Tokyo

@home cafe

あっとほぉーむｃａｆｅ

This maid cafe has card games, drinks, food, and young women dressed up as maids to serve you. If you order an omelet, they'll draw a picture of a cute animal on the top in ketchup. In addition to this shop, there are 3 branch stores elsewhere in Akihabara.

Closed · opens 11:30 am·Seating ¥500; drinks ¥600; food ¥1100

AiiRO Cafe

formerly Advocates

Cruisy open-air bar with a torii gate at the entrance. Crowd spilling onto the street makes it feel like a block party.

Mon-Thu 18:00-02:00, Fri Sat 18:00-05:00, Sun 18:00-00:00h·Drinks ¥500-700

Anniversaire Cafe

アニヴェルセルカフェ

This is a fashionable cafe of Paris style. You can enjoy elegant mood with seeing a row of houses and street of Omotesando. You can also choose fish or meat for lunch. Has another branch at Minato Mirai in Yokohama.

Asakusa Smile Bar & Cafe

浅草スマイルバー&カフェ

Founded by a Tokyo resident returning from abroad. Located across the Sumida river from the Asakusa tourist district. Clientele has many expats and English-speaking Japanese. Periodically hosts an English-language comedy show.

Closed · opens 5 pm

Azabu-Jūban

麻布十番

A quieter commercial district to the southeast of Roppongi Hills, and a good place to spend a lazier afternoon browsing through shops and enjoying the local cafés. The surrounding residential area is popular among professional expats, so expect to see many international families as you walk through.

Cafe Apres-Midi

カフェ・アプレミディ

Jazzy cafe with 1960s decor in moody lighting. Excellent food, try the quiche, although portions are small.

Cigars & Cafe LWAN

ルワン

A cigar bar that serves coffee, alcoholic drinks, and desserts. There is a large cigar selection, in particular from the Dominican Republic.

Tue-Fri 11:00-21:00, Sat Sun 12:00-20:00, national holidays 12:00-20:00

Cure Maid Cafe

The original and not quite as over-the-top (or expensive) as some of the competition. A long line can form on weekends.

Daily 11:00-19:00 (or later)·At least ¥500

Hara Museum of Contemporary Art

原美術館, hara-bijutsukan

This small museum hosts a variety of interesting exhibitions in a 1930s house which is a great example of modern architecture in pre-war Japan. There is a very nice indoor/outdoor cafe. (2026: closed/moved to Gunma prefecture, see Wikipedia)

Closed Mon; Tue Thu-Sun 11:00-17:00, Wed 11:00-20:00·¥1000 adults, ¥700 students

Neko JaLaLa

ねこJaLaLa

A 'cat cafe': you play with the shop's (very clean) cats while drinking tea. You'll be asked to remove your shoes and wash your hands on entry. You'll also be gently pressured to order one of their drinks. It's a different experience.

Daily 11:00-19:00·¥500 for first 30 minutes; ¥150 for each ten minutes; drinks ¥300 to ¥500

Shibuya Crossing

The famous crossing sees people crossing in every direction en masse. The second floor of the Starbucks has been a great spot to take photos of the crazy pedestrian crossing. The coffee shop closed in 2023 for renovation of the building and is due to reopen late April 2024 with a larger cafe/lounge.

Worldstar Cafe

Popular with business people or singles during lunchtime. Meal sets are ¥980–1200, comes w/ main, salad, drink; main being spaghetti, etc. Useful for a late night spot to hang around, since they're open until 06:00.

Daily 11:00-06:00 daily

Atre Shinagawa

アトレ品川

A collection of restaurants grouped around a Queens Isetan grocery. Dean & Deluca, on the second floor, has a take-out sandwich and coffee bar which is convenient for supplies to get you through a long Shinkansen ride. The fourth floor has the Lounge Foodium restaurant complex including Grand Central Oyster Bar.

Beat Cafe

ビートカフェ

Small cafe-bar-restaurant catering to the young alternative rock crowd. While showing constant videos from VH1 Classic on their TV, the easy drinking, simple eating crowd is about as friendly as they come. If you can't talk in your own native language, you can always discuss music.

Cash only and drinks range from ¥500-1000

Canal Cafe

In the far east of Shinjuku City in the Kagurazaka district. With views remarkable for Tokyo, Canal Cafe consists of a separate restaurant and cafe situated alongside a canal. The open-air cafe has great ambiance. At the restaurant figure ¥6000-9000 for dinner, but at the café, which is a long patio-like dock, drinks and snacks are purchased at the bar and can be quite reasonable.

Tue-Fri 11:30-21:30, Sat Sun 11:30-23:00

Coffee Roast Sai

Roasts beans while you wait (30-60 min), usually with a wonderful free cup of coffee. For true connoisseurs.

Thu-Mon 11:00-18:00, closed Tue Wed

Doutor

Doutor is a relatively "salary man" coffee shop. You will see lots of business men within this shop. Non-smoking, with some shops equipped with smoking booths.

Drinks ¥250-500

Ginza Cafe Paulista

カフェーパウリスタ

One of the oldest cafes in Japan and a favorite of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, the Paulista opened in 1909 with beans imported directly from Santos, Brazil.

Nana's Green Tea

This cafe has a lot of sweets and drinks made with powdered green tea and adzuki bean. Taste four kinds of Japanese tea. Try the Maccha chocolate latte.

Closed · opens 10:30 am·¥600

Pronto/Di Punto

Pronto is a very relaxed cafe/bar that is a cafe during the day. They offer premium style drinks.

Cafe style opens in the morning and closes around 17:30. Then bar opens within minutes·Soft drinks ¥320-500

Royal Host

Popular "family restaurant" chain with surprisingly good coffee but little else that stands out.

Sakura Cafe Ikebukuro

Opened in 2008, one of Tokyo's largest open-air-terrace cafes with easy-going and relaxed style located at 1st floor of "Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro" which welcomes guests from over 110 countries every year. International atmosphere with 60 beers from around the world from ¥550, monthly changing snacks and meals from ¥300 also from a wide variety of countries, and coffee for ¥180.

Open 24/7

Segafredo Zanetti Espresso

Segafredo is a somewhat upscale Italian style cafe that has various locations near Shinjuku. Segafredo tends to have a darker atmosphere akin to Pronto and offers many kinds of alcoholic drinks too.

Drinks ¥280-500

Akha Ama

Specialty coffee from northern Thailand.

Closed · opens 8 am

Excelsior Cafe

Great coffee and delicious sandwiches, with a warm smile.

Tajimaya Coffee house

但馬屋珈琲店

Truely classic kissaten (full-service coffee shop).

Closed · opens 10 am

Starbucks Coffee

Shinjuku has 22 Starbucks Coffee shops