Waguriya in Yanaka is a specialist café dedicated to high-quality chestnut confections, offering everything from Mont Blancs and choux pastries to wagashi made with chestnut cream.
All items are crafted using natural ingredients, including chestnuts sourced from the café’s own farm in Ibaraki Prefecture. No additives are used, allowing the pure flavour of the chestnut to take centre stage.
While Waguriya is best known for its Chestnut Mont Blanc and Tea Set (dine-in only), it also offers chestnut soft serve for takeaway—a convenient and fragrant treat on the go.
Montblanc de Cell Roasted Green Tea Latte Set (¥1,800)
This layered dessert consisted of:
- Japanese chestnut purée
- Meringue
- Fresh cream
- Astringent skin Mont Blanc cream
The chestnut flavour was rich and earthy, but the dessert suffered from textural monotony. There was an overreliance on soft elements at the same temperature, and the sparse meringue offered insufficient contrast. The inclusion of other textural forms—such as candied or roasted chestnuts—might have provided needed variation and balance. The accompanying hōjicha latte was aromatic, though slightly thin in body.
Chestnut Soft Serve Ice Cream (+¥400)
The soft serve was creamy, with a distinct chestnut profile: earthy, slightly sweet, and satisfying. A simple yet well-executed item worth ordering again.
Montblanc Parfait Hōjicha Tea Set (¥1,700)
This parfait featured a more diverse composition, including:
- Fresh cream
- Japanese chestnut purée
- Astringent skin Mont Blanc cream
- Free-range egg meringue
- Chestnut soft serve
- Candied chestnuts
- Ripe banana
- Chestnut jelly
Compared to the Mont Blanc set, this parfait offered greater contrast and complexity. The candied chestnuts introduced chew and sweetness, while the banana added freshness. The hōjicha tea served alongside was smooth with a pleasant bitterness, complementing the dessert well.
Baked Chestnut Butter Mariage (¥400 per piece)
Served warm, this small cake was crisp on the outside and soft within, delivering an intense chestnut flavour. It would make an excellent souvenir, also available as a boxed set of six.
A premium Mont Blanc set (not ordered on this visit) features Hitomaru chestnuts—a rare cultivar prized for their natural sweetness and aroma.
Waguriya is a unique café with a singular focus on Japanese chestnuts, executed with precision and respect for the ingredient. While some items could benefit from more variety in texture, the craftsmanship and commitment to quality were evident. A distinctive stop for chestnut lovers and one worth revisiting.
Waguri-ya is located in Yanaka Ginza, 3-9 Chome-14 Yanaka, Taitō City, Tōkyō 110-0001, Japan.