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Japanese souffle pancakes may be making a Peninsula comeback.
The jiggly, fluffy brunch treat went viral globally in 2016, inspiring Instagrammable souffle pancake spots such as Uni Souffle to open in Millbrae in 2019 and Hanabusa Cafe to open in Sunnyvale in 2021. While both have since shuttered, a newcomer to Mountain View is bringing back the once-prevalent food item.
Gram Cafe & Pancakes, founded in Osaka, Japan, in 2014, is planning on opening its newest restaurant this summer along San Antonio Road, near Craftsman & Wolves. Gram’s first U.S. outpost was at San Francisco’s Stonestown Galleria Mall, which closed in 2024 after five years. Gram specializes in stacks of Japanese souffle pancakes coated in various flavored custards but also offers other Japanese brunch dishes and specialty beverages.
“(Japanese pancakes) are airy and fluffy,” said franchise owner Dorothy Tso. “It’s like eating a cloud, like a marshmallow cloud.”
Tso’s top two favorite pancake stacks are the mango pomelo and the hazelnut chocolate. The mango pomelo features two of Gram’s signature Japanese pancakes coated with a mango coconut anglaise, topped with fresh mango, pomelo and sago and served with mango ice cream ($18). The hazelnut chocolate features two of Gram’s signature Japanese pancakes coated with a creamy hazelnut chocolate sauce and topped with crunchy chocolate flakes and a Ferrero Rocher ball ($16).
“All the sauces are housemade,” Tso said. “We don’t use any artificial flavors or coloring, so everything is made from scratch.”
In addition to pancakes, find savory appetizers such as chicken karaage and fried squid ($7.50-$9) and entrees including wagyu beef curry and eggs Benedict pancakes ($16-$24). Specialty beverages include dalgona coffee and matcha (a Korean whipped beverage), smoothies, lattes, bubbly options (such as sparkling matcha yuzu) and hot teas ($5-$7.50). Coffee drinks are made with beans from San Francisco-based roastery Sightglass Coffee.
The new Mountain View restaurant will seat about 50 and will offer outdoor seating, according to Tso. While it will primarily be a brunch restaurant, Tso is open to having it be a dessert restaurant at nighttime if there’s demand for it. She said she hopes to eventually have about 10-12 locations in California.
Gram Cafe & Pancakes, 458 San Antonio Road, Mountain View; 626-872-0447, Instagram: @gramcafepancakesusa. Beginning summer, open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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