Best cafés in Tokyo

'Coffee Only' reads the sign outside Café de l'Ambre, which has been keeping the Ginza hordes well caffeinated since 1948. Remarkably, it's still run by the same man – Ichiro Sekiguchi, 103 – though he's entrusted some younger tykes to handle the day-to-day running of the place. Though they treat their coffee with the utmost seriousness, this isn't one of those fussy, killjoy coffee temples...

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...

Perhaps, at some point in the distant past, this was the way local upmarket operations got to grips with handling newfangled foreign delicacies. At Asakusa's Angelus, founded in 1946, you're in for a real blast from the kissaten past: the joe is painstakingly brewed by hand and the clientele consists mainly of old folk who have been coming here for decades...

The Scottish capital is famous for many things, but coffee isn't normally one of them. You're a long way from Edinburgh at Shinjuku's Edinburgh, though – or Coffee Kizoku (literally, 'aristocratic coffee') Edinburgh, to give it its full name...

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...

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...

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...

Serving terrific coffee in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa since 2014 – long before the arrival of Blue Bottle made the neighbourhood one of Tokyo's third-wave hipster havens – New Zealanders Allpress also have outlets in cities like London, Sydney and Singapore. Housed in a former warehouse that's been beautifully renovated to match the brand's sleek but down-to-earth image...

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...

Hidden away near Matsubara Station on the Setagaya tram line, Aminchi is the kind of place that requires an effort to get to. Open for only six hours daily, this tiny one-woman operation seats nine and offers a different experience on every visit. That's because there's no regular menu: the muffins, cookies, quiches, ice creams and other desserts are impeccably seasonal...

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...

Although it was hidden on the second floor of Shibuya's Todd Snyder store, the tiny but virtually flawless original outpost of Paddlers did brisk business with its impeccably executed hand drip and beans from Portland's famed Stumptown Coffee Roasters, so we were happy but not surprised to see owner Daisuke Matsushima expand his operation...

Ever hoped you had a more colourful latte? Enter Roar, where your cuppa gets spruced up big time with some rainbow latte art. As long as there's milk involved, the baristas here can transform your coffee into an iridescent work of art. For the base, you have the option of letting them pour in the coffee before or after creating the picture...

Strong coffee and artistic cakes are the twin specialities at Yushima's Ties, where the dripping process is fine-tuned to perfection. Choose from around half a dozen blends, all explained in detail by the counter, and pick your favourite from the cake display case right by the entrance. They always have around ten varieties – including seasonal specials...

Owned by a born-and-bred local eager to liven up his 'hood, this comfy joint has earned a steady following over the decade it's been open. Don't miss the no-bake cheesecake...

For years, Tokyo's caffeine addicts have been spoiled with an overflowing supply of 'third wave' coffee shops, while green tea – Japan's native pick-me-up – has been left by the wayside. But times they are a-changin': Sangenjaya's austere Tokyo Saryo offers single-origin green tea in hand drip form...

Found right by Ikebukuro Station, Coffee Valley answered local caffeine addicts' prayers when it opened in late 2014. The baristas brew aromatic mixtures in the stylish but comfy space, decorated with ample wood – gulp up your morning fix at the ground-floor counter, or sit back and relax on the sofas upstairs...

This tea salon puts a fresh twist on traditional Japanese confectionery. As well as the typical combination of green tea and sweets like cold kuzu noodles, the salon also serves alcohol – ask the staff which beer, shochu or wine goes best with your sweets...

Reputed to be one of Nakameguro's top coffee spots, Cafe Facon appears to be angling for a more mature crowd. It's pocked with Parisian references, including a small library of Francophone books and a grotesque faux-naive painting of cherubs frolicking around the Eiffel Tower. Iffy decor aside, Facon clearly means business. The shop roasts its own beans, offering four blends and a selection of single-origin coffees...

Jiyugaoka-based roasters and bean importers Onibus have kept a relatively low profile on Tokyo's coffee scene until now, keeping things close to home at their original location while backing up Shibuya's About Life with top-grade beans from places like Rwanda and Guatemala. They can expect a larger share of the spotlight from now on though, as this Nakameguro branch has been making waves...

There aren't many al fresco cafés in Tokyo that can rival the atmosphere of this waterside spot in Iidabashi. Canal Cafe is the modern-day incarnation of Tokyo Suijyo Club, the capital's oldest boat house, which first opened nearly a century ago. Rowboats aren't quite the draw they used to be, so the club serves mainly as a restaurant nowadays – though you can still head out on the water...

There was a time when Musashi-Koyama was famous for little besides having a shopping arcade that seemed to go on forever. That arcade is still there, but we're more likely to make a detour to the area to get a quick jolt at Amameria Espresso. Opened in the summer of 2010 by certified cupping judge Toshiaki Ishii, this intimate shop roasts its own beans, and the aroma alone is likely to lure...

You really have to visit this place for yourself to make sense of it all. One of our own described the experience of even entering this Asakusa café as 'pushing your way through the wall like Harry Potter at Platform 9 3/4'. We'd argue a mishmash of Narnia and Alice in Wonderland with a dash of Wes Anderson's cinematography would be an equally apt description. Inside, the world of Chocolate Jesus is on full display, with pink walls and crockery worthy of the Queen of Hearts...

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Step back in time by revisiting these old-school, mom-and-pop coffee shops and tea rooms across the city

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