Japan is the world’s most innovative nation, and there is always something new to discover. Every time we visit Tokyo, we will be super inspired by all the fascinating dining concepts in the capital city.
With so many restaurants and cafes to choose from, it can be challenging to know where to eat in Tokyo. From a stunning flower tea salon, to a Brooklyn-inspired pancake house, we have picked our favourites in this guide to Tokyo’s Top 14 Cafes to visit.
#1 AOYAMA FLOWER MARKET TEA HOUSE
Aoyama Flower Market Tea House combines a florist with a tea house, and the result is the dream café for every girl. Like an indoor greenhouse but with an impeccable sophistication, the tea house is lavishly decorated with fresh flowers of the season.
Decorative mini lights span across the ceiling and drape down the pillars, creating an illumination so dreamy that it enraptures your soul; soft instrumentals looping, quite like a choir of nightingale serenading every dreamer in the room. Nothing quite as beautiful, nothing quite as enchanting.
It is just a 5-minute walk from Omotesando station. If you ever find yourself in the area, a trip to the tea house is very highly recommended. Because whatever you are feeling, the sheer beauty and tranquility will complete your day.
5-1-2, Minami-Aoyama
Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 3 3400 0887
Nearest Station: Omotesando
#2 BILLS
Perched on the top floor of Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku, Bills is the hottest breakfast spot in Tokyo at the moment. This popular Australian cafe by Bill Granger is extremely popular, so be prepared to wait in line for the signature ricotta pancakes and organic scrambled eggs.
7F Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku
4-30-3 Jingumae, Tokyo
Tel: +81 03 5772 1133
Daily: 8.30am – 11pm
#3 BROOKLYN PANCAKE HOUSE
If you walk from Shibuya towards Meiji-Jingumae, you will find yourself in a quaint and charming area littered with lifestyle concept stores and cafes. Brooklyn Pancake House is one of the places that we stumbled upon in this area. It is essentially a New-Yorker style diner which offers a variety of sweet and savoury pancakes.
1F Mode S, 6-14-12 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 03 3409 2018
Daily: 11.30am – 8pm
Nearest Station: Meiji-Jingumae/Harajuku
#4 GONTRAN CHERRIER
Singaporeans will be familiar with celebrity baker Gontran Cherrier, who is behind the popular Tiong Bahru Bakery on our sunny island.
Gontran Cherrier Artisan Bakery in Tokyo has garnered a cult following among the Japanese, with its range of Japanese-inspired creations. The bakery cafe in the Shibuya neighbourhood is a great spot to grab a quick bite before exploring the area.
1-14-11 Shibuya
Daily: 7.30am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Shibuya
#5 Lattest Omotesando Espresso Bar
Also at Omotesando – just a stone’s throw away from Omotseando Koffee – is Lattest Omotesando Espresso Bar. If you are cafe-hopping in the area, you have to make a pitstop here.
3-5-2 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku,Tokyo
Tel: +81 03 3478 6276
Mon to Fri: 10am – 7pm
Sat & Sun: 12am – 7pm
Nearest Station: Omotesando Exit A2/Meiji-Jingumae
#6 L’OCCITANE CAFE
Located directly across the road from Shibuya Station, L’occitane Cafe not only serves really healthy and wholesome food, but also commands a great view of the famous Shibuya Crossing.
Shibuya Ekimae build
2-3-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku
Tel: +65 03-5428-1563
Daily: 10am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Shibuya
#7 LOTUS CAFE
Just a few steps from 76 Cafe and Maisen Tonkatsu is Lotus, a hipster cafe in Omotesando. The combination of a cosy interior, affordable food, good magazines, and excellent location in the heart of Omotesando makes Lotus a place to return to again and again.
It opens till late night – quite the perfect place if you are feeling peckish in the middle of the night.
4-6-8 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 03 5772 6077
Mon to Thu, & Sun: 11am – 3am
Fri & Sat: 11am – 4am
Nearest Station: Omotesando (A2 Exit)
#8 ON THE CORNER
Sharing a space with No.8 Bear Pond, On The Corner is another American-style diner that dishes burgers and all the known comfort food. Boasting a red and white interior, the outlet is a cosy one and you can count on them for a good dinner with your best pals.
1-17-1, Shibuya
Tel: +81 03 6427 7273
Daily: 9am – 2am
Nearest Station: Shibuya
#9 PARIYA
Tucked along an alley in Kita-Aoyama, Pariya is a delicatessen which serves a decent meal with healthy options. For ¥1,050, you get a set of rice, main, salad and side.
3-12-14, Kita-Aoyama
Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 03 3409 8468
Daily: 11.30am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Omotesando
#10 RAINBOW PANCAKE CAFE
This pancake specialist serves all kinds of sweet and savoury pancakes (prices start from ¥1,100). Try the much-lauded Macadamia nut sauce Pancake.
2F, 4-28-4, Jingumae
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 03 6434 0466
Daily: 11am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Harajuku/Meiji-Jingumae
#11 SUZU CAFE
Our favourite spot in Tokyo, Suzu Café is quite above the rest – pun intended. Apart from people-watching and indulging in Japanese tracks, Suzu Cafe offers a range of earnest and simple comfort food at sensible prices (from ¥750 – ¥1300) – expect salads, rice dishes, pizzas and pastas.
