Lawson is considered one of the “big 3” convenience stores alongside Family Mart and 7-Eleven. Here are my 5 must-try snacks from Lawson!
1. Jaga Choco Chocolate Chips
These Jaga Choco chocolate chips are an absolute delight for lovers of sweet and savory. I had an idea what this could taste like just from the picture on the packaging, but I was impressed with how accurate that perceived taste really was.
Perfectly balancing the salty flavor of the potato chip with the sweet milky texture of the chocolate coating, Jaga Choco is one of those snacks you can have at any time of the day. Super cheap and super tasty, it is easily one of the best snacks I’ve tried from Lawson.
2. Calbee Sweet Potato Chips
Next on the list is a Calbee classic, these delicious thick-cut sweet potato chips! For those that don’t know, Calbee is Japan’s biggest and best manufacturer of potato chips, offering unique and niche flavors you wouldn’t see in most countries.
What I like about these chips is that they don’t pack on too much salt and spice, rather letting the sweet potato do the talking instead. The portion size is not too big, and neither is the price, so hit up your nearest Lawson and pick up this Calbee classic for a quick and tasty nutrition hit!
3. Uchi Cafe Jersey Milk Soft Serve
I often talk about the glory of Hokkaido dairy, but Lawson offers something entirely different that can even rival Japan’s northern milky island. This soft serve is made with Jersey milk, that is, from a breed of cows known for producing up to 20% more butterfat in their milk.
The result is a soft serve that is more creamy and tasty, offering a rich flavor that you won’t get with ordinary ice cream. Available as part of Lawson’s Uchi Cafe range, you’ll always find one of these bad boys in the freezer section of your local Lawson store.
4. Sweet Red Bean Bread
Red bean paste is the trademark sweet of Japanese confectionary, used in a variety of desserts and even has its own animated mascot the Anpanman or “Sweet Red Bean Bread Man.” For a foreigner, the idea of beans being used in dessert is quite alien, but I assure you this sweet red bean bread from Lawson doesn’t disappoint!
The outer bread is soft and seeded, and as you bite into the cushiony exterior bread your teeth will meet with the sweet paste of red beans on the inside. What I like about this snack is that it’s not overloaded with sugar, but rather a light sweet that won’t spike up your blood pressure.
5. Morinaga Long Potato
Last but certainly not least is a personal favorite of mine, the “tall potato” chips brought to you by Morinaga, one of Japan’s largest manufacturers of savory snacks and confectionery. These chips have an incredible crunch to them and have the perfect amount of salt to deliver the flavor without ruining your taste pallet.
These chips strongly resemble thick-cut french fries that have been preserved and packaged so that they never go off. Coming in a fancy rectangular container, you get a generous helping of chips with this one that could potentially be shared between two people.
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