A popular Japanese cafe in Haggerston will be closed for “a while” after being damaged in a fire last night.

Fire crews were called at 3:48am this morning to a blaze at Toconoco in Hertford Road, which gutted a quarter of the ground floor.

The manager said he believed it was caused by a faulty fridge. A photo was posted by the cafe on Instagram showing damage to the area above the toilets and behind the counter. “Bit of shocking news to tell but we will be closing for a while,” it was captioned.

One passer-by this morning told the Gazette: “It’s a good place but it’ll be a while before that’ll get fixed up.”

The café is popular amongst locals, particularly mothers and children. “We come here every week for play dates with other Japanese women and their children,” said Mami, who was there with her son Lenox. “The place is very popular because of the of play area that they have.”