Japan’s Kona’s Coffee Serves Up a Tower of Cream: Strawberry & Banana Whipped Pancakes

“Strawberry & Banana Whipped Pancakes” is the signature dessert of Kona’s Coffee, a Hawaiian café chain with locations across Japan. At some stores, as many as 80 to 90 plates are served in a single day, making it one of the café’s most popular menu items.

First of all, the amount of whipped cream is astonishing. But when you take a bite, you’ll find it’s surprisingly light thanks to the air whipped into it—fluffy and easy to eat.

Next to the table, you’ll notice a pepper mill filled not with pepper, but with coffee beans, alongside a bottle of maple syrup. First-time visitors might wonder, “What is this for?” According to the café, it’s meant to be ground over the whipped cream on the pancakes. When you actually try it, the flavor transforms into something reminiscent of a café latte.

The bitterness of the finely ground coffee beans blends perfectly with the sweetness of the whipped cream, creating a well-balanced flavor that truly earns the name “café latte.” It’s the perfect way to switch up the taste of the whipped cream.

店舗によっては1日80〜90皿出ることもある人気メニュー「ストロベリー&バナナホイップパンケーキ」税込み1,749円 — The popular “Strawberry & Banana Whipped Pancakes” — priced at ¥1,749 including tax — can sell as many as 80 to 90 plates a day at some locations.

By the way, the pancakes at this café typically come with four layers per serving—a rather generous portion by Japanese café standards. According to the café, they don’t keep statistics on how customers eat them, but say that “some people enjoy a whole plate by themselves, while others share it between two or even four people.”

There’s no right or wrong way to enjoy them—just go with whatever suits you. That said, the portions are generous, so it’s best to gauge your appetite carefully before diving in.