TV Restaurants

Is Japonaise Still Open? Best Thing I Ever Ate Update (Brookline, MA)

Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 5 Brookline, Massachusetts

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Japonaise is listed open on japonaise.squarespace.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What the source shows: Google Places lists Japonaise Bakery and Cafe as operational, and the bakery's own website, checked 2026-09-08, shows a working menu, contact information, and active online ordering. How we decide a status →

What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

On Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate, in the 2011 episode "French Favorites," chef Ming Tsai named the Azuki Cream Croissant at Japonaise Bakery and Cafe as his favorite bite. Japonaise's own website describes the shop as serving French pastries with a Japanese twist since 1985, and it operates from Beacon Street in Brookline, Massachusetts, just outside Boston. According to that website, checked on 2026-09-08, Japonaise lists its Beacon Street address and a Brookline phone number, (617) 566-7730, alongside a current menu, holiday specials, and a jobs page, plus an active online ordering system for pickup. The site's homepage also promotes the bakery's Instagram and Facebook pages under a "Like & Follow" banner, the same social channels the bakery has used since the show aired in 2011.

The episode Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 5

Episode 9
Air date not confirmed
Title: French Favorites · What was featured: Azuki Cream Croissant, a Japanese-French pastry

Also in Season 5 Best Thing I Ever Ate

Season 5: 61 of 104 still open · 7 renamed, moved or under new owners

  • Ep 8Bulgarini Gelato

    Altadena, CA

    Closed

  • Ep 9Everest

    Chicago, IL

    Closed

  • Ep 9Lady M Confections

    New York, NY

    Open

  • Ep 9Le Pichet

    Seattle, WA

    Open

  • Ep 9Lucques

    West Hollywood, CA

    Closed

  • Ep 9Robin's Restaurant

    Henderson, LA

    Closed

  • Ep 9Solbar

    Calistoga, CA

    Open

  • Ep 9Vin Rouge

    Durham, NC

    Open
All 13 Season 5 episodes →

Nearest restaurants By distance from 1020 Beacon St

  • Sweet Cheeks Q

    Boston, MA 0.4 mi away

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  • Max and Leo's (Max & Leo's Pizza Fenway)

    Boston, MA 0.5 mi away

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  • Flann O'Brien's

    Boston, MA 0.9 mi away

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  • Boston Burger Company

    Boston, MA 1.0 mi away

    Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives · Food Paradise · Man v. Food

    Open

  • Cutty's

    Brookline, MA 1.1 mi away

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    Open

  • Rubin's Kosher Delicatessen

    Brookline, MA 1.1 mi away

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All 134 TV restaurants in Massachusetts →

Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 2 references

  1. japonaise.squarespace.com https://japonaise.squarespace.com/
  2. foodiepie.com https://www.foodiepie.com/list.php?e=Best-Thing-I-Ever-Ate-French-Favorites
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Record btiea-0468 · checked by Cal Marchetti.