I wrote this for my friends.
Aside from being my favourite place in the world, Tokyo is also my favourite place to drink coffee. For those used to independent Australian cafés, the omnipresence of Starbucks and Excelsior Cafés can feel a bit off. But on the other side of the coin, the experience can far exceed most of what the likes of Adelaide or Melbourne have to offer.
As a disclaimer, I don't really care about many of the things that make up the rather nebulous term "specialty coffee". I drink milky coffees. Atmosphere and service mean more to me than the nuances of whatever roast a place is serving at a particular time.
This list is presented subjectively and in no particular order, put together over several visits from 2023-2025. I've only included cafés where I both had a nice coffee and would like to visit again, or would feel comfortable recommending that a friend go out of their way to visit. I've included the train lines you can reach each café from - worth checking before you head out for the day.
Photos taken on my X100V, I've posted more on my Flickr.
ありがとうございます !
Switch Coffee
I discovered Switch while looking for a nearby café to work from during a hackathon, and gambled on the 50 minute round-trip. This café, like many others in metropolitan Japan, co-occupies the ground floor of a hotel lobby. Upon entering, however, the brutalist stone and concrete of the building’s architecture disappears behind a small jungle littered with foliage and Scandinavian furnishings. Switch is a thoughtfully curated space ideal for the botanically-inclined, and is a rare instance of a café that will serve a latte in a glass - just like home.
Perch Coffee
A truly hidden gem in a neighbourhood of suburban Tokyo that I was not expecting to find a café like this in. I don't imagine you'll stumble upon Perch unless you're in the area for the Oi Racecourse markets, in which case, definitely make the 15 minute walk. Bonus points for the disproportionately high amount of Book Offs in walking distance. Perch is family owned and is easily accessible via Omori Station, which is between Shinjuku and Haneda, so worth stopping at if you have time to kill on a travel day.
Glitch
Glitch is perhaps a mandatory experience for those who want to return from Japan and brag about the specialty coffee they drank. You will spend more time queueing than you will inside. This is hardly a café as much as it is an experience that you need to schedule your day around. Reddit says you should order a cortado - I'll concede that it was excellent, but for the wait time, I'd just buy the bigger coffee.
Lattest
Unassumingly tucked away in an alleyway of tiled buildings in Jingumae lives Lattest, a café that I could see myself happily spending a day in working remotely against a quiet backdrop of concrete and timber. Boasting a spacious seating area with a mixture of natural and ambient light, this venue gets bonus points for the inclusion of big tables. More cafés should have big tables. A handy little stop-gap in a day spent walking around Jingumae or Harajuku.
Onibus
If you visit just one place on this list, make it Onibus. While Tokyo is home to a few Onibus locations, this one in particular feels the most quintessential: a quaint, two storey kiosk with a service hatch and mostly outdoor seating. The heart of this café lives up the stairs, where after buying a drink to sit down with, you might be lucky enough to score a seat amidst the leaves of the trees and the rumble of trains passing through. In sakura season the river lights up with pink. This café might possibly be my favourite place on Earth.
If you go to Onibus, please buy me a bag of their house blend. I will love you forever and make you a cup when you get home.
Sidewalk Coffee
You know the sense of dread that sinks in halfway through the one extra coffee that you definitely didn't need? Call it a consequence of "trying to make the most of my last day". Sidewalk sits on the Meguro river walking path. It's quaint, and if you're Jack's height you'll probably have to hunch over a bit. I wish I could have spent more time here.
Counterpart Coffee
Kitasando Coffee Lab
If you place cafés on a spectrum of cozy and homely to trendy and industrial, this lives firmly towards the latter. One barista, two chairs, and a single Linea Mini for one of the busiest strips of Shibuya. Fuel your Pokémon Centre visit with a charcoal latte. This girl knows her stuff.
