My Recent Favourite Coffee Shops in Tokyo: 3 Local Favourites in Koenji, Tsukiji & Yanaka
If there's one thing I love almost as much as exploring Tokyo's neighbourhoods and discovering great Japanese food, it's finding a fantastic little coffee shop. Tokyo has an incredible coffee scene, and over the past several months I've been fortunate enough to stumble across some wonderful places, often while going about my everyday life or running tours around the city. As much as I appreciate a beautifully made coffee, it's often the smaller details that make somewhere memorable for me. The people behind the counter, the atmosphere they've created, the conversations you have and, of course, the occasional little sweet treat to go alongside your coffee.
Before getting into my three recent favourites, I should probably explain how I like my coffee, because I'm a little particular about it. On an ordinary day, I'm almost exclusively an iced black drinker. I drink quite a lot of coffee, so I generally like to keep things simple, but when I visit a good specialty coffee shop, my absolute favourite is a double-shot cortado, sometimes referred to by Americans as a Gibraltar. It's essentially a double espresso with roughly equal parts full-cream milk, giving it a beautiful creamy texture without drowning out the flavour of the coffee itself. I love being able to taste the richness and intensity of the espresso, with just enough milk to smooth everything out.
With that in mind, here are three coffee shops that have become personal favourites of mine, each in a different Tokyo neighbourhood and each with its own character, atmosphere and reason for bringing me back.
1. Porta Coffee Stand in Koenji
Let's start close to home in Koenji, the neighbourhood where I live and one of my favourite parts of Tokyo. Koenji is a fantastic little area with an incredible amount of character, full of vintage clothing stores, independent shops, old-school eateries, narrow streets and shopping arcades. It's a neighbourhood that doesn't always make it onto the itineraries of first-time visitors to Japan, but that's part of what makes it so appealing to me. There's a wonderful local atmosphere here, and tucked away along the PAL shopping arcade, just a few minutes from Koenji Station, is a brilliant little coffee shop called Porta Coffee Stand.
Porta is a relatively small café, but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in personality. The interior is cosy, a little eclectic and full of character, with a handful of seats and a relaxed atmosphere that makes you feel right at home. One of the things I particularly enjoy is the owner himself, who, whenever I've visited, has generally been running the place on his own. He's an incredibly cool, relaxed guy, very easy to strike up a conversation with, and clearly someone who loves what he does. I always enjoy finding these independent little businesses where the personality of the owner is reflected in the space they've created, and Porta is a wonderful example of that.
As for the coffee, naturally, I order my favourite double-shot cortado, and it's absolutely fantastic. Porta offers a choice of different coffee bean profiles, and I particularly enjoy the beautifully balanced espresso with just enough full-cream milk to give it that smooth finish I'm always looking for. The little baked treats are another reason I've become so fond of the place, and on a recent visit with my parents, we couldn't resist trying a few things from the counter. We shared a gluten-free vegan carrot cake, a cinnamon scroll or maybe it was a Danish, and a small brûléed milk scone with a beautifully sugar-coated top. All three were delightful, and what I appreciated was their simplicity. Nothing oversized or unnecessarily elaborate, just small, thoughtfully prepared sweet treats that complemented the coffee perfectly.
One thing worth mentioning is that Porta opens a little later than some other coffee shops, generally around 11 am on weekdays and 10 am on weekends. It's therefore not necessarily somewhere I'd head for a very early morning coffee, but it's a fantastic stop while wandering through Koenji during the day - or on a private Koenji & Nakano walking tour with me! Whether you're exploring the vintage shops, enjoying the shopping arcades or simply spending a few hours discovering a more local side of Tokyo, I'd highly recommend dropping into Porta for a coffee and something sweet.
Google Maps: Porta Coffee Stand, Koenji
2. Turret Coffee in Tsukiji
My second recommendation takes us across Tokyo to Tsukiji, a neighbourhood that has become a particularly important part of my life over the past several months. Only a couple months ago, I launched our Tsukiji Fish Market Morning Food Tour through Welcome to Japan, and I've since spent countless mornings exploring the market, meeting the wonderful people who work there and introducing guests to some of my favourite Japanese foods. It was while spending more time in the area that I stumbled across Turret Coffee, tucked away on a little side street just a short walk from Tsukiji Station, and it didn't take long for the place to become one of my favourite morning coffee spots in Tokyo.
Turret has a completely different atmosphere from Porta, with a slightly more industrial feel that suits the surrounding neighbourhood. The shop takes its name from the little turret trucks that were traditionally used to transport goods around the old Tsukiji Fish Market, and there's even one of these distinctive vehicles inside the café itself! The space is relatively small, with limited seating, but with the sheer number of patrons lining up inside, and out, the place is always has a good vibe.
What keeps bringing me back is, of course, the coffee, and I honestly cannot speak highly enough of how good it is. I order the same double-shot cortado that I enjoy at Porta, and Turret certainly knows how to make an exceptional espresso. I've also become quite fond of the selection of little cakes and sweets on the counter, particularly now that autumn has arrived and chestnuts are back in season. The chestnut dorayaki and little chestnut sponge cakes have been especially delicious, and there are always a few other individually wrapped cookies and sweet treats to choose from. They occasionally have larger slices of carrot cake and cheesecake too, neither of which I've tried just yet. A properly made carrot cake is actually my favourite cake in the entire world, so I'm absolutely dying to give theirs a try, and the cheesecake is certainly on my list as well!
