Patisserie L'abricotier, a famous French pastry shop

Hello! I'm Kimder Garden, a Nakano Tourism Reporter. I'd like to introduce you to L'abricotier, a Western-style pastry shop located along Waseda Street in Yamatocho, Nakano Ward.

The origin of L'abricotier

We spoke to the owner, Etsuko Sato, at the shop, whose apricot color catches the eye. The shop's name, L'abricotier, means "apricot tree" in French. She chose "an" (apricot) as the name of her shop because it is also the character she uses in her child's name.

Reasons for opening a store here

"My husband lived in Asagaya when he was training to be a pastry chef, so we chose the familiar neighborhood when we opened our shop," says Sato-san. Her husband, Masato, was born into a family that ran a pastry shop, and he also trained in France.

What is your recommended item?

"La Bricotier" is a sweet and sour mousse with apricot jelly. It was created when a customer asked us when we first opened, "The name of the shop is Anzu no Ki, but do you have any apricot sweets?" The secret to its deliciousness is our commitment to the ingredients. We definitely recommend trying it, but it may be sold out by the afternoon.

When talking about L'abricotier, you can't leave out the "Mont Blanc." It's a limited edition product available from autumn to winter, and during the sales period, long lines form before the store even opens. Sato-san taught us the secret to eating it deliciously: "Eat it within an hour of purchase." He says it's best to eat it within 30 minutes, as the condition of the meringue will change.

"Sicilian Fig" is a limited edition product that is only available from early summer to autumn. The contrast between the green of the pistachios and the red of the figs is cute.

"Melon Panna Cotta" is a summer-only item. According to Sato, there are many customers from far away on weekends, and some even make the effort to come from other regions.

The goal of L'abricotier

(Former eat-in corner)

L'abricotier will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2024. When we asked Sato about his future goals, he said, "I want to resume dine-in service." Due to the impact of COVID-19, and the lack of manpower makes it difficult to operate the service in parallel with sales, so dine-in service is currently suspended. If we were to resume dine-in service, it would be easier to eat your Mont Blanc within 30 minutes of purchasing it.

Furthermore, Sato-san says, "I want to expand my repertoire of baked goods." Although production staff have been added and the team has become more powerful, Masato is the only one who can make baked goods. Making baked goods is the last step in the training of a pastry chef, so it will take time to expand the repertoire of baked goods.

There are many other types of baked goods besides those displayed in the store. Please come and try them. See you!

Patisserie L'abricotier

Address: 1-66-3 Yamatocho, Nakano-ku, Tokyo Access

From the north exit of JR Chuo Line "Nakano Station", take the Kanto Bus [A45] bound for Asagaya Station, get off at "Koenji Dori", then walk for 1 minute

7 minutes walk from the north exit of Koenji Station on the JR Chuo Line

Business hours: 11:00 to 18:00

Closed: Mondays, irregular Tuesdays, and open on public holidays. Please see the official website for details.