Perusing through the aisles of Lawson this week, you may make eye contact with an abomination that pushes the barriers of creativity and science. No, this is unfortunately not an early April Fool’s joke. The famous convenience store just dropped a new beverage: drinkable mapo tofu.
@akiko_lawson 【1/13(火)発売】これは信じていいやつ…！？ #ローソン #新商品 #コンビニ新商品 #飲む麻婆豆腐 #コンビニドリンク ♬ オリジナル楽曲 – ローソン
Drinkable Mapo Tofu: Exactly What It Sounds Like
An insult to both the long-standing historical origins of the Chengdu dish and convenience store connoisseurs everywhere, drinkable mapo tofu sounds like a culinary Icarus that dared to ask, “How far can we go with this?”
The drink’s launch announcement, posted on the official Lawson TikTok page, has already garnered nearly 7 million views. “I don’t understand the meaning of this,” questioned one commenter. “Lawson, what happened?” asked another.
Lawson describes it as “a new type of drink that lets you enjoy the aroma of Sichuan pepper and the delicious spiciness of authentic mapo tofu.” The drink is meant to be enjoyed chilled, as the container reads “drink it as is.”
The broth has chicken extract, chili bean paste and Sichuan peppercorns, along with floating chunks of silken tofu and bits of soy meat for added texture. For those who would prefer a warm cup of drinkable mapo tofu, you’ll have to pour the drink into a new mug as the plastic cup shouldn’t be microwaved.
@japaneat Trying drinkable mayonnaise in Japan #japan #japanlife #fyp #japanesefood #japanesefood ♬ Lofi – Domknowz
The Drinkable Series
The drink is currently available at Lawson stores nationwide (excluding Lawson 100 stores) for ¥298. It stands as the 31st installment of the convenience store’s “Drinkable ◯◯ Series.” The novelty series started out innocently enough with products such as drinkable soft serve in 2019, drinkable tiramisu in 2020 and drinkable pancakes in 2021.
Since then, however, Lawson has taken an abrupt turn, embracing the madness with products such as drinkable butter from Hokkaido in 2022 and drinkable mayonnaise in 2024 — all complete with attached straws for convenient slurping.
Chihiro Yamada, a merchandiser in the Beverages and Processed Foods Department of the Product Division, explains that the concept of drinkable mapo tofu was inspired by recent food trends.
Yamada explains that trends suggest that more people are filling their stomachs with occasional small bites instead of three distinct meals. The rise of boba tea and other interesting, Instagrammable foods also inspired the idea of the drinkable series.
With feedback from the company’s previous daring creations, Lawson says that “the surprising and authentic taste of enjoying food or condiments in a drink has been well-received, especially by customers in their 30s to 50s.”
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Updated On January 20, 2026
