If you are a true coffee lover,
Japan, especially Tokyo, is an attractive place for you.
In this article, I will introduce 10 must-go specialty coffee shops in Tokyo.
Of course, I have been to all of them so I can suggest you go with confidence.
I will include; shop info, shop website, SNS account, Map, and my comments on every single shop.
Table of Contents
- PASSAGE COFFEE
- THE LOCAL
- Glitch Coffee Roasters
- Sukemasa Coffee
- Single O HAMACHO
- ONIBUS COFFEE Nakameguro
- LATTEST
- Counterpart Coffee Gallery
- Sarutahiko Coffee Ebisu
- Kielo Coffee
1. PASSAGE COFFEE
WEB: PASSAGE COFFEE
Instagram: @passagecoffee
Station: Mita St. Tamachi St.
What to order: Aeropress, Espresso beverage
Comment:
World AeroPress Champion 2014 Winner Mr. Shuichi Sasaki is the owner and founder of PASSAGE COFEE.
If you are looking for an authentic Aeropress brew, this is your place.
You can purchase Aeropress on Amazon at any time and the pricing is not that expensive.
2. THE LOCAL
WEB: THE LOCAL
Instagram: @thelocaltokyo
Station: Shibuya St.
What to order: Pourover
Comment:
This place is quite interesting.
They do not have their own roasted beans but instead, they sell the coffee beans from many roasters in Japan; the rosaters you would never get to know if you do not step into THE LOCAL.
This place is right in the center of the Shibuya area, so if you are feeling little fatigue or feel like grabbing a cup of coffee, this is a great place to visit.
3. Glitch Coffee Roasters
Instagram: @glitch_coffee
Station: Jinb-cho St. Kudanshita St. Kanda St.
What to order: Pourover you must order!!!
I tried the "tasters cup" that you can enjoy 2 types of coffee at the same time.
Comment:
They are the true pioneer of the light roast culture in Japan.
Once I brought my friend from the U.K., and she was so astonished by how delicious it is that she just went straight to refill.
Also, their espresso is quite light but tastes deep, so if you have not tried light roast espresso, it is interesting to try out.
Glich Coffee Nagoya is also worth visiting.
The article is right here: The best specialty coffee shop in Nagoya "Glitch Coffee Nagoya"
By the way, if you have no time to drop by the coffee shop or if you are fine with cheaper coffee, coffee from a convenience store is suitable for you.
If you are close to Seven Eleven, Seven Eleven coffee in japan. 100 yen coffee in Japan is absolutely amazing. is good to read out.
Another convenience store in Japan "Family Mart" sells decent quality coffee as well.
Please refer to the article Review of Family Mart coffee in Japan. Is it better than Seven-Eleven coffee?
4. Sukemasa Coffee
WEB: Sukemasa Coffee
Instagram: @sukemasacoffee
Station: Asakusa St.
What to order: brulée latte
Comment:
I need to talk about 2 things about Sukemasa Coffee.
It is located in Asakusa, the main sightseeing place, and all the baristas wear kimonos.
Also, the brulée latte must be highlighted because Sukemasa Coffee was the first place I saw the coffee called "brulée latte".
Brulée latte is like a creme brulée and latte in the same cup.
You just got to try it out...
5. Single O HAMACHO
Single O is originally from Australia, and now has 2 shops in Japan: Ryogoku and Hamacho.
Single O Ryogoku is close to Asakusa but it is basically a roastery so the shop does not open much and not a lot of seats inside, so I recommend you to go to Hamacho instead.
They serve Pourover, espresso, quick-to-go style, and all beans are light roasted.
Single O has its own green beans buyer, so the coffee that you experience here is not the same as in other coffee shops.
Drinking their coffee is of course valuable, and buying the coffee beans is much more valuable I think.
6.ONIBUS COFFEE Nakameguro
Opened in 2016, ONIBUS now became one of the most famous coffee shops in Tokyo.
ONIBUS means the public bus in Portuguese, and the owner has named after it; meaning "coffee shop for all people."
Their coffee quality is amazing, and they have a second floor so they can hold approximately 20 people inside.
This is a good place to have a coffee sit down and relax with multiple people.
7.LATTEST
The baristas are all female here.
I could not find why, but it is.
The feature of LATTEST is that they serve only espresso-based beverages.
No pourover here.
The latte is of course amazing, and they have some more original espresso beverages, so you can go with their originals as well.
If you are a latte person, LATTEST should be your destination.
8. Counterpart Coffee Gallery
Instagram: @counterpart.cg
Station: Nishi Shinjuku Gochome St.
What to order: Pourover, Espresso beverage
Comment:
Counterpart Coffee Gallery is a coffee shop with 4 small flats which can hold approximately 20 people.
This coffee shop is actually opened by the barista who has trained himself at Glitch Coffee, so they will use the coffee beans roasted by Glitch Coffee.
Extremely light roasted but with a satisfying body.
Coming around Shinjuku?
Yes, this is your final destination.
9.Sarutahiko Coffee Ebisu
If you are staying around the Shibuya area, Sarutahiko is going to be an easy access shop from your accomodation.
Ebisu St. is one station from Shibuya by JR Yamanote Line, and not crowded as Shibuya so it is a great place for having a short break from the busy city area.
Sarutahiko was opened by a guy who was actually trying to become an actor in 2011.
They serve medium to dark-roast coffee so if you are looking for super light-roasted coffee, you may want to try other shops.
10. Kielo Coffee
WEB: Kielo Coffee
Instagram: @kielocoffee
Station: Akihabara St.
What to order: Pourover
Comment:
Opened by a 20th young guy in 2019, Kielo Coffee has delivered much happiness to many people around the Akihabara area.
When the owner of Kielo Coffee visited Finland during his university age, he fell in love with Finish's architecture and designs.
Kielo is Lily of the valley in Finnish, and kielo is the national flower of Finland.
He named his shop after the Finnish national flag with a wish to spread the love and peace he got inspired from Finland.
They serve house-roasted coffee which is in between light and a medium coffee.
The location is right in the center of the Akihabara area, so this place will be heaven if you get tired from walking.
Before you go...
All of the shops are beans purchases available, so if you want to bring back the coffee beans as your souvenir, that is also a fantastic idea.
If you have any questions, I am very happy to reply to you back if you leave any comments.
Cheers to you all!
(written by @shinjisverige)
Unless otherwise individually stated, I insert the link to the original website from which the pictures or/and illustrations were sourced and quoted. I have not obtained the copyright of those and it belongs to the original holder.