You can smell Wa-Iro from a block away, the scent beguiling enough to turn passersby into vintage cartoons floating over to its window. This Japanese bakery and cafe in the heart of Old Town Pasadena is riding on the salt bread trend with fresh baked
treats made using flour imported from Hokkaido and matcha powder from Kyoto. Butter-filled salt bread remains the specialty here and you plan your visit around it — but sugary sweets, like a purin-inspired bread and a crusty French toast, should find their way into your pastry box, too. And no cafe experience is whole without drinks; find a selection of espresso beverages and frothy matcha lattes to pair with the baked goods.
What to order
- You came for the shio pan and, yes, it is the thing Wa-Iro does best. There’s a rotating selection of salt bread flavors and the bakery constantly churns out fresh batches. The classic salt and butter is my personal favorite; I love relishing the high-quality butter flavor at the center of each roll offset by a sprinkle of flaky salt.
- For a sweeter salt bread option, try the cookie rendition. It’s baked with a cookie dough filling that leaks out from the center of the bread and solidifies into a crispy, buttery skirt.
- Purin à la mode is a bready riff on Japanese custard. Cubes of milk bread get filled with a vanilla-forward pudding mixture topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. An accompanying pipette of caramel sauce that mimics Japan’s version of creme caramel completes this treat.
- The French toast — a halved brick of buttered milk bread coated in caramelized sugar — reminds me of the famed honey butter toast from the Asian diasporic Arôme Bakery in London. Its outside has a satisfying crunch thanks to the toasted sugar while the interior remains feathery and light. Despite it being a French toast, it doesn’t feel overly eggy at all.
What to drink
The matcha drinks at Wa-Iro tend to venture into dessert territory — especially the strawberry matcha latte and the banana creme matcha latte — but nevertheless, beneath fluffy cream tops, you’ll get deep green, quality matcha flavor from Kyoto in both. Coffee enthusiasts can select a black sesame latte for something on the sweet side or dive into espresso or cold brew.
Insider tip
Although Wa-Iro sells a selection of salt bread sandwiches that look wildly appealing, like a yakisoba panini and a sausage bun, I’ve found its sandwiches to be dry and overbaked in my multiple visits. Skip those and stick with the classic salt bread and sweets.
