Mayonnaise Cafes Are Now a Thing

Love it or hate it, mayonnaise is everywhere—in sandwiches, salads, and even on French fries. But as Mashable reports, Japan is set to take the creamy condiment craze to new heights: Kewpie, the Japanese mayo brand, is launching two pop-up restaurants featuring mayonnaise-based menus.

Kewpie will open a “mayonnaise cafe” in Tokyo's Shibuya district for the entirety of March (fun fact: March 1 is “Mayonnaise Day” in Japan). The second pop-up will arrive in Nagoya, in central Honshu, on April 3, and remain open through April 30.

Calm your fears, mayo-phobes: neither establishment will sell big bowls of mayo with spoons on the side. Instead, they’ll use the condiment to marinate chicken, add extra flavor to omelets, and make a custard-like dessert. (There’s even mayo pizza!) Dishes will range in price from around $3.50 for a small dessert to about $14 for the chicken chop.

That said, Kewpie mayo isn't your grandma’s Hellmann’s, meaning these dishes will likely taste much different from what American eaters would expect. As Kotaku explains, the Asian condiment is made from egg yolks and apple or rice vinegar, which gives it a taste that's richer and sweeter than American mayonnaise, which is typically made from whole eggs, distilled vinegar, salt, and sugar.

This isn’t Kewpie's first foray into the restaurant industry: In March 2016, one of the brand’s pop-up cafes served dishes including Taro Miso Mayonnaise Gratin, fries with different-flavored mayos, and more.