Out of Japan’s many famous snacks and treats, Kit Kats are by far the most iconic. In 2014, Nestlé capitalized on this success by opening the first Kit Kat (or KitKat) Chocolatory: a boutique specialty Kit Kat store offering a range of special edition products.

Beloved both locally and internationally, these tasty little chocolate bars are particularly popular in Japan, where over 400 unique flavors have been released and new seasonal varieties frequently make an appearance. At the Chocolatory, Kit Kats not only come in different flavors but are also hand-crafted with high-grade chocolate and special ingredients, overseen by renowned patissier Yasumasa Takagi.

While there are as many as eight Kit Kat Chocolatories in Japan, the Kit Kat Chocolatory in Ginza is one of the only chocolatory stores that isn’t located inside a department store and houses a café on the second floor. Here, you’ll find a menu that boasts a range of handmade offerings, from sweet treats to a light savory menu and a range of hot and cold drinks. 

While everything is good, the desserts and cakes are clearly the main events. The little cakes are especially popular: a variety of different shapes, sizes, and flavors, each bursting with color behind their display case. Beautiful and decadent, these decadent gateaux rival anything you’ll see in Paris, with particular emphasis on chocolate, cream, and seasonal fruit flavors. 

If you’re more interested in desserts that actually contain Japanese Kit Kats, however, you’ll have to order one of the store’s two parfaits. Parfaits are a common dessert option throughout Japan, where they mimic their American counterparts, combining various ingredients like nuts, yogurt, cream, fruits, and ice cream in a tall serving glass. 

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The first parfait on offer at the Ginza Chocolatory is the “I ♡ Fruits” parfait, which layers three different flavors of ice cream with a selection of fresh fruit before topping it all off with a variety of fruit-flavored Kit Kats. The second option, the “Sublime Matcha Parfait,” is a more quintessentially Japanese treat, showcasing the classic flavor combination of matcha green tea and chocolate. This parfait combines handmade matcha ice cream, chocolate cookie pieces, matcha sponge cake, and two crunchy bars of bitter chocolate and matcha flavored Kit Kats, for the perfect melding of bitter and sweet. 

Finally, the restaurant offers a range of cold and hot drinks, from a variety of coffees to premium matcha tea. Surprisingly, the fixed menu doesn’t include any hot chocolate, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find it! Over the years, various types of decadent chocolate drinks have made an appearance for a limited time—like the tart, rich Ruby Hot Chocolate from 2018! 

Meanwhile, in the Kit Kat shop downstairs, you’ll find more than 15 types of premium Kit Kats. Some of these are sold individually, while others are only available in beautiful gift boxes. To begin with, there’s the Sublime collection: a range of premium Kit Kats created by Yasumasa Takagi that come in bitter, milk, white, ruby, matcha, and raw cocoa varieties. There’s also the Sublime Volcanic range, which features Kit Kats made from an extremely rare type of cocoa cultivated on volcanic islands. These chocolate bars have a strong, earthy taste, making them perfect for lovers of dark chocolate.

Also available is the “I ♡ Fruits” collection, featured in the café’s fruit parfait. These chocolate bars are coated in white chocolate with a range of fruit flavorings, including strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, passionfruit, and yuzu. 

Aside from these mainstays, the Chocolatory store also sells a rotation of other limited edition flavors, like chili Kit Kats, sake Kit Kats, and dried fruit and nut Kit Kats. As with all limited edition goods, however, please note that since the stock changes regularly, it’s almost impossible to fully predict which of the 400 Kit Kat flavors will be on offer!

Last but not least, the Kit Kat Chocolatory in Ginza also offers a special “message gift service” letting you personalize your chocolate gifts! For a fee, the patissiers at the Chocolatory will decorate three Kit Kat bars with a hand-written message and decorative pattern of your choice. The final product is then packaged in a dedicated gift box, making this one a no-brainer gift for the Kit Kat lovers in your life!

For anyone with a sweet tooth, the Kit Kat Chocolatory is a must-visit. In Ginza, Japanese restaurants with luxury patisseries are a dime a dozen, but the Chocolatory stands out from the pack with fun decor and an impressive variety of treats. The Kit Kat Chocolatory shows that Kit Kats are more than a fun, gimmicky snack—they can also be a premium chocolate dessert, to be offered as a classy gift or enjoyed as part of a high-end café experience.