San Francisco’s Japantown is weird. It’s a mix of ultra-modern mall vibes and deep-seated cultural history that feels a bit frozen in time. If you wander into the Peace Plaza and head up to the second floor of the Japan Center West Mall, you’re going to see a line. It’s almost always there. It’s for Belly Good Cafe & Crepes, a tiny, neon-lit stall that has managed to survive the tech booms, the busts, and the massive shifts in the city’s food scene.
It’s small.
I’m talking about a kitchen that looks like it could fit in a studio apartment. But the output is legendary. You’ve probably seen the photos—crepes that aren't just food, but literal works of art with little animal faces made of ice cream. It's easy to dismiss it as "Instagram bait" or something designed for TikTok, but this place predates those platforms. Honestly, the charm of Belly Good Cafe & Crepes isn't just the aesthetics; it’s the fact that it feels like a relic of a more whimsical, less corporate San Francisco.
The Art of the Ice Cream Animal
People don’t just come here for a snack. They come for the "characters." The menu is a chaotic, colorful board of possibilities. You pick a flavor—maybe green tea, strawberry, or vanilla—and the staff transforms a scoop of ice cream into a pig, a frog, or a bear. They use chocolate chips for eyes and sliced fruit or cookies for ears. It’s adorable. It’s also incredibly difficult to eat without feeling a tiny bit like a monster for biting into a puppy’s face.
The crepes themselves are the thin, Japanese-style variety. Unlike the French versions which can be heavy and buttery, these are designed to be handheld cones. They’re light. They have a slight snap to the edges. When you get a Belly Good Cafe & Crepes order, you’re handed a massive, top-heavy bouquet of sugar that requires some serious structural integrity to manage.
Most people go for the combos. You might get the #1, which is usually a classic strawberry and banana mix, or you might go rogue with the red bean paste. The red bean is the real deal—sweet, slightly earthy, and essential if you want the authentic Japantown experience.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Wait
Let’s talk about the line. It moves slowly. Really slowly. If you’re in a rush to catch a movie at the AMC Kabuki across the way, you might want to rethink your life choices. The reason it takes so long is that each crepe is made to order, and the "decorating" phase is a manual process.
There’s no machine punching out these faces. It’s a person with a pair of tongs carefully placing chocolate ears.
If you go on a Saturday afternoon, expect to wait 20 to 30 minutes. Is it worth it? That depends on your tolerance for kitsch. If you want a quick hit of glucose, go somewhere else. If you want the experience of holding a masterpiece that will melt in four minutes, stay in line. The shop is tucked away, and the seating is basically just the public benches of the mall, but that’s part of the vibe. You eat while people-watching. You see kids losing their minds over a scoop of chocolate that looks like a bear, and you see adults doing the exact same thing.
Finding Belly Good Cafe & Crepes in the Japan Center
Navigating the Japan Center is a bit of a maze if you aren't a regular. You want the West Mall. If you find yourself staring at a wall of katanas or a high-end sushi bar, you might be in the Kinokuniya building. Keep walking.
The stall itself is brightly lit, almost blindingly so, with glass cases filled with plastic food models. These sampuru are a staple of Japanese dining culture, and they give you a perfect preview of what you’re about to regret eating (only because of the calories, not the taste).
- Pro tip: Bring cash. While they’ve modernized a bit, small stalls in Japantown often prefer it, and it speeds up the transaction.
- The "Secret" Move: Don't just stick to the ice cream. The savory crepes are surprisingly decent, though 90% of the crowd is there for the sweet stuff.
- Photo Op: Take the picture immediately. The mall is warm, the ice cream is soft, and that bear will turn into a puddle faster than you can find a filter.
The Reality of the Flavor Profile
Is it the best crepe in the world? Probably not. You can find more sophisticated batter or higher-end chocolate elsewhere in the city. But that’s missing the point of Belly Good Cafe & Crepes. The ice cream is high-quality—rich and creamy—and the fruit is usually fresh. The appeal is the nostalgia and the craft. It tastes like childhood.
There’s a specific texture to Japanese crepes that is different from what you get at a street fair. It’s more "crispy-chewy." When you hit a pocket of whipped cream and Nutella at the bottom of the cone, it’s a genuine moment of joy.
One thing to note is the price. It’s not cheap. You’re paying for the labor of the art. In 2026, finding anything in San Francisco under ten dollars that brings this much personality is a rare feat. You have to respect the hustle of a place that hasn't changed its core identity in years while the neighborhood around it evolves.
The Neighborhood Context
While you're there, you should actually explore the rest of the mall. Too many people grab their crepe and bolt.
Go to the Daiso downstairs for $1.75 trinkets. Hit the Kinokuniya bookstore for stationery. If you’re still hungry (how?), go get some takoyaki from the vendors nearby. Japantown is a fragile ecosystem of small businesses, and Belly Good Cafe & Crepes acts as a sort of "anchor tenant" for the younger crowd. It keeps the foot traffic moving.
Honestly, the shop is a survivor. It survived the 2020 lockdowns, which hit mall-based businesses harder than almost anyone else. The fact that they are still there, still making faces out of ice cream, is a testament to how much people love this specific brand of whimsy.
Actionable Steps for Your Visit
- Check the Hours: They aren't always open late. Usually, they close around 6:00 PM or 7:00 PM, depending on the day. Check their social media or Google Maps before you trek out there.
- Timing is Everything: Aim for a weekday morning or right when they open if you want to avoid the "bridge and tunnel" crowds that flock to Japantown on weekends.
- The Napkin Rule: Take more than you think you need. The cone will drip. The ice cream will shift. It’s a messy business.
- Order the Green Tea: If you want to balance the sweetness, the matcha/green tea ice cream has that slight bitterness that makes the whipped cream pop.
Don't expect a seat. Don't expect a fast-food experience. Just show up, wait your turn, and enjoy one of the last few spots in San Francisco that feels genuinely, unapologetically fun.