Japan’s coffee scene is complex and ever-evolving. According to statistics, the number of coffee shops in the country is on a slight decline, but the increasing quality makes up for it. Most consumers still caffeinate themselves at chains like Starbucks or buy convenience store coffee, but there has been a rise in interest in specialty coffee and specialty coffee shops, particularly in Tokyo. Here are 22 of the best Tokyo coffee spots that opened in 2022.
Kitasando Coffee Lab
1. Kitasando Coffee Lab, Shibuya
A new branch of Kitasando Coffee opened in July 2022. Kitasando Coffee Lab challenges itself to only serve monochrome drinks in a stylish minimalist black-and-white interior. Black sesame latte and hojicha tea latte are big hits. There’s a classic latte too and a decadent mocha made with 70 percent cacao, both drinks dyed black with edible charcoal powder. The black tart filled with coffee and rum is a delicious treat worth trying. Note that this shop is completely cashless.
Kitasando Kissa
2. Kitasando Kissa, Nihonbashi
This is another Kitasando venture opened in Tokyo Torch, a new skyscraper that will be Japan’s tallest high-rise building when it’s complete in 2027. Some parts of this commercial complex, however, are already open to the public and this new coffee shop is on the first floor. Kitasando Kissa puts the focus on traditional Japanese elements, taking pride in its matcha latte and hojicha latte. There’s also freshly brewed green tea. You can try desserts with Japanese flavors such as the sweet potato tart or the matcha pudding. In the morning, you can order grilled onigiri rice balls and ochazuke soup.
Like all Kitasando coffee shops, Kitasando Kissa is cashless.
Monnaka Coffee
3. Monnaka Coffee, Monzennakacho
The fifth Kitasando Coffee shop opened at the end of November 2022. In addition to over 10 different coffee roasts, it offers its own Monnaka Blend that changes with the seasons. Light snacks are available too, such as the original “Circro,” a round croissant pastry developed by the store. In the evenings Monnaka Coffee also serves craft beer and natural wine.
4. Passage Coffee, Nihonbashi
Located inside Mimaru Suites Nihonbashi, this stylish coffee shop opened at the end of November 2022. Because it’s part of a hotel, it opens early and offers morning sets with food like bagels — a rare find in Tokyo. Passage Coffee takes pride in great quality coffee beans prepared perfectly in espressos, lattes and drip coffee. After all, the shop owner, Shuichi Sasaki, is a World AeroPress Champion, winning the competition in 2014.
In May 2022, Passage Coffee Ichigaya opened as well. The original Passage Coffee is in Mita, Minato Ward.
Mosque Coffee
5. Mosque Coffee, Shimokitazawa
This Turkish coffee shop started as a mobile coffee truck in 2020 in Senrogai, Shimokitazawa. Since July 2022 it has moved into its own space near Shimokitazawa’s Reload. The owner, Masanori Koyama, has a passion for Turkish coffee that has earned him the utmost respect and patronage from Turkish residents in Tokyo. He makes coffee the traditional Turkish way, by burying the pot in hot sand. He offers flavored Turkish coffee, Turkish delight sweets and alcoholic drinks too. The cups and the whole interior are vintage handpicked pieces from Koyama’s trips to Istanbul.
6. Brooklyn Roasting Company, Shimokitazawa
Another new spot in Shimokitazawa, Brooklyn Coffee Roasters opened in July 2022 in Mikan, the new commercial complex under the train tracks. The architectural design fits perfectly with the brand’s love of exposed concrete and industrial chic. The large and comfortable space is welcoming for long stays, as it serves food and alcohol in addition to the excellent coffee. This is the second Tokyo location of the New York coffee company, with two more stores in Osaka. It only has branches in Japan and the flagship in New York.
The Local Coffee Shop
7. The Local Coffee Shop, Ogikubo
This coffee shop is welcoming to everyone, encouraging the feeling of community and meeting other locals. The tasty coffee drinks are served in lovely blue cups and there are also tea and smoothies on the menu. The Local Coffee Shop’s main point is the sale of CBD (cannabidiol) products, both on the menu or to take home and use.
8. B² (B Squared), Kichijoji
The “B” stands for both beans and bread as this coffee shop is both a fresh coffee roastery and a bakery. The flagship store is in Kiyosumi, while this Kichijoji shop opened at the end of October 2022 in the renovated Excel Hotel Tokyu’s first floor. With New Zealander Brandon Sayring as Head Roaster, B²’s coffee has devoted fans as the flat white leaves no room for criticism. The sourdough bread and avocado toast brunch further solidify its reputation as one of the best coffee shops in Tokyo and the Kichijoji branch is no different.
9. Parklet Bakery, Nihonbashi
Known for excellent craft bread, from classic sourdough to creative pastries such as a peanut miso cookie, Parklet Bakery has quickly become popular. The bakery offers a variety of food and drinks too. Coffee is supplied by Overview Coffee and crafted into espressos, lattes and Americanos, while the chocolate for the mocha latte is by Dandelion Chocolate, one of Japan’s best craft chocolate companies. All that goodness can be sampled in a bright and warm interior with wooden furniture and greenery outside the windows.
Fav Hotel Café
10. Fav Tokyo Hotel, Nishi Nippori
This Hiroshima hotel brand opens a branch in Tokyo for the first time in December 2022, complete with an extremely stylish café on the first floor. The café is open to non-staying guests too. Coffee beans are supplied by Coffee Supreme, a specialty coffee roaster from New Zealand which has been previously selected to be among the top 10 best coffee roasters in the world. There are also doughnuts available.
