Linde Kichijoji: Tokyo’s German Bakery Since 1997

Tokyo · Kichijoji · German Bakery

Linde Kichijoji: Tokyo’s German Bakery, Baking the Real Thing Since 1997

Linde is where I send anyone looking for real German bread in Tokyo — dense, sour rye loaves and a properly chewy pretzel, made in Kichijoji from recipes a German master baker handed over in 1997.

By Nobutoshi, Japanese travel writer at hiddenjapan-gems.com · Updated July 2026 · Visited in person; hours and address checked against the shop’s official site.

Bäckerei Kaffee Linde sits in the Sun Road arcade on the north side of Kichijoji Station, in Musashino City on the west edge of Tokyo. It is a bakery on the ground floor and a small alpine-style café upstairs, and it has been quietly doing German bread properly for nearly thirty years. If you have only tried the soft, sweet loaves that dominate most Japanese bakeries, the dark, sour rye here is a different food entirely.

Linde Kichijoji: Quick Facts (2026)

Here is the short version before the details. Prices vary by item; the figures below are from my visit.

What is Linde, and why does it matter?

Linde is a specialist in authentic German-style bread, opened in Kichijoji in April 1997. It was built around the recipes of German master baker Gerhardt Werner, who, by the shop’s account, handed over more than 120 bread and cake recipes and trained the staff on site at the launch. The name you will see over the door is its full one: Bäckerei Kaffee Linde — “bakery café Linde.”

That heritage shows up in the case. Instead of the milk-bread and cream-filled pastries that fill most Japanese bakeries, Linde leans into Central European staples: rye-mixed loaves (Roggen Mischbrot), pretzels, and hearty dark breads that keep for days. It is the kind of bread you buy for the week, not the kind you finish on the walk home.

What should I buy at Linde?

Start with the rye and the pretzel; those are what the shop does best. On my visit I carried out a Kosakenbrot (a heavy, dark rye loaf), a rye honey-and-cream-cheese sandwich that is a Kichijoji-honten-only item, a croissant, and one of the pretzels. The Brezel is the thing everyone photographs — a shiny, salt-flecked crust over a chewy, faintly bitter crumb. What is in the case changes from day to day, so treat this as what I happened to find, not a fixed menu.

The rye loaves are the real reason to come. They are dense and sour, they keep for several days, and they are better on day two, sliced thin with butter or cheese. If you are buying one loaf to try, ask for a rye-mixed bread (Roggen Mischbrot); if you want a snack for right now, the pretzel travels well.

The 2nd-floor café

Above the shop is a small café with around 30 seats and an alpine-lodge look. You buy bread downstairs and can eat it upstairs, and there is a short lunch service (roughly 11:00–14:00) with soup and drinks. It is an easy, quiet place to sit with a coffee and a slice of rye if the shopping arcade is busy.

How do I get to Linde in Kichijoji?

Linde is a short walk from Kichijoji Station, which is a straight ride from central Tokyo.

• From the station: take the JR Kichijoji north exit into the covered Sun Road arcade; Linde is a short walk in, roughly 3–5 minutes.
• From Shinjuku: JR Chuo Line (Rapid), about 15 minutes, around ¥250 (IC).
• From Shibuya: Keio Inokashira Line to Kichijoji (the terminus), about 15–20 minutes, around ¥230.

Practical tips

A few things worth knowing before you go, especially if you are visiting from overseas.

• Cash and cards: most of Kichijoji takes IC cards (Suica/PASMO) and credit cards, but bring a little cash for small purchases.
• Best time: late morning, when the shelves are fully stocked; popular loaves can sell down by late afternoon.
• Vegetarians: the plain rye and the pretzel are the likelier choices, but German bread and pastries can contain dairy, egg, or other animal products, so ask staff if it matters to you. Nothing here is halal-certified.
• Keeping the bread: dense rye keeps for days at room temperature and freezes well — handy if you are travelling and want to bring a loaf back.

Linde Kichijoji: FAQ