50 best cafés in Tokyo

Omotesando’s Koffee Mameya has become a mainstay in Tokyo’s coffee scene, serving up excellent brews while also selling coffee beans from around the world. The only downside of the shop, though beautifully designed, is that there is no seating, so you can’t linger over a cuppa.

Good news: Koffee Mameya has finally given its fans the proper café space they’ve been craving with Koffee Mameya Kakeru, a stylish coffee haven nestled amongst the cool cafés in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, Tokyo’s self-proclaimed coffee town...

Upon spotting this charming old house on Yanaka's Kototoi-dori, most passers-by probably wouldn't guess that it's been home to a café for well over 70 years. Constructed in 1916, the building hosted the Kayaba coffee shop from 1938 until the death of the original proprietor in 2006. Beloved by both locals and visitors, the community icon made a strong comeback in 2009, when a local not-for-profit group teamed up with the folks behind nearby gallery Scai the Bathhouse and reopened Kayaba – with the original exterior and signage intact...

Single O finally has its very own Tokyo flagship café separate from the brand’s roastery and tasting bar in Ryogoku. The open and airy space in Nihonbashi’s Hamacho district holds a handful of small tables and counter seats and boasts artwork on the ceiling and walls replicating the art found at Single O's now closed Sydney CBD location.

The focus here is on single-origin coffee, but with a fun new twist. The store has a unique self-serve coffee-on-tap bar where you can pour yourself a cup of joe for just ¥300...

This light and airy café space situated behind the bustling streets of Omotesando and Harajuku is a mashup of two Tokyo institutions: Coffee Wrights and Higuma Doughnuts. Serving, well, coffee and doughnuts, we can’t think of a better combination to lift our spirits. The venue also offers plenty of seating, with indoor benches and tables in the sunken café space, as well as outdoor benches stretching out from the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows...

You’ll find this unassuming café in Higashi-Nagasaki, a sleepy little neighbourhood along the Seibu Ikebukuro line that’s slowly becoming a hot spot for cool cafés and trendy shops. At the centre of it all is Mia Mia Tokyo, a friendly coffee joint run by husband-wife duo Vaughan and Rie Allison. Well-versed in Tokyo’s third-wave coffee scene, the duo have created an inviting space that’s not just about the coffee, but also about welcoming you into the local community...

Kyoto’s long-established coffee roasters Ogawa Coffee have finally set up shop in the capital with a flagship coffee laboratory in residential Setagaya. The spacious café was designed by interior design firm Yusuke Seki Studio and is full of muted tones, with the focal point being the wrap-around counter encircling the barista space...

This Fukuoka-born coffee roastery has found a home in the old Coffeehouse Nishiya shop in Shibuya. Leaving most of Nishiya’s retro interior intact, the menu has also incorporated a few of the old café’s favourites including premium pudding (¥550). 

Rec Coffee initially started out as a small coffee truck and has expanded to ten shops including two in Tokyo and even a couple in Taiwan. Grab a seat inside or out on the terrace and enjoy an espresso or hand drip coffee made from Rec’s premium roasted beans...

We don’t know how Drip does it, but the café manages to be equally modern and retro at the same time. Opened up by models Ryo Ichinose and Sakiko Takizawa in 2021, Drip feels like it’s been around for decades – there’s the dark wood interior, tinkling jazz music and, for an upscale touch, a well-curated art selection. Further adding to its retro atmosphere, the menu is reminiscent of a classic kissaten with a colourful Sunny Day Cream Soda and the homemade coffee shop pudding...

Tucked away off the busy streets of Tomigaya in a tiny multi-story house, Nephew makes for a great all-day hangout as the space transitions from café to bar once the sun goes down. Opened just last year in April 2021, it’s also the sister shop to Ikejiri-Ohashi’s trendy Lobby bar, which has a very similar vibe. Both are inspired by cool industrial-style restaurants in Australia, with a healthy dose of Scandinavian interior design...

It took Shinya Sakurai 14 years to become a tea master. That's a long time to dedicate to tea. But when you visit his shop in Aoyama, Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience, and sit down opposite him as he prepares an exquisite tea ceremony in an equally exquisite café space, you'll begin to appreciate the hard work and patience that goes into this tradition.

Shinya has modelled his store on the concept of tea being a form of medicine – as it once was – and he travels around Japan to source the best quality tea leaves...

We’ve heard of farm to table, but have you ever heard of farm to cup? Another coffee shop to add to Kiyosumi-Shirakawa’s growing list, Hagan is a light and airy roastery and café specialising in organic coffee made with pesticide-free beans. The shop roasts all its coffee beans in-house, and also supplies a select number of Tokyo cafés including gluten-free café Posh.

Popular house roasts include the Columbian Casanova, with a strong body and mild acidity, and the Ethiopian Tasfaye featuring notes of orange peel and tropical fruit...