11. Yoshida Coffee Sangubashi, Yoyogi Park
This new coffee venture by mustachioed barista Yoshida (known for his time at Deus Ex Machina) opened in late September 2022. The coffee shop has a clean minimal design and features Yoshida’s famous flat whites and espressos, as well as hand drip and cold brew. Mouthwatering croissants, cakes, doughnuts and more make a visit to Yoshida Coffee Sangubashi well worth it.
Ojizo Coffee
12. Ojizo Coffee, Shibuya
Located on the rooftop of Miyashita Park in Shibuya, this small coffee truck is big on giving back. Ojizo donates 10 percent of its sales to welfare service facilities for the disabled and funds volunteer activities. The coffee beans are fair trade certified and purchased from coffee farms run by women. The raw beans are pesticide-free too. You can get a warm coffee drink to go while also buying beans and coffee-making equipment.
13. Stock Coffee, Nakameguro
Housed in a small minimalist concrete space, this stylish coffee shop in the ever more stylish Nakameguro area offers a wide variety of drinks. There are classic specialty coffee espresso-based drinks like lattes, as well as hand drip and cold brews. There are also smoothies, alcoholic drinks, sweets and sandwiches. Try the shop’s signature pudding in a cute branded glass jar.
14. Next Hub Coffee and Coworking, Nihonbashi
A four-floor café and coworking space, Next Hub is all about sustainability. The architecture and interior design embody that by reusing and recycling materials. The café on the first floor serves fair trade sustainable coffee by Good Coffee Farms, one of the leading coffee providers engaged in ensuring sustainable practices in the coffee industry. The café can also be rented as an event space, while the other floors are coworking spaces that you can buy a membership for.
15. Hatto Coffee, Harajuku
Nestled among famous clothing brands in Jingumae, Hatto Coffee combines coffee with fashion. From the café seats, you can look through the glass to see a clothing printer producing 2D and 3D printing plus embroidered printing. Coffee is provided by Good Coffee Farms, a leading importer of sustainable fair-trade coffee. Hatto coffee is spacious with indoor and terrace seats and is perfect for remote work with outlets and free Wi-Fi.
16. Anakuma Coffee, Harajuku
Anakuma Café opened in Harajuku in late October 2022 with a whimsical concept. The name roughly translates to “bear paw hole” and it’s a literal hole-in-the-wall from where a bear paw hands you your coffee. Technically, the green storefront is unmanned, it’s just an employee wearing a bear paw glove. The bear paws have their own names and identities on the official website. The coffee is fair trade, carefully roasted and then prepared in an Italian espresso machine. The company pledges that a portion of the profits will be donated to a fund for forest preservation.
17. Kahlua Queen, Ginza
The café au lait specialty store Cafe au Lait Tokyo teamed up with the famed coffee liqueur for the first Kahlua specialty store in Japan. Located in Ginza, it opened on October 1, International Coffee Day. Here you can try every possible Kahlua flavor in combination with a choice of several different plant-based milks in addition to regular milk. The drink can be further customized by choosing the type of ice and toppings. There are also Kahlua cocktails, Kahlua desserts and even some savory food cooked with Kahlua.
18. Café Tarot, Asakusabashi
Japan’s first tarot museum opened in 2021 and a year later in October 2022, it got a café too. It offers plant-based bites, original coffee beans roasted at the Ammonite Coffee Market and tea from Leafull Darjeeling House Ginza. The space is dotted with tarot-related objects, books about the ancient practice, mosaic artworks and of course decks of tarot cards that visitors can use. The café will start offering tarot readings in the spring of 2023, so for now it’s all about enjoying the ambiance and browsing the collection of thousands of tarot exhibits.
19. Baby Hot Dog Cafe, Shibuya
Although primarily focused on a variety of hot dogs, as the name suggests, this newly opened Shibuya shop is also particular about its coffee. The most unique coffee drink item on the menu is the shop’s signature Mojito coffee. It’s refreshing and pairs well with the hot dogs.
20. Alishan Park Coffee, Yoyogi Park
You might have seen Alishan’s organic produce on the shelves of your supermarket. The Saitama company specializes in organic sustainable food. Since July 15, Alishan Park has brought its food closer to Tokyoites in the shape of an organic vegetarian shop and a café in Yoyogi Park. In addition to the delicious vegetarian and vegan sweets and savories, it serves well-crafted espressos, lattes and ice coffees perfect for a break while looking out at the park’s greenery.
Slow Ecolab
21. Ekolokal Slow Ecolab Café, Otsuka
Ekolokal is a start-up that has a mission to promote an easy eco-friendly lifestyle. This is well represented in the newly opened Slow Ecolab, an all-vegan near-zero-waste café by Ekolokal in Otsuka. All ingredients are organic. The matcha latte is especially popular with patrons. Slow Ecolab also holds a farmer’s market on Saturdays, in partnership with organic farmers.
22. Ol La Cabina, Nihonbashi
Ol La Cabina (stylized as ØL La Cabina) is a merger of Ol, a Norwegian beer bar, and La Cabina, a Mexican food restaurant. Both establishments were known and loved before teaming up in this new venture. What does that have to do with coffee, you might wonder? The coffee is provided by beloved Norwegian coffee roaster Fuglen. Hence, this establishment boasts a trio of specialties: specialty coffee, craft beer and Mexican street food. You can sip on a nice light roast latte in the stylish space during the day and stay longer for tacos and beer.
Uni Coffee Roastery
Bonus: Uni Coffee Roastery, Yokohama
The iconic Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse has reopened after renovation and in it, Uni Coffee Roastery Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse opened in December 2022. Its interior design matches the whole building with red brick and industrial chic furniture. This coffee shop is spacious and even offers foods such as pasta and waffles. Uni Coffee Roastery is a Yokohama establishment with several stylish shops in the Kanagawa area.
