A great shopping area, Shinjuku is a good area to do a coffee crawl. There are plenty of coffee shops to explore and get your caffeine fix. I would suggest starting from the outer Shinjuku area and work your way towards the JR Shinjuku Station.
APARTMENT COFFEE
Apartment coffee is close to the Shinjuku garden and a short walk from Shinjuku Gyoen Mae station. You can start your Shinjuku coffee crawl and head towards spots near the JR Shinjuku station.
A little off the main road, this simple coffee shop has limited seating and food options but have good coffee. You can also enjoy beer and wine. I loved how the hanging lights in the bar stools looked.
Website: APARTMENT COFFEE
4/4 ALL SEASONS COFFEE
From Apartment Coffee head a few blocks down to All Seasons Coffee. They’ve got good coffee and roast their coffee. There’s a small coffee roaster inside.
Website: ALL SEASONS
VERVE COFFEE ROASTERS
Verve Coffee Roasters started in Santa Cruz, California and have branches in San Francisco and Los Angeles. They’ve got several branches in Japan including my favorite branch in Shibuya. Conveniently located in the same building as one of bus and taxi terminal of Shinjuku and easy access to the JR Shinjuku station. It’s a great spot to wait or rest between trips and enjoy good coffee. They’ve got plenty of seating inside and offer a good selection of coffee. Check out their cute store merchandise too.
Tip: the store doesnt have a toilet but the building has on the upper floor. Just take the elevator in front of the store to go up to the driveway and tourist office. Toilets are near the Tourist Information office.
Website: VERVE COFFEE ROASTERS
BLUE BOTTLE
From All Seasons walk towards the JR shinjuku station, you’ll pass takashiyama department store on the left. You can see Blue Bottle on the left side of the street. (Same side as Takashiyama Department Store).
Blue Bottle started in Oakland in CA and are known for their good coffee. They have several branches in Tokyo but i love how conveniently located this branch is. It’s a great spot to have coffee in between shopping and exploring Shinjuku. Their cookie was really good too.
Although they have a lot of seats, this branch is often packed. If lucky, you can find a seat or a spot to drink your coffee in the store. You can watch the baristas slowly drip coffee or prepare your espresso based coffee.
Other Branches in Tokyo: Aoyama, Kiyosimu, Nakameguro, Roppongi, Sangenjaya, Shinagawa. in the US, they have branches in los angeles, california, new York, washington DC, Miami & Boston.
Website: BLUE BOTTLE JAPAN
Though technically not in the same area as the other Shinjuku coffee shops, Counterpart Coffee Gallery is about a 15-20 min walk or a few stations by train from Shinjuku Station.
THE COUNTERPART COFFEE GALLERY
Found this great coffee spot just steps from our Airbnb apartment on my last visit to Tokyo. A small building standing in a busy street corner, Counterpart Coffee Gallery has good coffee and have exhibits on some days. Their coffee is from Glitch Coffee Roasters. There are 3 floors in total. The ground floor is coffee bar, the 2nd and 3rd floor has a few tables and chairs. I loved the bar stools on the 2nd floor with a great view of the road. It was an amazing spot to relax after a day of exploring Tokyo.
On weekdays, they also offer coffee promotions when during the first hours of the day. They have Free public cupping every 2 pm on Wednesdays. Check their Facebook page for the latest announcements
Website:COUNTERPART COFFEE GALLERY