Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOKYO'S TOP CAFÉS AND TEAHOUSES
Best for chocoholics 100% Chocolate Café
(see below)
Best for Japanese desserts Amanoya and
Umezono (see below & p.164)
Best for tea Cha Ginza (see p.164)
Best for music fans Bog Love (see p.162)
Best for weirdness value Maidreamin (see
p.163 & below)
Best for artsy folk Gallery éf (see opposite)
Best for those who never had a tree
house Hideaway (see p.162)
Best for kitty lovers Calico (see p.163)
Best for a 1970s Tokyo vibe Café de
l'Ambre (see below)
Best for tasty Korean teas Sori (see p.165)
CAFÉS
Apart from drinks, many of the cafés listed below also serve wonderful pastries and a fine selection of more substantial
foods which means they're good places for snacks and light meals. Some offer alcohol , too, making for a more relaxed
alternative to bars. Do note, however, that many of Tokyo's cafés have no dedicated non-smoking areas.
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specialities, to go with a choice of coffees, teas and
infusions (¥735 and up). Don't leave before checking out
the cleverly hidden toilets. Daily 11am-9pm.
Mikimoto Lounge ޚ໦ຊϥ΢ϯδ 3F Mikimoto Ginza
2, 2-4-12 Ginza, Chūō-ku T 03 3562 3134; Ginza
station; map p.48. The Toyo Ito-designed boutique for
pearl jewellery company Mikimoto (see p.193) has a café
with drinks (from ¥650) and very appealing Western-style
desserts and cakes on the menu (¥1300 or so). Mon-Sat
11am-7.30pm, Sun 11am-7pm.
THE IMPERIAL PALACE AND AROUND
Sanbancho Cafe αϯόϯνϣΧϑΣʔ 28-4 Sanbancho,
Chiyoda-ku T 03 3265 9071, W sanbanchocafe.jp;
Ichigaya station; map p.41. Located in the backstreets near
Yasukuni-jinja, this stylish café makes for a great stop if
you're in the area, especially for the tasty lunches (¥800-
1200), or to chill out at night on the open terrace. It also hosts
regular exhibitions throughout the space, and the occasional
event at night. Mon-Fri 9am-11pm, Sat 11.30am-10pm.
GINZA AND AROUND
100% Chocolate Café ̍̌̌ˋνϣίϨʔτΧϑΣʔ
2-4-16 Kyōbashi, Chūō-ku T 03 3273 3184, W choco
-cafe.jp; Kyōbashi station; map p.48. Indulgence is taken
to new heights at this trendy café, which boasts a choice of
56 chocolate varieties - make your selection at the bar or
from the “chocolate library” lining one wall. This wall and
the chocolate-bar-styled ceiling were dreamed up by
Masamichi Katayama, one of Tokyo's hottest designers;
go for a regular hot chocolate (¥420), or their wonderful
range of slurp-worthy desserts. Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat
& Sun 11am-7pm.
Café de l'Ambre ΧϑΣʔσϥϯϒϨʔ 8-10-15 Ginza,
Chūō-ku T 03 3571 1551; Shimbashi station; map p.48.
One of Tokyo's best coffee venues - at least for those who
don't mind the semi-permanent cloud of cigarette smoke.
This old-school Ginza kissaten has been roasting up 300g
batches of beans since the 1950s, achieving something
approaching coffee perfection in the intervening years.
Most cups are made with a cotton-felt filter - the process
is quite mesmeric. Daily 8am-10pm.
Henri Charpentier ΞϯϦγϟϧϖϯςΟΤʔϧ 2-8-20
Ginza, Chūō-ku T 03 3562 2721, W henri-charpentier
.com; Ginza-Itchōme station; map p.48. This deep-pink
boutique offers the ultimate in Tokyo patisseries on the
ground floor and a salon de thé below. Here you can enjoy
crêpe suzette (¥1575), flambéed at your table, as well as
a range of gold-flecked chocolate morsels and seasonal
AKIHABARA AND AROUND
Ì Amanoya ఱ໺԰ 2-18-15 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku
T 03 3251 7911; Ochanomizu or Marunouchi stations;
map p.56. Charming little venue which makes a great
place to drop by after visiting the nearby Kanda Myōjin
shrine (see p.57). Most are here for the desserts, but
don't pass up the opportunity to try their amazake - this
sweet, ginger-laced, non-alcoholic sake is a by-product of
the soya beans fermented in the on-site “mould rooms”,
a practice that has taken place here since 1904. Mon-Fri
10am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm.
Gundam Café ΨϯμϜΧϑΣʔ 1-1 Kanda-Hanaokachō,
Chiyoda-ku T 03 3251 0078, W g-cafe.jp; Akihabara
station; map p.56. Experience what a pilot from the
incredibly popular anime series Mobile Suit Gundam would
eat - or at least our terrestrial equivalent - in a suitably sci-fi
interior. Café time and bar time (from 5pm) have different
menus. Coffee from ¥340. Mon-Fri 10am-10pm, Sat
8.30am-11pm, Sun 8.30am-9.20pm.
Maidreamin ϝΠυϦʔϛϯά 2F 1-8-10 Soto-Kanda,
Chiyoda-ku T 03 6252 3263, W maidreamin.com;
Akihabara station; map p.56. The Maidreamin maid café
chain (see box, p.162) has really taken off in recent years,
and their spangly, anime-like Akiba branch draws a small
stream of foreigners thanks to English-speaking staff -
they'll let you know exactly which cute poses to make,
which cute sounds to mimic and so on. It's all rather fun,
 
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