Maison Kayser

Quick Facts

What it is

Maison Kayser (メゾンカイザー), founded in Paris by master artisan baker Éric Kayser and brought to Japan under a celebrated partnership with Shuichiro Kimura, is universally revered as the pinnacle of authentic French artisan baking in Tokyo. Setting a benchmark that transformed Japanese bakery culture, Maison Kayser uses its own proprietary "Levain Liquide" (natural liquid sourdough culture), custom-milled French unbleached wheat flour, and slow 16-hour cold fermentation. Its flagship crown jewel is the legendary Croissant (クロワッサン)—officially voted Paris's #1 Croissant by French newspaper Le Figaro—crafted with premium cultured fermented butter (Beurre d'Isigny / AOP). At its cafe locations (such as COREDO Nihonbashi, Marunouchi, and Ikebukuro Sunshine), lunch diners can enjoy grilled meats and salads accompanied by a basket of warm, assorted artisan breads with free refills (the croissant portion is limited).

How to order

Visiting Maison Kayser Japan offers two distinct culinary experiences:

Option A: The Artisan Bakery Counter (Takeaway):

1. Pick up a tray and tongs: Walk into the bakery. Take a clean wooden tray and tongs.
2. NO Otoshi cover charge: Enjoy honest dining—Maison Kayser charges strictly zero table fee and zero cover charge (¥0 Otoshi)!
3. Select your artisan pastries & breads:
   • Award-Winning Croissant (クロワッサン): The #1 must-buy! Flaky, golden, and bursting with rich French fermented butter.
   • Baguette Monge (バゲット モンジュ): Paris's signature long sourdough baguette with a blistered crust and open, chewy crumb.
   • Pain au Chocolat: Buttery pastry wrapped around two sticks of bittersweet dark chocolate.
   • Pain aux Noix / Figues: Crusty sourdough loaves studded with walnuts or sweet Turkish figs.
   • Lemon Tart & Eclairs: Classical French patisserie desserts.
4. Checkout at register: Pay via credit card, Suica, or cash. Your bread is packed into elegant navy-and-gold branded paper bags.

Option B: The Bistro Cafe (All-You-Can-Eat Bread Lunch!):

1. Be seated by staff: Step into the sit-down restaurant section. Staff will seat your group at a comfortable bistro table.
2. Order your lunch entrée: Choose an entrée such as:
   • Herb-Grilled Chicken with Mustard Cream: Juicy chicken steak with vegetables.
   • Sirloin Steak Frites: Classic Parisian beef steak with french fries.
   • Salad Niçoise: Large gourmet salad with tuna, eggs, olives, and greens.
3. The Unlimited Bread Basket (Pan Okawari Jiyu):
   • Your server delivers a bountiful woven bread basket containing 4 to 6 freshly sliced varieties (Baguette Monge, Walnut bread, Fig bread, Curcuma turmeric bread, and soft rolls).
   • 100% UNLIMITED REFILLS: When your basket is empty, the server will bring a fresh basket with different rotating breads at strictly zero extra charge!
4. Enjoy with olive oil & coffee: Dip the crusty sourdough into extra-virgin olive oil, savor the complex fermentation, and finish with espresso coffee.
5. Settle your bill: Bring your table leather folder to the cashier desk. Pay via cash, credit card, Suica, or smartphone QR codes.

What to order first

Dishes below reflect core brand staples officially featured on the Maison Kayser Japan Official Website:

• Paris #1 Fermented Butter Croissant (名物 クロワッサン): Awarded best croissant in Paris by Le Figaro; 16-layer French fermented butter pastry that shatters with a heavenly buttery crunch (~¥330–¥360 tax-included).
• Baguette Monge (バゲット モンジュ): Maison Kayser's global flagship baguette; naturally fermented with liquid levain culture for a nutty, caramelized wheaty crust (~¥360–¥420).
• Cafe Lunch with Refillable Bread Basket (ランチプレート・パンおかわり自由): At cafe locations, grilled steak or chicken lunch sets served with a refillable bread basket and coffee (~¥1,680–¥2,380).
• Pain au Chocolat (パン オ ショコラ): Flaky butter pastry folded around dark French baking chocolate batons (~¥360–¥390).
• Pain aux Figues (イチジクのパン): Chewy sourdough loaf packed with whole sweet dried figs; pairs impeccably with wine and cheese (~¥380–¥450).

Payment & practical info

Prices and details checked: October 2026.

• Pricing & Value: Outstanding French bistro value; enjoying a complete sit-down steak or chicken lunch with unlimited artisan bread and coffee in Tokyo for around ¥1,800 is an extraordinary deal.
• Cover Charges: Strictly zero cover charge and zero seating fees (¥0 Otoshi).
• Payment Methods: Accepts Japanese Yen cash, major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners Club, UnionPay), Japanese transit IC cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA), electronic money (iD, QUICPay), and mobile QR codes (PayPay, Rakuten Pay).
• Atmosphere: Sophisticated, European, and stylish. Parisian bistro dark wood, marble tables, wicker cafe chairs, natural sunlight, and classical French background music.
• Prime Tokyo Locations:
  • Nihombashi Coredo Muromachi: Historic culinary district.
  • Roppongi & Hiroo: Upscale international neighborhoods.
  • Ikebukuro Sunshine City & Shibuya Hikarie: Great shopping connections.

Good to know / Common mistakes

• Eat the croissant same-day: Authentic croissants laminated with French butter should never be refrigerated. Enjoy them within 4 to 6 hours of purchase while the outer layers remain shatteringly crisp!
• The Bread Basket trick: In the cafe locations, don't fill up on just the first basket. The servers circulate with different varieties of breads (including specialty turmeric, raisin, and walnut loaves) throughout your meal.
• Baguette slicing service: If you purchase whole Baguettes or Campagne loaves to take back to your hotel, staff at the bakery counter will slice them for you upon request for free!
• Takeout croissants for breakfast: Buy a couple of croissants in the evening and leave them on your hotel desk; in the morning, toast them for 60 seconds in an oven toaster for a luxury Parisian breakfast in Tokyo.
• No tipping: Tipping is never accepted. Pay the exact bill at the front desk.

Sources

• Maison Kayser Japan Official Website: https://maisonkayser.jp/ (Verified: 2026-10-02)
• Eric Kayser Global Portal: https://www.maison-kayser.com/ (Verified: 2026-10-02)