese bakers are known for.
- ShokupanVegetarian · Popular pickJapanese milk bread loaf made with a tangzhong or yudane starter, giving a cloud-soft, moist crumb sliced thick for toast.
- Shio PanVegetarianSalt bread: a rolled roll with a sealed pocket of butter that melts during baking, crisping the base; finished with flaky salt.
- Kurumi PanVegetarian · Contains nutsA rustic, slightly chewy roll packed with toasted walnuts, nutty with a light sweetness, good with cheese or soup.
- Butter RollVegetarianSmall, spiral-shaped rolls with a delicate, buttery sweetness and soft glossy tops, sold in bags.
- Raisin ShokupanVegetarianMilk bread loaf swirled with plump raisins, faintly sweet and best lightly toasted with butter.
- Kinako Age PanVegetarianA fried bread twist tossed in roasted soybean flour and sugar, soft inside with a toasty, nutty-tasting coating.
Yogashi Cakes
Refined Western-style cakes adapted to Japanese taste, usually less sweet than American versions.
- Roll CakeVegetarianA fluffy sponge rolled around a thick core of fresh whipped cream, sometimes with fruit or matcha.
- Mont BlancVegetarian · Contains nutsA dome of sweetened chestnut cream piped in fine strands over meringue or sponge and whipped cream, earthy and refined.
- Fruit SandoVegetarianWhite bread with sweet whipped cream and whole fresh fruit like strawberries, kiwi, and mango, cut to show a cross-section.
- Ichigo ShortcakeVegetarian · Popular pickJapan's iconic strawberry shortcake: fine sponge layered with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, airy and lightly sweet.
- Japanese CheesecakeVegetarianSoufflé-style cheesecake with a jiggly, cottony texture, browned top, and a mild creamy tang lighter than New York style.
- CastellaVegetarian · Dairy-freeNagasaki-style honey sponge with a fine, moist crumb and caramelized top and bottom crusts, sliced into neat bars.
Wagashi
Traditional Japanese confections based on rice, beans, and seasonal motifs.
- DorayakiVegetarianTwo fluffy, honey-sweetened pancakes sandwiching coarse red bean paste, spongy outside with a dense, earthy filling.
- DaifukuVegan · Dairy-freeSoft, stretchy mochi wrapped around smooth red bean paste and dusted with potato starch, pillowy outside with a dense, sweet core.
- Ichigo DaifukuVegan · Dairy-freeA whole fresh strawberry and white bean paste wrapped in thin mochi, juicy and chewy, a winter and spring treat.
- Mitarashi DangoVegan · Dairy-freeGrilled skewers of chewy rice dumplings brushed with a glossy sweet-salty soy glaze, lightly charred and caramelized.
- TaiyakiVegetarianFish-shaped griddle cake filled with red bean or custard, crisp-edged when fresh, soft and cakey inside.
- Sakura MochiVegan · Dairy-freePink-tinted sweet rice wrapped around red bean paste and a salted cherry leaf, floral and slightly salty, made for spring.
Viennoiserie
Laminated and enriched morning pastries, baked first thing and best before noon.
- Kouign-AmannVegetarianA Breton pastry of laminated dough layered with sugar and salted butter, baked until the outside caramelizes into a toffee-like shell.
- Brioche à TêteVegetarianFluted brioche with a little topknot, rich with eggs and butter, yielding a golden, faintly sweet crumb.
- Croissant au BeurreVegetarian · Popular pickAn all-butter croissant with a honeycombed interior, shattering crust, and deep caramelized color from a long, slow proof.
- Pain au ChocolatVegetarianCroissant dough rolled around two batons of dark chocolate, flaky and buttery with bittersweet pockets.
- Croissant aux AmandesVegetarian · Contains nutsDay-old croissant soaked in syrup, filled and topped with almond cream and sliced almonds, then rebaked; dense, sweet, and crisp-edged.
- Pain aux RaisinsVegetarianA spiral of croissant dough spread with crème pâtissière and rum-soaked raisins, soft in the middle and crisp at the edges.
- Chausson aux PommesVegetarianPuff pastry turnover filled with chunky apple compote, scored on top and glazed to a lacquered finish.
Drinks
- Taro milk teaVegetarianLavender-hued drink blending taro root powder or paste with milk and tea; nutty, vanilla-like sweetness and a thick body, often served with pearls.
- Sea salt coffeeVegetarianIced coffee topped with a lightly salted whipped cream layer, sipped through the foam; popularized by Taiwanese-style bakery cafés for its sweet-salty contrast.
- Matcha latteVegetarianStone-ground Japanese green tea whisked and poured into hot or iced milk; grassy, slightly bitter, and vivid green with a creamy finish.
- Hong Kong-style milk teaVegetarianRobust black tea blend strained through a cloth 'silk stocking' and mixed with evaporated milk for a smooth, strong, tannic cup.
- Thai iced teaVegetarianSpiced, bright-orange black tea sweetened with condensed milk and finished with a float of evaporated milk over crushed ice.
- Vietnamese iced coffee (cà phê sữa đá)VegetarianDark-roast coffee dripped through a phin filter onto sweetened condensed milk, stirred and poured over ice; potent, chocolatey, and syrupy-sweet.