Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake
“The big lines are already forming for Uncle Tetsu, the Japanese import bakery operation known for their airy cheesecakes that now open on the continent (it was previously opened in Hawaii). The new build, pictured above, is part of the larger food hall finishing up inside the Westfield Santa Anita, and is currently soft-open with hours from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.”
The first Uncle Tetsu opened 25 years ago in Hakata, Japan. The company’s cheesecakes have become an international phenomenon in the years since; those two-hour lineups aren’t an only-in-Toronto exception, but the rule. Outside Japan, the brand has more than 70 shops across China, as well as in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Cambodia. (Some of those are franchises. In Toronto, it’s owned by the company.) In a court settlement last year in China, a copycat company that had set up 30 fake Uncle Tetsu locations was ordered to pay $160,000 (U.S.) for the trademark violation. Toronto is the company’s first opening outside Asia; it has been mobbed since its first day of business last month.
The Uncle Tetsu shopaholic Westfield Santa Anita mall. Hour long line not shown!
