Shinjuku Area Coffee Guide

Looking for good specialty coffee or third-wave coffee in Shinjuku?

Shinjuku is a city with split personalities. Here you’ll find the world’s busiest train station, Tokyo’s red light district, the administrative center of Tokyo’s government, a thriving business district, and some of Japan’s most iconic shopping centers. Until recently it was a coffee desert, offering little but chain cafes, but now Shinjuku is experiencing a specialty coffee revolution.

NEWoMan

Department stores often follow a tradition of featuring a cafe on each floor. They provide an oasis for tired shoppers who need a moment to regroup. NeWoman, keeping with its new and in vogue image, incorporated several specialty coffee shops making this station-adjacent shopping center a shrine to coffee lovers.

Signature Drink at Blue Bottle Coffee Shinjuku Japan Tokyo

Blue Bottle Coffee Shinjuku

On the ground floor of NEWoMan is the third addition to Blue Bottle Coffee’s Japan family. This well-designed cafe is forever bustling with curious customers. The staff here is cool under pressure and work quick and efficiently through the lines. Blue Bottle offers a consistent and reliable product mixed with an energetic atmosphere.

Exterior of Cobi Coffee Box Shinjuku Tokyo Japan

Cobi Coffee Box

Cobi Coffee brought their particular mix of classic and modern style and caged it in a solid wood box. Inside Bloom & Branch, a clothing and lifestyle boutique, the folks from Cobi are offering up coffees from Obscura Coffee Roasters as well as a rotation of featured beans from around Japan. Pour-overs, AeroPress, and espresso beverages are available. Cobi Coffee Box has a laid-back vibe, great coffee, and a beautiful aesthetic.

Pour-Over Station at Verve Coffee Roasters Shinjuku Tokyo Japan

Verve Coffee Roasters Shinjuku

Verve Coffee of California opened their flagship store just around the corner from the NEWoMan building. The coffee and atmosphere here are bright, clean, and unique. Verve Coffee isn’t shy about their fruit-forward approach to coffee flavors and advertises so with a huge sign on the wall boasting “Coffee is a fruit.”

Though technically part of NEWoMan, Verve is actually located outside of the department store. You’ll find it around the corner from the Miraina Tower Exit at Shinjuku Station, which is also the exit that brings you to the second floor entrance of NEWoMan. If you are leaving NEWoMan and facing the Miraina Tower Exit ticket gates, walk left and then proceed to the right. Verve Coffee Roasters will be around the corner on your right hand side.

Wooden Shop Sign at 4/4 (All) Seasons Coffee Shinjuku Tokyo Japan

Coffee & Sweets Window Sign at 4/4 (All) Seasons Coffee Shinjuku Tokyo Japan

Barista Preparing Coffee at 4/4 (All) Seasons Coffee Shinjuku Tokyo Japan

4/4 Seasons Coffee

4/4 Seasons, read as All Seasons, deserves a lot of credit for breaking into the Shinjuku market. Before the young owners of this cafe opened their shop in late 2015 there were no third-wave options in town. The interior of the cafe is minimalist design at its best, the coffee is well-prepared, and the homemade treats are delicious.

Bonsai Tree and Baristas at Sarutahiko Coffee in Beams Japan Shinjuku Tokyo

Sarutahiko Coffee in Beams Japan

Sarutahiko Coffee brings their quirky and Japanese style to Beams Japan, a department store highlighting everything that is hip and cool in the modern fashion world of Japan. Sarutahiko is quickly become one of Japan’s strongest specialty coffee shops, so it’s no surprise to see their latest shop appear in busy Shinjuku. This coffee stand is primarily for take-out drinks, and even has a service window on the exterior of the building. The cafe is compact, but is equipped with all the right tools for the job and a staff that knows how to use them.

Iced drinks on counter at Counterpart Coffee Gallery Shinjuku Tokyo Japan

Counterpart Coffee Gallery

A short train ride away from Shinjuku Station is Counterpart Coffee Gallery, Glitch Coffee Roasters second location. They offer the same expertly roasted and prepared coffees as Glitch, but have added a creative cast of signature drinks. The cafe seems small initially, but there are three floors. Counterpart’s coffees are some of the most interesting and complex in Tokyo and their staff some of the most passionate about their trade.

Yamamoto Coffee Store Exterior in Shinjuku Tokyo Japan

Yamamoto Coffee

If you’re a coffee fanatic then there’s no doubt that you’ve lusted over all the amazing coffee products to come out of Japan. If you’ve ever wondered where to go to buy coffee equipment in Tokyo, then Yamamoto Coffee is the place for you. This cramped shop has wall to wall coffee goods stacked from the celling to the floor. From pour-over cones to sample roasters Yamamoto has it all. This shop is a coffee geek’s paradise.

Paul Bassett Shinjuku

Paul Bassett’s Shinjuku cafe certainly deserves a mention. Many of the best baristas and roasters in Tokyo got their start working under the Paul Bassett name. I’ve even heard it referred to as the unofficial Japan barista school. The Paul Bassett cafes are responsible for introducing specialty coffee to many in Tokyo, and may have influenced the rapid spread of third-wave coffee culture.

MAP OF ALL CAFES

Blue Bottle Shinjuku is located at: 4-1-6 Shinjuku Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Ground Floor

Mon-Sun:

8:00 am – 10:00 pm

Cobi Coffee Box is located at: 4-1-6, Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 4th Floor

Mon-Sun:

11:00 am – 10:00 pm

Verve Coffee Roasters Shinjuku is located at: 5-24-55 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (Shinjuku Station Miraina Tower Exit)

Mon-Sun:

8:00 am – 10:00 pm

4/4 Seasons Coffee is located at: 2-7-7, Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo