A must-try convenience store drink you won’t find anywhere else.
Earlier this month, Family Mart shook up the convenience store scene by opening its first-ever flagship store, Famima Park Azabudai.
Located near the Azabudai Hills shopping complex in Tokyo’s Toranomon, the new store has been attracting attention from locals and international visitors ever since it opened its doors to the public on 10 July. While many have been raving about the store’s cool new look, created with the help of iconic fashion designer Nigo, founder of Human Made and A Bathing Ape (BAPE), we found something else worth raving about that seems to have flown under the radar of most visitors.
When you arrive at the flagship, everything about it will catch your eye as it looks entirely different from other Family Mart stores in Japan.
Stylish on both the outside and the inside, and with unusual features like a changing room for the chain’s Convenience Wear clothing line, you could easily spend an hour or so browsing the aisles.
However, one thing you shouldn’t miss is a stop outside at the “Famima Stand”, where you can order food and drinks without even stepping inside the store.
This is where you’ll find Family Mart’s super-popular fried chicken, Famichiki, along with our recommended hiddem gem…
▼ … tapioca milk tea!
The reason why we’re calling it a “hidden” gem is because it’s not listed on the menu as is. Instead, you have to order the tea – choosing from either jasmine or Earl Grey – and request the tapioca as an added extra for an additional 150 yen (US$0.92).
The Famima flagship is a particularly good place for tea, as it’s freshly brewed to order using the store’s espresso machine. Family Mart says this style of tea-making produces a richer aroma and deeper flavour than conventional brewing methods, and you can choose from a variety of options like straight, milk, and fruit teas, in hot or iced versions, and even select your sweetness level from four options: zero, less, normal or extra sweet.
▼ We recommend ordering a medium-sized iced jasmine milk tea, in a normal sweetness with tapioca, which will cost you 450 yen.
Upon first sip, you’ll be wowed by the jasmine aroma, which is so intoxicating you’ll think it came from a specialist tea shop. The quality of the tea is superb, blending beautifully with the richness of the milk, and with just the right amount of sweetness. The tapioca pearls are deliciously chewy, adding a fun texture to the milk tea.
Ordering the medium size gives you a very generous amount to sip on, and paying just 450 yen for this amount, and this much flavour, is a very good deal, especially in this upmarket area of Tokyo.
With benches around the store, you can sit back and enjoy your drink outside, which is particularly nice on sunny days. Thoughtfully designed to resemble the flagship’s new “F” mascot character, the benches are located in a shaded area, making it a pleasant place to sit and enjoy the breeze in summer.
Family Mart may have gone fancy with its new flagship store, but we’re glad that the prices haven’t skyrocketed to reflect the posh feel of its surroundings. So next time you’re passing through the area, perhaps to visit the immersive teamLab exhibition in Azabudai Hills, don’t forget there’s a Famima milk tea waiting for you at the Famima Stand, and plenty of new Famima-flavoured Famima chicken there too.
Shop information
Famima Park Azabudai
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Toranomon 5-2-10
東京都港区虎ノ門五丁目2番10号
Open 24 hours
Website
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