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| - This review will sound more like a PSA than a review, but the worst thing about this place is not really the line, it's the other customers. Some of these people lack common sense, or are just outright selfish. I once had a guy who just cut me in line and completely ignored me when I told him that I was in line. Thankfully the worker saw this and told him that I should be served first. Anyway, here are some things to keep in mind when you're standing in line:
First, KEEP THE DOOR CLOSED. I don't care how cold it is outside, we all had to wait out there at some point. By you opening the door to feel a bit of the heat, you end up bringing in a gust of chilly wind into the entire bakery making everyone inside cold in the process. Don't be selfish, wait patiently like everyone else, and stand outside with the door closed. The store definitely should have a "KEEP THE DOOR CLOSED" sign at the front.
Second, MOVE IN. The entire bakery can fit about 10 people, so move all the way to the back and make a loop to the cash register so that more people can wait inside. Be mindful of all the people waiting outside in the cold, try to comfortably fit as many people as you can. You don't need that much space around you.
Third, KNOW YOUR ORDER before you get to the register. Honestly, it's not that hard - they only have three things on the menu. Their cheesecake is what they're famous for and what everyone is in line for, so yes, you probably should just get it. No, you cannot get items from the Matcha store in the original Uncle Tetsu, it's right next door and there's never a line there so walk over after. Google what each item is, read the description, don't ask what the ingredients are for god sakes, there are so many people behind you waiting. Just use Google, they are a fairly popular chain worldwide, you will probably find any information about them there. Or just ask another person in line, you're going to be standing with them for a while anyway, so why not befriend a stranger in the process.
Ok so now I got that out of the way, here's my actual review:
I avoided this place for a while because of the ridiculous lines, but coincidentally I had a trip booked to Japan over the summer and went to the Uncle Testu in Fukuoka to see what the fuss was about. No one there seem to know what I was talking about and once I found it in an underground train station, there was no line. In fact, there wasn't even one customer aside from me. I was still excited regardless, and after taking a bite, I think I would have to agree with the other reviewers that, "it's not worth the wait".
That's probably the most common response you'll hear from people. But the question is not really about whether it's worth the wait (because what kind of Japanese cheesecake is worth a one-hour wait), what if there wasn't a wait? Then would you still go get one? Then I would say yes. Japanese cheesecake is more like a sweet cheese soufflé than a New York style cheesecake that most people are used to - They're actually quite different. If you don't like the cheesecake from Uncle Tetsu, it just means you don't like Japanese cheesecake, because they're all going to more-or-less taste the same. If you do like Japanese cheesecake, then this place won't disappoint.
The line can be frustrating, but I actually think it's part of the experience. The whole absurdity of a collective group of people wasting their time lining up for a $10 cheesecake is quite a rare event. The hype likely isn't going to last forever (looking at how they're currently doing in Japan), so I don't see the problem in joining in on the hysteria to come out of it and say, "this is it?", to go home and write some snarky review on Yelp telling people it's not worth the wait. That whole process is the Uncle Tetsu of Toronto experience - even if it's not worth the wait, you STILL did it even after reading all the reviews telling you not to. Maybe we all want a piece of the experience more so than the cake itself.
You might think it's a good idea for them to expand to meet the demands, but the demands only exist because the supplies are low. If they expand too quickly, they'll follow the same fate as Krispy Kreme did about 10 years ago with their aggressive expansion in the GTA. That line you see is what creates the hype, so they'd want to create a line for as long as they can.
Now, it's actually possible to come at a time when there isn't a line. I live fairly close by and I've come at multiple times when I was actually the only person in the store! I've noticed that the line becomes long during the school-year, where students from Ryerson and U of T tend to conglomerate here when they have time to kill. The line was surprisingly dead during the winter holidays. But then, the cake just doesn't taste as good when you don't work for it. So just think of it this way; the longer you wait in line, the more delicious (or more disappointing) that cake is going to taste.
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