5 best coffee shops in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa

One of the newest additions to the neighbourhood is the gorgeous Koffee Mameya Kakeru. While its sister shop in Omotesando is more of a takeaway stand, Koffee Mameya Kakeru is taking a new approach to coffee by turning it into an omakase-style tasting, not dissimilar to a degustation menu.

Here you get to explore and taste various roasts and beans through different brewing techniques and preparations such as cold brew, milk brew, filter and espresso shots. There are also coffee cocktails and a small selection of sweets that pair well with coffee. With baristas that dress like lab attendants, this beautifully designed and pristine space is created for serious coffee geeks. Coffee tasting courses start at ¥2,500.

Enjoy pour-over coffee at Arise, a small but inviting café and roastery specialising in single-origin beans from around the world. There are always around ten bean varieties to choose from, including the most popular one from the Dominican Republic that boasts light, fruity notes. As seats are limited at this main shop, you can also hop over to the nearby Tokyobike flagship store, which houses an outpost of Arise Coffee Roasters. There are plenty more seats at the renovated warehouse.

This white-washed, light-filled roastery and café offers organic coffee made from pesticide-free beans. All the beans are roasted in-house, and Hagan also supplies to several Tokyo shops including the nearby gluten-free café Posh. Popular house roasts include the Columbian Casanova with a full body and mild acidity, as well as the Ethiopian Tasfaye featuring notes of tropical fruit.

Check out the colourful selection of vegan fruit sandwiches made in collaboration with Fruits and Season. There are other light bites, too, including cookies, financiers and gluten-free cheesecake.

Serving quality brews in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa since 2014, New Zealand-born Allpress was one of the first international coffee shops to move into the neighbourhood. The lofty shop and roastery was formerly a warehouse that's been beautifully renovated into a modern wooden structure.

Seating is limited, but you can rest your feet at one of the outdoor benches while sipping on a selection of coffee drinks including espresso, long black, and of course, flat white. Feeling peckish? The café also offers sandwiches and baked goods such as cookies, banana cake and gluten-free dark chocolate brownies.

Cream of the Crop's main roastery is consistently turning out quality beans and top notch drip coffee. The shop takes over a renovated warehouse and stocks beans from all over the world. The café menu usually contains five types of roasts, all of which are served hand-dripped. Fair warning: you won’t find any espresso here, but there’s a café au lait variation if you prefer a bit of milk. Seating is limited, but you could always get a takeaway to enjoy at the nearby Oyokogawa River.