Coming from the San Francisco Bay Area, I was used to the abundance of pretentious third wave cafes that served excellent coffee. At first glance, Japan's coffee scene seemed to be dominated by coffee chains like Starbucks, Excelsior Cafe and Pronto, but with a bit of research and venturing, I discovered some cafe gems where coffee is taken very seriously. Here's a glimpse of a few cool cafes in Tokyo I was able to experience. (For more detailed information about some good coffee shops in Tokyo, you might want to check out this NY Times blog or Tokyo TimeOut's list.)
Chatei Hatou
I decided to check out Chatei Hatou because the founder of Blue Bottle Coffee (popular San Francisco-based coffee company) fancied this place. Chatei Hatou was not far from Shibuya Station and fairly easy to find. Since it was a kissaten, or Japanese-style teahouse, it had an old-fashioned, moody bar feel. The interior was furnished with dark wood and dimly lit. Small tables ran along the left side, and a long bar area had seats that allowed guests to watch the baristas work.
My friend and I sat at the bar/counter area, where we admired the large array of fancy cups and dishes displayed on the dark shelves against the walls. It was a hot summer day, but it was cool and calm inside the shop. People chattered quietly and the baristas prepared coffee with an elegant solemnity. Be prepared to drop at least 1000 yen (~$10) on a cup of coffee though. I'd recommend this place for people who are serious about their coffee and want to retreat from the craziness of Shibuya station.
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| watching the barista do my pour-over coffee |
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| Jamaican Blue Mountain pour-over coffee |
Omotesando Coffee
I talked about this coffee kiosk in a previous blog post, but here's a quick recap. Omotesando Coffee is a small coffee kiosk inside an old traditional Japanese house in the quiet backstreets of Omotesando. Despite being only 5 minutes away from Omotesando Station, this place was a little tricky to find in the residential neighborhood behind the station. The people in the area seemed to know this place well though. It was slightly strange seeing the cube kiosk take up the entire room of the house, but the design was simple and elegant. The drinks were a bit on the pricy side (~600 yen for a mocha), but they are worth it if you happen to be in the area. Plus, the cube-shaped custard-filled sweets they sell go well with the drink.
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| view from outside |
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| mocha + cube-shaped custard-filled dessert |
Cafe de'Lambre
Opened in 1948, this rustic and intimate cafe in Ginza serves only coffee, though that includes roughly 30 single origin variety of coffee served hot, cold, in jelly form, with liqueur, and as a pudding. The most popular draw is probably the aged beans.
Cafe de'Lambre was about a 5-minute walk from Shinbashi Station and pretty easy to find. The interior was made of dark wood and dimly lit, giving off a cigar lounge vibe. A few small tables lined the right wall, and swiveling wooden chairs were available at the bar/counter. We had some trouble deciding what to order (there were English menus), so one of the two men behind the counter asked what kind of coffee we preferred. He explained in English the different types of single origin beans they served and their flavor profiles, emphasizing that the aged beans have strong acidity and we would probably not like it if we prefer sweeter coffees. Despite my curiosity in the aged coffee beans, I chose one that wasn't aged.
The kitchen was like a flashback from the past. We enjoyed looking at the old-fashioned equipment and watching the second man behind the counter prepare our coffee with a nel drip, pouring with intense concentration and fervor. The result was a small but potent and delicious cup of coffee. The drinks here are a bit on the pricy side (~1000 yen), but it's another nice, quiet and unpretentious getaway for coffee aficionados and fans of good coffee.
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| coffee with condensed milk, if I remember correctly |
Streamer Coffee
Streamer Coffee is run by Hiroshi Sawada, a former latte art champion, and operates in Shibuya and Harajuku. I had a chance to visit the Shibuya cafe, which was off the main streets and in a quiet work district. I was shocked to enter a cafe so reminiscent of home in the SF Bay Area. This place seemed to attract all the hipsters and skateboarders/bikers, and I was pleasantly amused by all the fashionable young adults with brightly-colored hair that wandered the area.
My friend and I walked in and the first thing we heard was English. The small cafe was packed with foreigners. An art piece made with skateboards hung on the right wall, and the baristas who served us were kind of jaded (ah, just like home). The place gave off a very western urban feel, much like walking into a cafe back in the Bay Area. Since photos weren't allowed, I couldn't take many pictures of the place. Compared to the traditional kissaten, this brighter, urban cafe is another good option (particularly for ex-pats) in a quieter part of Shibuya.
Although I don't have photos for the following places, they're also pretty good spots for coffee:
Paul Bassett
Run by Paul Bassett, the Australian coffee prodigy who won the World Barista Championship at age 25. It's a short walk from Nishi-Shinjuku station and located underground in a large building complex. The cafe is cozy and romantically lit, perhaps because it shares its space with an Italian restaurant. They sell beans and desserts as well, and the beans are roasted in-house. Probably most popular with people who work around that area, as it seems surrounded by office buildings.
Cafe Obscura
I wanted to go here to try their siphon coffee, but failed to find their cafe in the windy roads of Sanjengaya. Instead, I found their laboratory, where they sold their beans and other coffee equipment. The lab was a very small store located snugly between small shops in Sanjengaya. Remember that the cafe is in a different location!
Bear Pond Espresso
There's a lot of buzz about Bear Pond Espresso on the Internet, so I decided to check it out. This famous cafe in Shimokitazawa is run by Katsuyuki Tanaka, who lived in New York for 18 years and moved back with his wife to Tokyo to open his own cafe. Despite the finicky rules (no espresso after 2pm, no photos...) and occasional reports of arrogant customer service, Bear Pond draws coffee nerds and fans with the thick, chocolatey espresso it serves. My friend and I ordered an iced latte, which was served in a mason jar. It was a sweet, cool treat in the hot and humid summer. Neat cafe to check out if you're in Tokyo!