Partake in an afternoon tea (from 2pm to 6pm) at Suzu, with a repertoire of desserts (¥650 – ¥750) like Victoria Cake with homemade lemon curd, Kiwi & Apricot Shortcake and Chocolate Parfait to choose from.
1-20-5 Jinnan
Shibuya, Tokyo
Tel: +81 3 5428 3739
Sun to Thu: 11.30am – 12 midnight
Fri & Sat: 11.30am – 3am
Nearest Station: Meiji-Jingumae/Harajuku
#12 STREAMER COFFEE COMPANY
This is one of the most popular coffee shops in Tokyo – the owner Hiroshi Sawada is a latte art champion and a rock star in the local coffee scene. Even though Streamer Coffee Company is located on the fringe of Shibuya – a good 10 minutes walk from the station – it is always crowded and packed with locals and expats. Every cup of coffee comes with beautiful latte art.
With good coffee with beautiful latte art, and a buzzing atmosphere, Streamer Coffee Company is one place that coffee lovers must go to when in Tokyo.
Streamer Coffee Company is listed in our guide to Tokyo’s Best Coffee Shops.
1-20-28 Shibuya
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 03 6427 3705
Mon to Fri: 8am – 6pm
Sat & Sun: 8am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Shibuya
#13 VIRON BAKERY
If you are in the Shibuya area, Boulangerie Patisserie Viron is one pitstop you must not miss. Think good bread and desserts that are so oishii, you will linger for more. On the ground floor, the boulangerie sells bread and pastries. You can also choose to dine in the brasserie on the second floor.
Boulangerie Patisserie Viron is listed in our guide to Tokyo’s Best Patisseries.
33-8 Udagawa-cho
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 03 5458 1770
Nearest Station: Shibuya
#14 NALU 76 CAFE
Nalu 76 Cafe marries the concept of a cafe and hair salon, and it has always been a favourite among locals. They are pets-friendly, too! We wouldn’t come here for the food, but it is a nice place to chill out and have coffee when you are in the area.
4-9-2 Jingumae
Shibuya, Tokyo
Tel: +81 3 5786 1781
Nearest Station: Omotesando
For more recommendations and tips, read our curated Tokyo’s food and travel guides
What a great little cafe guide. I wish I’d stumbled across this post before I visited Tokyo.
Excellent cafe guide. Thank you!
Pingback: TOKYO: 15 Café ??????????? Shibuya - Harajuku | CULTURED CREATURESCULTURED CREATURES
“AFTERNOON TEA TEA STAND”? Really? It’s a giant chain. It’s like suggesting Starbucks.
“AOYAMA FLOWER MARKET TEA HOUSE” is also a chain.
I’m not saying they aren’t nice. So is starbucks for some people. But this article is titled “TOKYO’S TOP 15 CAFES TO VISIT” and there are so many much nicer and more interesting cafes to visit than giant chain restaurants.
After tiring days of queuing for the rides at Tokyo Disneyland and having to make do with bland coffee, I just had to go to GONTRAN CHERRIER after reading your article. I was hoping to find “hipster” full-bodied Flat White like I love at the Tiong Bahru Bakery. Sadly, it was not to be. The latte was as bland as the rest of them here in Tokyo.
Just read Gregg’s comment after I posted mine. I can’t help but wonder if I should even bother with the rest of the recommendations actually.
Hello Darren,
Gontran Cherrier is a baker, and he is known for bread, not coffee. While he acts as the consultant for Tiong Bahru Bakery’s bread, he is not the one behind TBB’s “hipster coffee”. Spa Esprit Group, which owns TBB, Forty Hands and Common Man Coffee Roaster, is the reason why you can find third wave coffee at TBB.
Furthermore, in our description of Gontran Cherrier, we did not once mention that it serves good coffee. We only stated that it is a bakery cafe where you can grab a quick bite. I am not quite sure how you get that inference that Gontran Cherrier = good coffee just because he works with TBB in Singapore.
For really good coffee in Tokyo, go to Streamer Coffee Company (#12 in the list), which I am sure you have missed it since you only had bland coffee in Tokyo. Lattest Omotesando Espress Bar (#5 in the list) and Omotesando Koffee are also excellent coffee shops. https://www.ladyironchef.com/2013/10/tokyo-best-coffee-shops/
Please read our guide carefully before you go to any of them.
Just had the worst pasta at Suzu Cafe, gooey and the spaghetti was stuck to each other. Tasted of Mayo only and everything was just yucky. No idea why you recommended this place.
Great list, some really good places here. If I can be picky, it’s a bit too focused on the Omotesando area though! RE: the commenters above, ‘On the corner’ and ‘streamer coffee company’ are the only ones tha actually have *legit* good coffee. The rest are just really cool, nice places to hang out, which is what a lot of people want from a coffe shop. Check out MOJO coffee in Waseda or Kagurazaka for the best Flat White in Tokyo by the way.
Matt: Thanks for the recommendation, will check out MOJO coffee when we are in Tokyo next time!