This discreet tea house under the Nakameguro train tracks is home to Chiya-ba, a chai tea specialist run by the folks behind nearby Nepalese restaurant Adi. The cosy space, though dominated by blacks and dark tones, has a gorgeous Zen-like quality. It's tasteful yet rustic, especially the hidden little lounge behind the tea counter, which feels like a luxe boutique hotel lobby.

As for the tea menu, go for the classic masala chai (available hot or cold), or one of two special chai creations: lemon masala chai or the spiked Khukri Rum chai...

Beloved Shibuya mainstay Coffeehouse Nishiya has moved to its new home in Asakusa with an updated name, but still serves up the same menu of Italian-inspired café drinks. Unlike its previous sit down space, the shop operates more as a standing coffee bar where you can stop by for a quick pick-me-up. Don't worry if you can't get a spot inside – just walk up to the front window and a cup of joe to go...

You’d never guess it, but behind the bright lights of the Olinas Mall in Kinshicho is a quiet, calm and uber-cool tearoom. Specialising in Japanese milk tea, this sleek café blends beautifully fragrant Japanese teas with plant-based milks. Barista and owner Yoshihiko Kurahashi has visited tea fields across Japan to source his four specific types of tea leaves: genmaicha (brown rice tea), hojicha (roasted green tea), koucha (black tea) and oolong...

'Coffee Only' reads the sign outside Café de l'Ambre, which has been keeping the Ginza hordes well caffeinated since 1948. The kissaten was founded by the late Ichiro Sekiguchi, and the staff on-hand continue to run the shop under his legacy. Though they treat their coffee with the utmost seriousness, this isn't one of those fussy, killjoy coffee temples where conversation has to be conducted in furtive whispers and customers need a secret handshake to get through the door (we exaggerate, but only slightly)...

Going gluten-free and vegan has never looked so good. Posh is the latest addition to the growing ranks of coffee shops and cafés swarming around Kiyosumi-Shirakawa and it offers a raw, plant-based menu catering to those with food intolerances and the diet-conscious. 

The menu is focussed on raw fruit tarts which include no additives, wheat, dairy or white sugar. Instead, the tarts are made with a mix of coconut and nuts and topped with seasonal fruit sourced from fruit sandwich specialist Daiwa Nakameguro...

The ideal place for stylish coffee-sipping, perhaps with a small cake on the side, this spacious and relaxing café by the Sumida River is set in a former timber warehouse with a high ceiling. It's decorated with antiques, old books and small flowers, while tea sets, an international selection of stamps and even minerals are sold at the counter. All orders of coffee and tea are served in Imariyaki cups...

Stepping through the low, marble-tiled entrance, the first thing you’ll notice is the gorgeous tableware displayed behind a long hardwood counter. That’s not to say that the surroundings here outshine the coffee – on the contrary, Satei Hato’s hand-drip offerings maintain the absolutely highest quality. Choose from up to eight varieties of charcoal-roasted beans and watch as the formally dressed staff prepare your treat with almost religious dedication...

Named after the shape of the plot it stands on (daikei means trapezoid in Japanese), this unique Kunitachi café doesn't look like the most welcoming place out there, but do gather your courage and open the door: what awaits is wonderful. The insides are like a museum with antiques everywhere, including masks on the wall and small bronze statues on the shelves...

Importing beans from Portland’s famed Stumptown Coffee Roasters every week, Daisuke Matsushima’s Paddlers have been caffeinating shoppers at the Nishihara arcade since 2015. All beans are served fresh in french press or espresso form for the perfect flavour. Beans are also available by the bag, with their most popular roast being the Nano Challa from Ethiopia, which offers delicate notes of grapefruit and peach...

Who knew Iriya had a place like this? Daisuke Matsushita's Davide is a very decent take on an Italian streetside café, sidestepping drip coffee entirely (simply because it takes too long to brew) and offering excellent espressos and lattes instead. Down yours at the counter or just get one to go – the man in charge of the machine doesn't care either way...

Not all kissaten in Tokyo are worth the moniker, but this one sure makes the grade: stained-glass windows, antique clocks and the soft jazz soundtrack make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. Founded in 1975, Monozuki offers a very simple menu – black coffee is the main attraction – but is beloved by both locals and former Nishi-Ogi-ites...

Located within the green space of Share Green Minami-Aoyama, this spacious coffee roastery uses coffee beans selected by one of the world’s best baristas, Naoya Akagawa. Five different types of coffee beans are on offer daily which are carefully selected based on the season...

After a decade as chief barista and head roaster at Paul Bassett, Kiyokazu Suzuki broke out on his own and set up this excellent coffeeshop among the old-school kissaten of Jinbocho in spring 2015. Glitch has won admirers for its communal roaster and relaxed approach to craft coffee, and imports beans directly from mainly Kenyan and Tanzanian producers...

Opened in 1980, Trois Chambres feels a world away from the busy streets of Shimokitazawa. Antique cups line the shelves, regulars strike up conversation over the counter and the corner tables are practically always occupied by someone reading a book – time truly appears to stand still at this kissaten...