{"id":958635,"date":"2026-05-14T05:45:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T05:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/958635\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T05:45:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T05:45:21","slug":"new-aigburth-japanese-cafe-opening-after-much-anticipation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/958635\/","title":{"rendered":"New Aigburth Japanese caf\u00e9 opening &#8216;after much anticipation&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The team said there has been a &#8220;lot of late nights&#8221; to get everything in order<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"New Japanese Cafe Shokupan in Aigburth.(Pic Andrew Teebay).\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_JS405961772.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"New Japanese Cafe Shokupan in Aigburth.(Pic Andrew Teebay).\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">New Japanese Cafe Shokupan in Aigburth.(Pic Andrew Teebay).<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A new cafe is opening in South Liverpool this week. Located in the heart of <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/aigburth\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Aigburth<\/a>, caf\u00e9 Shokupan is preparing to welcome its first set of customers through its doors tomorrow morning, Thursday, May 14.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The venue sells sandos made with freshly baked Shokupan bread, alongside speciality coffee and baked goods. Shokupan, also known as Japanese milk bread, is a popular white loaf famous for its ultra-soft texture, <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/whats-on\/food-drink-news\/\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">subtle sweetness, and rich milky taste.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Typically served in thick slices, it gets its light, fluffy consistency from the tangzhong or yudane technique &#8211; a method where flour and liquid are pre-cooked into a paste before being mixed into the dough, helping the bread stay moist and airy for longer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The small team said it was passionate about creating \u201cgreat food and a friendly community vibe\u201d at the <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/aigburth\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">276 Aigburth Road<\/a> venue. Alongside its food offerings, the site also has a cosy corner where customers can relax and browse the illustrated novel library.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Shokupan in Aigburth is selling a special type of bread\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_JS405961780.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Shokupan in Aigburth is selling a special type of bread\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Shokupan in Aigburth is selling a special type of bread<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">In a post shared to the brand\u2019s Instagram page, the team said: \u201cAfter much anticipation, we&#8217;re pleased to announce we are opening this Thursday, 14th May.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cWe&#8217;ll be serving coffee, matcha, tea and cookies to get the ball rolling. We&#8217;re still working on our food menu &#8211; hopefully we&#8217;ll have sandos and more available by the end of the month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cWe&#8217;ve been putting in a lot of late nights at the shop, working super hard to get everything ready for you. It&#8217;s been so lovely having people pop their heads in every day to say hello and offer words of encouragement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Your support has kept us going. We can&#8217;t wait to welcome you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The venue will be open from Wednesday to Friday between 9am and 4pm and Saturday to Sunday from 10 am to 4pm.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dhanya Kalathil and Meenal Abhyankar, owners of the White Tiger Restaurant in Kings Dock\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_JS405846888.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Dhanya Kalathil and Meenal Abhyankar, owners of the White Tiger Restaurant in Kings Dock\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Dhanya Kalathil and Meenal Abhyankar, owners of the White Tiger Restaurant in Kings Dock<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Also opening this month, is the city\u2019s newest Indian restaurant at <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/news\/liverpool-news\/views-sought-1bn-project-could-33854518\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Liverpool\u2019s Kings Dock.<\/a> The venue is from long-time friends Meenal Abhyankar and Dhanya Kalathil, who are telling diners to \u201cexpect the unexpected\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The venue, which has cost around \u00a3500,000 to create, prides itself on promising a &#8220;vibrant and flavour-led dining experience\u201d. The venue aims to introduce a new concept to the city, according to the pair.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Meenal and Dhanya, both 47, have spent more than 20 years working as doctors in the Liverpool City Region, balancing<a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/nhs\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"> demanding careers in medicine<\/a> with family life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The pair said their move into hospitality is not a departure from that world, but an extension of it &#8211; a \u201cpassion project rooted in care, connection and community\u201d. You can see inside the<a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/whats-on\/whats-on-news\/gallery\/inside-liverpools-new-500k-waterfront-33932821\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> venue here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The team said there has been a &#8220;lot of late nights&#8221; to get everything in order New Japanese&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":958636,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[21726,748,393,786,4884,179,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-958635","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-aigburth","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-food-and-drink","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-liverpool","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116571350323579409","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/958635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=958635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/958635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/958636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=958635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=958635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=958635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}