Coffee in Tokyo

Quick summary: If you’re in Tokyo and you like coffee, you should really go to Be A Good Neighbor in Sendagaya near Harajuku.

A cozy little kiosk with just a window counter, several different varieties of beans you can smell, moderately lightly roasted, and very friendly people. He asked what kind of flavors I like in my coffee and I said “citrus”, and he made me a great drip. I noted the Dandelion Chocolate from San Francisco and then we talked about Four Barrel, they gave me a free pin, and suggested which other coffeehouses (third-wave and traditional Japanese) to visit.

And the other extreme, if you’re an addict and need an early morning fix on your way to the train, piping hot canned coffee/milk drinks from a machine (and in steel cans, not aluminum– unexpected coming from the US) have your back:

In other noted coffeehouses, the just-opened Nozy Coffee / The Roastery in central Harajuku. They served espresso in a champagne flute and had a large Probat and all their coffee signs in English. Quite good espresso but a strangely-designed space I didn’t like– it felt like someone half-assing the concept of “industrial chic” — some galvanized chain link fences, some wooden tables that were plywood, not much attention to detail.

Streamers boasts a world champion(?) latte artist on staff. Nice designs but unfortunately bland drinks– I left mine half-full (though being on my forth coffee of the morning might have given me very high do-I-actually-want-to-drink-this standards).

Seriously, though. Be A Good Neighbor.

Tags: Coffee, Good Neighbor, Harajuku, Japan, Shibuya, Streamers, Tokyo