50 best cafés in Tokyo

Glitch Coffee has opened a new outlet in Tokyo (its second in the city and fourth in Japan) with this sleek new space in Ginza. The café is centred around a chic U-shaped counter and accented with original ukiyo-e woodblock prints hanging on the walls. A curated playlist of 1980s music playing from a set of stylish Tannoy speakers adds to the atmosphere.

Glitch is known for its light-roast, single-origin coffee beans that are all roasted in-house at its Jimbocho location. By only offering light roasts, Glitch is able to showcase the original flavour of the beans. You won't find any blended coffee here as the café aims to highlight the individuality of the coffee farms and regions it works with...

World-renowned contemporary artist Takashi Murakami has opened up a new café in Nakano Broadway known as Coffee Zingaro. This art-filled café is a welcoming spot in the anime and manga shop-filled district and is Murakami’s latest venture in the area after closing down Bar Zingaro in 2020. 

Coffee Zingaro has a lot of pizazz with its retro kissaten vibes inspired by the 1960s and ‘70s. The café features a tonne of artwork by Murakami and a colourful Showa era (1926-1989) interior courtesy of Yoshinori Hamakura, who also worked on creating the iconic Ebisu Yokocho and other retro spots 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...

It might take you a while to locate this hidden café, but you’ll be glad you put in the effort once you step inside this calm, stylish space. 319 sits along a dark corridor on the third floor of a nondescript residential building in Mitaka. The café is decked out with a gorgeous collection of antique furniture. It’s quite spacious, with plenty of seating and tables across two rooms. 

The menu is simple and straightforward, just two savoury plus three dessert options. If you’re here for lunch, start with the brown rice and laver soup or the fish cutlet and meatball plate before moving on to the sweets. The carrot cake and the chocolate tart are lovely, but we love the rare cheese dessert – a somewhat deconstructed cheesecake topped generously with shavings of salty parmesan...

In an area heavily populated with bars and izakayas, this café is a welcoming sight. Lou, which opened in 2021, is the sister shop to Paddler’s Coffee Nishihara. This Nakano café offers a more extensive food menu than Paddler’s, with a variety of Nordic-inspired soups, pastries, cakes and ice cream. It’s also got a pretty great drink selection of not just the standard coffee and tea, but also craft beer and wine...

This chic café just a few minutes’ walk from Meguro Station has a soothing minimalist aesthetic. You’ll often find a queue outside the shop on weekends, as café-goers are eager to get their hands on Parlor Noon’s picture-perfect desserts. 

Highlights from the menu include an affogato made with Big Baby Ice Cream and topped with one of the café’s signature dog-shaped cookies. The basque cheesecake is another crowd-pleaser, as well as the beautiful lemon tart shaped like a flower. There’s also a seasonal shortcake and parfait, both made with whatever fresh fruit is in season. As for beverages, you can’t go wrong with the Viennese coffee topped with fresh cream or the zingy ginger lemonade...

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...

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 ¥350...

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 tiny café tucked down the back streets of Higashi-Ginza exudes Japanese simplicity at its best, fit with Japanese-styled plaster walls, sho-sugiban (charred cedar) details and a coffered ceiling, plus a single bonsai poised behind the barista.

The expansive coffee menu offers your café usuals including drip coffee, americanos and mochas, plus a Japanese spin on lattes made from a combo of espresso and matcha or hojicha. For the non-dairy drinkers, they also have soy, almond and oat milk, so you can get your lactose-free latte fix, too...

Monz Café, which has been around for about a decade, sits along the lively temple street leading to Naritasan Fukagawa Fudodo, one of Tokyo’s most striking and modern temples. The building used to house a wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) shop in the Meiji era (1868-1912) but was converted in the last ten years or so into a stylish space for people to relax over coffee and desserts...

Sip some coffee and peruse handmade leather accessories at this relaxed Kuramae café and variety goods store run by ballerina and pastry shop owner Miwako Yamada together with designer Kosuke Tamura. The staff are happy to give sightseeing tips for the surrounding neighbourhood, but Camera itself is well worth seeking out – if only for the decadent smoothies...

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...

Despite Tokyo’s love for desserts, vegan and gluten-free sweets are hard to come by. Sister outlet to Ebisu’s vegan fruit sando shop Fruits & Season, So Tart is a specialty café serving up gorgeous vegan, gluten-free fruit tarts, plus organic coffee, tea and ice cream.

Seasonal fruit is the star of the show, with tarts topped with fresh sakuranbo cherries, mango and melon during summer. Underneath the fruit, you’ll find a luscious soy-based cream and a crispy tart base made from rice...

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...

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...

This iconic Tokyo café has been around for over 20 years and is still serving up some of the best food – both savoury and sweet – in Harajuku. The café looks deceivingly small from the outside, but once you’re in, you’ll discover an entire basement dedicated to table seating. There’s even a small retail area where you can purchase vinyl records, clothing and more. 

It’s difficult to choose just one dessert from the impressive display case. There’s a variety of housemade cakes and sweets like the Kuma Chocolate, a decadent bear-shaped brownie cake that’s served with ice cream, or the whole peach stuffed with custard cream, fresh strawberries and shortcake...

Hamanoya is on the basement floor of the Shin-Yurakucho Building, just by the D2 exit of Yurakucho Station. As well as serving an array of soft drinks, this old-school café serves light meals, including a great selection of sandwiches, and does a nice sideline in desserts (their parfaits are especially good). But it's the egg choice on the menu that most people go for...

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...

This tiny café near the train tracks west of Koenji Station is known for its artistic fruit sandwiches, in-house roasted coffee and kakigori shaved ice (served in the warmer months). Interestingly, the café's name comes from French novelist, poet and playwright Jules Gabriel Verne and is inspired by the analog ways of the eighteenth century. 

Keeping with the theme, you can find books by Verne scattered around the café from which you can freely pick up to read as you wait for your order...

'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)...

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...

It might look small from the outside, but this speciality roastery has a lot to offer, with a dozen kinds of coffee beans imported from around the world and roasted on-site. Owner Kenji Okauchi opened this coffee shop in 2014 with the ambition of creating a cheerful neighbourhood haunt where locals could casually drop by to pick up freshly ground, single-origin beans or a drip coffee to go...