We still had to wait three hours to get in to this new eatery one-and-a-half months after opening, but we finally understood why once it was our turn.
The up-and-coming Bakery Restaurant C chain in Japan offers a unique deal: order one main dish and you’re able to enjoy all-you-can-eat bread. It’s nothing to scoff at, either, because the quality and variety of the bread is top-notch–perhaps as to be expected of an eatery run by the same parent company as the St. Marc Cafe chain and all-you-can-eat cheese and doria chain.
The restaurant recently expanded from Tokyo to a couple of locations in Osaka, including the mammoth Abeno Harukas shopping complex on September 1. During our recent trip to Osaka, we made our way up to the building’s 12th floor around 11:30 a.m. on a weekday to check it out…
…and were shocked to find that 66 parties had already put their names down ahead of us on the waiting list. This was way longer of a wait than at Tokyo’s Shibuya Mark City location where we can usually walk right in and get a table with ease.
While waiting, we noted some menu differences between the locations. While the Shibuya branch has a set deal with a main meal for a standard 2,849 yen (US$18), here, the main meals vary in price. For someone targeting the all-you-can-eat bread deal, the Colorful Vegetable Minestrone and Rich Seafood Clam Chowder (both 2,178 yen) are the most economical options.
On the other hand, the Hanger Steak (260 grams [9.17 ounces]) clocked in at a steeper 3,490 yen.
Ultimately, we didn’t feel like waiting to get through that many people, so we decided to come back earlier the following day.
And so we found ourselves taking the elevator to the 12th floor at 10:10 a.m., a whole 20 minutes before the store’s opening time of 10:30 a.m. We headed over to the restaurant’s entrance…
…only to discover that a huge line had already formed.
▼ It seems there’s no escaping the queue to get into carb heaven.
We realized that there was a ticket distribution system, so we grabbed one and became the lucky recipients of No. 59. Eek. Hopefully that meant we’d get inside right around lunch time.
We explored the building while waiting, including the highest observatory in western Japan. The text message that it was our turn finally came at 1:07 p.m., three hours after we had initially arrived. Groups can stay at their table for a maximum of 70 minutes, so it seemed like most groups were taking full advantage of that time limit.
To celebrate our long wait, we decided to go all out by ordering the Mixed Grill with Hamburg, Chicken, and Sausage (3,278 yen) which isn’t offered at the Shibuya location.
Putting the unlimited bread aside, the juicy steak and other meat packed a substantial punch on its own.
▼ The main dish was so good that we almost–almost–forgot about the bread.
However, it was no secret that our original motivation for going here was the bread, so it was time to check out the options. Let’s just say that a proper and expansive bakery spread was waiting for us.
There were all different kinds of bread from the sweet to the savory, including ones with fillings and seasonally appropriate Halloween-themed treats.
How would we ever be able to choose which ones to sample before our stomachs gave out?!
We eventually tried a wide sampling of different types until we felt ready to float away on a fluffy carb-filled cloud.
What we learned from this visit is that if you want to eat lunch at Bakery Restaurant C in the Abeno Harukas Osaka location anytime in the near future, you’ll likely want to show up before 10 a.m. to grab a ticket and then kill time in other parts of the building. It’s absolutely worth the wait, though–and you can bet that our own resident massive carb fan Mr. Sato will be sure to check it out at some point himself.
Store information
Bakery Restaurant C Abeno Harukas location / ベーカリーレストランCあべのハルカス店
Address: Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Abeno-ku, Abeno-suji 1-1-43 Abeno Harukas, 12th floor
大阪府大阪市阿倍野区阿倍野筋 1-1-43 あべのハルカス12階
Open: 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Website
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