Given its proximity to the fish market, it has become a popular stop for international visitors, and I can absolutely understand why. Unlike Porta, Turret opens early, generally around 6:30 or 7am, making it a great place to grab a coffee before heading into the market or starting your day exploring Tokyo. For me, it's become a lovely little part of my Tsukiji routine, and one of those places I always look forward to visiting whenever I'm in the neighbourhood.
Google Maps: Turret Coffee, Tsukiji
3. Hanaju Yanaka Chaya in Yanaka
My final recommendation is a little different from the first two, both in terms of the coffee I order and the experience of visiting the shop itself. We're heading to Yanaka, one of my absolute favourite neighbourhoods in Tokyo and somewhere I've been spending a considerable amount of time over the past six months or so through our Welcome to Japan Yanaka & Nezu Shrine Walking Tour. Interestingly, Hanaju is actually the coffee shop I've been visiting the longest out of these three, but I've deliberately saved it until last because it's the one place where I completely abandon my favourite coffee in favour of something entirely different!
Hanaju is located beside Yanaka Cemetery, inside a beautifully renovated historic building that forms part of a family-run flower business dating all the way back to 1870! What makes this café so remarkable, in my opinion, is the way the traditional Japanese architecture has been preserved and incorporated into a contemporary space. The original wooden beams and pillars are still very much part of the building's character, while the modern furnishings, clean architectural lines, large windows and abundance of natural light give the interior a wonderfully open and contemporary feeling. There's also a beautiful flower shop at the front of the building, which always seems to be bustling with activity and filled with gorgeous floral arrangements. I love the fact that the business has managed to preserve its history as a traditional Japanese florist while creating something entirely new and modern around it.
Unlike Porta and Turret, which are relatively small, intimate coffee shops, Hanaju is much more of a proper café, with several areas to sit, including seating upstairs and an outdoor garden area surrounded by greenery. It's somewhere you could quite happily settle in for a leisurely breakfast or spend a little time relaxing with a coffee and a book. I particularly appreciate how thoughtfully the interior has been designed, with the old wooden structure remaining such a prominent feature of the building. Yanaka itself is famous for its traditional streets, historic houses, temples and slower pace of life, and Hanaju feels like a wonderful reflection of the neighbourhood, blending old and new Japan in a way that feels natural rather than forced.
But now to the coffee, because this is where Hanaju really stands out for me. Whenever I visit, I order their nitro coffee, and I would go as far as saying that it's the best nitro coffee in Tokyo, and quite possibly the best I've had anywhere in Japan. For anyone unfamiliar with it, nitro coffee is chilled black coffee infused with nitrogen gas, creating a beautifully smooth, velvety texture and an almost creamy mouthfeel without actually adding any milk. When it's poured, the tiny nitrogen bubbles give it a lovely cascading appearance before settling into a rich, dark coffee with a delicate, creamy-looking head, a little reminiscent of a freshly poured Guinness. It's been a while since my last pint, but when I used to drink I threw back a few delicious pints of creamy Guinness, let me tell you!
One of my favourite things about Hanaju is that it's become a regular little stop along our Yanaka walking tours. We begin by exploring the beautiful Tennoji Temple and making our way through Yanaka Cemetery before passing Hanaju, where I always like to draw our guests' attention to the large traditional clay pots used for baking Japanese sweet potatoes. If the café is open and I'm with a smaller group, I'll often pop inside and shout everyone a takeaway coffee before we continue exploring the neighbourhood. It's a lovely little addition to the experience, and I think the combination of the historic building, the beautiful flower shop and the traditional sweet potatoes makes it a particularly interesting place to introduce to visitors.
There's also one thing on Hanaju's menu that I've been absolutely dying to try, and that's their incredible-looking French toast. Every time I visit, I find myself looking at it and thinking that I really need to come back for an actual sit-down breakfast. Unfortunately, most of my visits are during walking tours, so I haven't quite managed to make it happen yet. I have, however, been thinking about how to work it into one of my Sunday morning cheat meals. I'm imagining heading out for a nice long run early in the morning, guiding a walking tour through Yanaka, and then returning to Hanaju afterwards for a well-earned serving of French toast and one of their beautiful nitro coffees. Knowing me, after a big morning of running and walking, I might even end up ordering a double serving of French toast! I'll certainly report back once I've finally made it happen.
Google Maps: HANAJU Yanaka Chaya, Yanaka
Final Thoughts
What I love most about these three coffee shops is that each one has become connected to a different part of my life here in Tokyo. Porta is my little neighbourhood favourite in Koenji, Turret is somewhere I discovered through launching our Tsukiji Fish Market Food Tour, and Hanaju has become a familiar stop after spending so much time exploring Yanaka with our guests. They're all quite different in their atmosphere, interiors and the people behind them, but each offers something that keeps me returning.
Of course, Tokyo is full of incredible coffee shops, and I'm sure there are plenty more waiting to be discovered. These are simply three places I've particularly enjoyed visiting recently, not just because the coffee is fantastic, but because of the experiences and little moments that come with each visit. If you're exploring any of these neighbourhoods, I hope you'll find the time to drop into one of them, have a chat with the people behind the counter, enjoy a great coffee and perhaps treat yourself to something sweet along the way.
Happy coffee hunting!
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