9 best street food and snacks in Harajuku

If you’re looking for a quintessential Japanese dessert, you can’t go wrong with an ichigo daifuku. With a prime location right on Harajuku’s bustling Takeshita-dori, this confectionery turns out fruit-filled mochi known as daifuku. Its speciality, however, is strawberries, and the shop uses fresh, seasonal strawberries and adjusts the flavour of the sweet bean paste coating so as not to overpower the delicate sweetness of the strawberries. The mochi layer, on the other hand, comes in the classic white as well as a special black colour made with the addition of bamboo charcoal.

Aside from strawberry daifuku, Yurinan also carries colourful cream-filled daifuku made with fresh cream and fruit instead of bean paste. To quench your thirst, there’s fruity strawberry tea and a range of coffee. 

This sweets shop offers a twist on the classic candy apple by coating the fruit in a variety of unique flavours including yoghurt chocolate, cinnamon sugar, Uji matcha, kinako (roasted soybean flour) and much more. Here you’ll be able to sample the season's freshest apples – in fact, the candy coating is thin enough that you can still taste the fruit’s natural flavour.

Order your candy apple either whole on a wooden stick or cut up into bite-sized pieces for easy eating. We recommend ordering the drink set, where you get to choose from a wide selection  including coffee by famed Tokyo roastery Onibus, tea and fresh fruit juice.

You’ll find this charming kakigori (shaved ice dessert) truck parked down a backstreet of Harajuku during the warmer months of the year. It’s run by a friendly gentleman who makes all the fresh fruit toppings daily; he also takes great pride in using only the best ice brought in from Mt Yatsugatake in Japan's Minami Alps.

There’s often a long queue on sunny days but it’s well worth the wait. You’ll get to enjoy refreshing flavours like white grapefruit, melon, strawberry and avocado. Each kakigori order also comes with your choice of regular condensed milk or a tangy yoghurt condensed milk to complement the fruit topping. While orders are for takeaway only, there’s a few benches set up nearby where you can sit and enjoy your icy treat before it melts.

Japan's longest-running crêpe shop started life as a food truck in 1976 before moving to its current home on Harajuku's Takeshita-dori the following year. For many, a Marion crêpe is still the quintessential Harajuku street food, whether you're having it sweet (try the strawberry, azuki bean and whipped cream version for a sugar overload), or with a savoury filling like tuna and curry sauce.

Known for both their crêpes and crazy cotton candy, this Harajuku spot is where you can stock up on many street snacks in one go. Aside from the sweets, you'll also find bubble tea drinks as well as savoury food items like taco rice and spicy coconut curry bowls. The oversized cotton candy usually sports a much shorter queue than the opposite Totti Candy Factory. Pick either the simple swirling rainbow or animal shapes including ducks and bunnies.

This shop, originally from Korea, is popular for its Rainbow Cheese Sandwich. Introduced in 2018, this cheesy treat became a big hit on social media due to its psychedelic filling. For the perfect picture, tear apart the sandwich to see 20 centimetres of melted rainbow cheese. If you have a sweet tooth, then go for the colourful soft serve ice cream or galaxy drink. Le Shiner is one of the best spots to start your Harajuku adventure.

You can't walk through Takeshita-dori and miss the long line outside this popular takeaway shop. Croquant Chou Zakuzaku is well known for its signature almond-coated pastries filled with fresh Hokkaido cream, which also come in seasonal flavours. It's a stick of creamy, crunchy goodness – but there are other options too: soft cream served in a waffle cone or cup and sprinkled with the same sugar-coated almonds that make the Croquant Chou sticks so addictive.

Round off your eating tour in Harajuku at this laidback café found not too far from Harajuku's ever-crowded Takeshita-dori. The latte is available with flavours like caramel, mocha and honey, but can be made more Instagram-worthy by paying a few extra yen and getting latte artist extraordinaire George to top your cup with an 'illustration' based on a photo of your choosing – remember to bring a pic of your favourite anime character, celebrity or dog to show him. Otherwise, you can also opt for a 3D latte art made from milk foam.