“Tokyo Fresh Happy Premium #1 Bakery” or Tokyo Premium Bakery (TPB) for Short in Denver, CO

Well, I kind of added to the name of the business which is actually just “Tokyo Premium Bakery” or “TPB” for short (or my version TFHP1B).

Finally, another place with actual nihonjins (Japanese people) in it, and they didn’t just use the word “Tokyo” because they were trying to fake the funk.

Pearl Street in Denver, Colorado

Kizaki, is the surname of the owners of this parking garage, restaurant space, and the neighboring Sushi Den, Ototo, Izakaya Den (where Pearl St. Grill used to be located), and who knows how many other places on or near Pearl St.

These couple of blocks probably have the most amount of Japanese in all of Denver, and I was really surprised to see the amount of Japanese clientele that I had seen during my visit.

Visiting Tokyo Premium Bakery

Walking in, I was familiar with the products and ordering process because I had been going to “85c Bakery and Cafe” in Irvine, California for a number years (I worked across the street). That’s also the same location where that dude had grabbed that Asian chicks butt who was caught on camera doing it.

Before you start grabbing things with your hand (don’t be that dude grabbing butts either), go pick up a tray and a pair of tongs to the right of the door. Place whatever you want on your tray, and when you’re done, pay at the cashier.

This was around 9:45 am, so they had plenty of product out although I hear that if you get there near closing (4:00 pm), they may be totally sold out.

A lot of fruit are used from cherries, blueberries, pineapple, peaches, kiwi, to grapes, but if you’re not into that food group, they have you covered with the custard and chocolate food group.

I needed my caffeine, so I went with a large cappuccino otherwise I would have went with the Japanese specialties.

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Now, About that Kare Pan (Japanese Curry Bread)

I feel extremely lucky to have a place like TPB open up in Denver, but I was even happier when I saw that they had kare pan.

I’ve mentioned this a number of times before, but there are only a small handful of restaurants in Denver that are Japanese operated which means you will very rarely find these type of items here unless they are actually Japanese.

These are a few pics of Kare Pan from my trip in Hiroshima Japan

In Japan, rice consumption is down and more and more Japanese are eating bread and noodles, so combining Japan’s love for curry with “pan” (bread) was inevitable.

Unlike the U.S., restaurants in Japan are not competing against an empanada place, a Jewish deli, or a Cuban bakery. They are competing against other Japanese bakeries doing similar items, so the competition is fierce, and the mediocre don’t survive (also the reason why there are more Michelin starred restaurants in Japan than any other place in the world, yea even France).

I have pics of a lot of bakeries, but I chose to show this one because they had the best curry pan I had ever had….out of the small handful that I have had (decades ago, I would go to the Clover Bakery in San Jose, California).

I have my kare pan!

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Enough About Japan and Curry Pan, Back to TPB

This is ideal for any office because they independently wrap all your baked goods, so that none of your pastries intermix, kind of like your accounting, marketing, and sales dept.

Cream Puffs, Shokupan, to Matcha

My mom and my ex both specialize in cream puffs although my ex is the one with the credentials since she’s worked in cake shops in Tokyo (in Aoyama), with Magnolia’s (from NY) and Dandelion Chocolates (from SF), Honolulu (Kulu Kulu), and now Portland. So I have had my fair share of custard and cream based baked goods, and I like the TPB matcha custard!

I wonder if you get free/discounted parking in the parking garage? I have no clue, but they do have parking out front that I found easily although if you’re going to be lounging back here, my spot was only a 2-hour time limit.

Also real journalist do real work with real information on the people running TPB, so for that, head on over to Westword’s article “Tokyo Premium Bakery Turns South Pearl Into Land of the Rising Bread.”

Things I Highly Recommend That You Try:

• Anything matcha
• Kare pan (curry bread)
• All the Japanese specialty drinks (houjicha and matcha latte)
• The anko or red bean paste baked goods (try it with a matcha latte).
• Shokupan (a loaf of fluffy Japanese bread).

Tokyo Premium Bakery

1540 S Pearl St
Denver, CO 80210
(720) 531-3784
www.tokyopremiumbakery.com
Instagram: @tokyopremiumbakery
Tues-Sun: 6:00am-4:00pm, Mon: closed
Wed-Sun: 6:00am-4:00pm, Mon: closed, Tues: 6:00am-4:00pm, 2nd and 4th week only (new hours)