Okaeri Japanese Cafe in Centreville, VA: Chef Junzo Miyajima's Most Famous Soufflé Pancakes, Flavor by Flavor

Okaeri Japanese Cafe is an IVEA restaurant. We publish this story to introduce our own restaurant; it is not an independent review.

Okaeri Japanese Cafe is a self-service Japanese café at 14215 Centreville Square, Suite V, in Centreville, VA. Okaeri means "welcome home," and you order at a kiosk. Google shows 4.3 stars from 468 reviews, and soufflé pancakes are the topic reviewers mention most, in 116 reviews, followed by onigiri in 88.

Chef Junzo Miyajima created the menu, and the pancakes are his signature. Northern Virginia Magazine wrote that Miyajima "worked to perfect his recipe for the airy treats. The result is the region's only authentic version of the Instagram-famous pancakes." The magazine explained the method: the pancakes "are whipped to a towering height thanks to the stiff peaks of meringue in their batter. Cooked at a low temperature, the result is indeed as much eggy soufflé as it is pancake."

Why you wait. Each stack is made fresh, which takes about 20 minutes, as one Yelp reviewer noted: "They take about 20 minutes to make but it's eaten within 5 minutes!" Order the pancakes first, then the rest.

The flavors. Five soufflé pancakes are on the menu, each $13.80 on the café's online ordering page:

Strawberry, the magazine's favorite: "the stack of pancakes covered in strawberry-flavored cream, enhanced with strawberry sauce and fresh berries."

Matcha, "baptized in green tea-flavored cream and accompanied by red bean paste and rounds of mochi."

Plain with fresh fruit, "topped in vanilla cream and fresh fruit."

Choco Banana, with chocolate and banana; the café notes that its granola topping contains nuts.

Ube, purple and piped high. A seasonal White Peach Earl Grey stack, $14, is dine-in only and was listed as sold out in October 2026.

While you wait. The magazine called onigiri "the most popular dishes at the café" after the pancakes. Most fillings are $3.50, from salmon and spicy tuna to mentaiko mayo and shiso wakame, and Spam is $3.80. The Onigiri Bento Box, $12, brings three onigiri, two pieces of karaage chicken and a salad. The fruit sandwiches, $6, are what the magazine compared to "biting into a cloud." For drinks, there's a Matcha Latte ($7), a Hojicha Latte ($7) and a Melon Cream Soda ($6.80).

Our best order for two. One strawberry stack, one seasonal or ube stack, two onigiri and a matcha latte, all ordered together so everything is ready at the same time. Seating is limited and it is self-service, so grab a table before you order.