A Japanese Cheesecake Chain With a Cult Following Is Making an NYC Debut

A Japanese bakery that attracts long lines for its fluffy, spongey take on cheesecake is opening its first NYC location. Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake will open in a 1,000-square-foot space on the ground floor of 135 West 41st St., between Sixth Avenue and Broadway in Midtown, according to real estate firm Lee & Associates, which brokered the deal.

Uncle Tetsu has more than 45 locations throughout Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan. It also brought its cheesecake to London, Canada, and Hawaii and opened its first continental U.S. location in Los Angeles in 2016, where it quickly drew lines of eager cheesecake fans during its soft opening. The brand recently expanded to Northern California, opening in San Mateo.

The cheesecakes have a signature look: a round cake browned on top and emblazoned with the bakery’s logo of a little bespectacled, bald chef. Everywhere Uncle Tetsu goes, there are reports of long lines. While the soufflé-like cakes are the main attraction, the bakery also serves a variety of other treats, including honey-flavored madeleines and cookies made with rice cereal, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. There’s also cheesecake biscotti, which are twice-baked cookies made from the cheesecakes.

A location of casual Chinese noodle chain Junzi Kitchen is also set to go into the same building next to Uncle Tetsu and will open this year.

Eater has reached out to Uncle Tetsu for more information.

• Japanese Cheesecake Shop Opening First NYC Location in Theater District [Commercial Observer]