A Happy Pancake The Hanare (Osaka, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

Team Aussie was due to take off for Tokyo this morning around noon. Since we still had about an hour to spend together, someone suggested grabbing breakfast and we were all delighted to have spotted A Happy Pancake The Hanare, just across the street from Team Aussie’s hotel last night. I guess no one would say no to a sweet breakfast — at least not mom!

The opening time was 11:00 am, and to make sure we secure seats for all 12 of us, I volunteered to go down and line up early. Not surprisingly, there was no one waiting when I arrived.

After a 15-minute wait, the staff finally slid the door open and welcomed us in.

Although the menu was a shortened version of the one we were used to, that was perfectly fine, especially since they still had my favorite soufflé pancake with milk tea ganache!

Royal milk tea (840 yen) – For the longest time, I kept wondering if my cup of Royal Milk Tea was just milk without the tea—the tea flavor never quite registered. Eventually, I asked our server to confirm, and it turned out the order was correct. Still, the lightness of the flavor made me wonder if something was a bit off.

Happy Pancake (1,380 yen) – They say less is more, and that rings especially true with A Happy Pancake’s original Happy Pancake. A simple pairing of Manuka honey whipped butter and caramel syrup was all it took to make these light, airy pancakes absolutely delicious.

Pancake with milk tea sauce, homemade granola (1,560 yen) – A perfect way to kill two birds with one stone — getting my milk tea fix while enjoying their signature soufflé pancakes with some homemade granola. Priceless.

Meal Pancake with bacon & egg (1,560 yen) – I’ve never been a huge fan of the savory pancakes here, but since Team Aussie wanted to give them a try, of course I was game. These whole-wheat pancakes were served with thick-cut bacon, scrambled eggs, a small salad, and a ketchup-based sauce.

We were seated at three separate tables, and everyone seemed to enjoy their group conversations and company. One hour passed by so quickly, and soon it was time to bid farewell. Of course, we gave the kids big bear hugs and wished them well on their tour of the Japanese capital.

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 105 2-11-9 Minamisenba, Chuo-ku, Osaka, 541-0059 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Nagahoribashi / Shinsaibashi

Tel: +81 (0)6 6226-8005

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 6:00pm daily