After Hours: Cook your own breakfast or have a burger at Shinjuku's Slappy Cakes

Breakfast served in the middle of the night is a big hit at Slappy Cakes restaurant in Tokyo's Shinjuku district. (Eric Guzman/Stars and Stripes)

Eggs Benedict is a crowd favorite at Slappy Cakes restaurant in Tokyo's Shinjuku district. (Eric Guzman/Stars and Stripes)

Many customers at Slappy Cakes restaurant in Shinjuku like the idea of having breakfast foods for dinner, but ''normal'' foods like hamburgers are also available. (Eric Guzman/Stars and Stripes)

Some customers wait to be seated at the new Slappy Cakes restaurant in Shinjuku. No matter the time of day, breakfast items like eggs and pancakes are always on the menu. (Eric Guzman/Stars and Stripes)

Finding something different for dinner can be a challenge, even in a city with 150,000 restaurants.

But at Shinjuku’s Slappy Cakes restaurant — located in Shinjuku Station’s Lumine building — you can have everything from burgers to pancakes, whenever you want.

Meal portions at Slappy Cakes are hearty; most plates come with eggs, bacon, toast and potatoes. Additional side items like macaroni and cheese or deep-fried bacon are also offered to go along with your order.

The Slappy Benedict (eggs Benedict served with bacon and potatoes) is a popular dish.

But what makes the Slappy Cakes experience truly unique is the option to cook your own pancakes on a surface hidden inside your table.

Anyone who has visited one of Tokyo’s popular okonomiyaki restaurants may be familiar with the setup, which gives guests the chance to pick ingredients ranging from berries to chocolate chips to toss into pancakes that they cook at their table. This option is plenty of fun for kids and adults alike, especially for the artistically inclined: The batter-dispensing squirt bottles are perfect for crafting custom-shaped pancakes.

For those who are looking for something other than breakfast or burgers, sandwiches are available for purchase.

There are milkshakes and cocktails on the drink menu, along with a small selection of domestic and import beers, and really, what complements a stack of pancakes better than an ice-cold beer?

English menus are available, and the friendly English-speaking staff can help if any further assistance is needed. Meals start at 1,000 yen.

Address: 7F Lumine Est, 3-38-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Access: Shinjuku Station

Telephone: 03-6457-4155, or visit the restaurant’s website at slappycakes.com/locations/shinjuku. Staff speaks English.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, last order at 10 p.m.

Dress: Casual

Price: Meals start at 1,000 yen.

Migrated