On this site I’ve compiled favorite places in Tokyo I’ve visited while living there for some months. This list is very personal, most likely outdated quite soon (if not already) and by no means complete. Treat these places as starting points to wander around. Get lost for a bit, it’s the best thing to do in Tokyo.
Wanna read more? I've collected some additional resources that were helpful to me. And if you prefer an alphabetical list: here’s the index.
A design museum in Tokyo Midtown created by fashion designer Issey Miyake and architect Tadao Ando.
This small bakery in Tomigaya makes the best bread I’ve found in Tokyo. They only have limited seating inside, but if it’s full or the weather is nice: pick up some pastries here, grab a coffee at Little Nap and head to the nearby Yoyogi Park.
Afuri was my go-to ramen chain in Toyko. Read more in the note about the shop in Harajuku.
Afuri is a chain of ramen restaurants (and it’s the first ramen I had in Tokyo). I can recommend the yuzu ramen, but if time permits come here more often and try different ramens. There are more restaurants throughout the city, I’ve been to the ones in Ebisu and Nakameguro, they are all great.
Afuri was my go-to ramen chain in Toyko. At the end of my stay in Tokyo I was living quite close to this one, so I’ve frequented this the most. While the others have a basket for your belongings (like many places in Tokyo), this one has a rack. Read a little bit more in the note about the shop in Harajuku.
A lovely vegetarian cafe/restaurant in Nakameguro.
A coffee shop and roastery from New Zealand. I’ve tried a flat white and it was great. It is a bit off the grid, but the coffee and the nice building make it worth it.
A two floor soup restaurant in Jiyugaoka (be sure to catch a table on the top floor).
A nice cocktail bar in Ebisu with a very friendly barkeeper. If you are looking for an alternative: Bar Track is not far and is a little bit more casual.
A tiny coffee spot serving great espresso.
This coffee place in Shimokitazawa is famous for its espresso (be here early for the owner’s signature espresso). Watch this video about the owner Katsuyuki Tanaka.
This was my goto place of the Blue Bottle Coffee chain (there are more shops throughout the city – the one in Nakameguro is also very nice, especially the building itself is great). The big communal table is great for reading and watching the baristas preparing your coffee.
Nicely curated selection of music and clothes. You can also get coffee there.
Great breakfast place in Omotesando, but I’d recommend coming during the week as there are long queues on weekends. Loved the French toast.
If you like coffee come to this very old kissaten in Ginza. I had the iced coffee and coffee made of aged beans there – both were great. There is a nice interview with the owner Sekiguchi Ichiro on tokyo coffee (this website is a great resource on all the coffee places in Tokyo).
A nice coffee shop in Nakameguro. They also serve great cake.
Great matcha latte and cookies. Even during the winter it is nice to sit outside next to heater for a short break.
It took me a while to find the entrance to this place, but once inside it is a great break from the busy streets of Shibuya. James Freeman, CEO of Blue Bottle Coffee, said: I’m sure I think about Chatei Hatou every single working day.
An outdoor food court close to the Omotesando subway station.
A small book store dedicated to out-of-print books right next to Nakameguro river.
Good coffee, sandwiches and breakfast in a very nice building. Run by motorcycle enthusiasts.
A small record shop in Kōenji close to the subway station. They have quite an eclectic selection and the owner is very helpful – if you’re into vinyl you’ll love this place.
A small record shop specialized in Jazz. It is right around the corner from Paddlers Coffee.
A cafe/bar in Tomigaya near Yoyogi Park. It’s nice to sit at the window counter and watch people going by while having a coffee or a drink (the Negroni is especially great).
A great Yakitori place in Yoyogi-Uehara. I think it is best to have a reservation as it is usually very crowded.
This is a tiny park along a small canal, but I found it quite lovely. Nearby there’s the Allpress Espresso.
We didn’t know what to expect, but we were lovely surprised by this small bar stuffed with vintage computer games.
A nice place for drip coffee.
A great burger place on the top floor of Omotesando Hills. There are more branches throughout the city, but this is the one I’ve been to the most.
The best donuts I had in Tokyo. The shop is near the Yoyogi-Uehara station in a small side alley (I was lucky enough living almost next to this place so I’ve been there multiple times).
This sushi bar is located in the Ritz Carlton – a friend gave me the tip to go here for lunch and it was great. Sitting at the counter you can watch the sushi master preparing your food while enjoying the scenic views (it’s on the 45th floor). There are also three other areas for Kaiseki, Tempura and Teppanyaki, but I haven’t tried them.
There are more branches of this ramen chain, but this is sadly the only one I’ve visited. Loved the ramen, especially the brooth is great.
Just a short walk south of Kichijōji station there’s this nice park with a big pond in the center. You can ride a Swan boat, there is a zoo, visit the Benzaiten shrine or just sit in the sun an relax.
Though I am more of a coffee person this was a great experience. The staff is super helpful and shows you how to brew the tea. There’s also a shop in Kyoto.
This bar is filled with vinyl records. Have a drink while listing to a great selection of Jazz, Blues and Soul played by owner Kobayashi-san. There is a sign asking for people not to talk too loudly (which is a general good advice for Japan).
A bakery located in a nicely restaurated old Japanese wooden shophouse. So even if you are not hungry I’d recommend coming here.
This cozy coffee shop is located at a corner just south of Yanaka Cemetery.
Located in Daikanyama this place serves great (and huge) sandwiches.
If you are in the area be sure to visit this traditional house and garden (it’s close to the Daikanyama station). Right after you can follow the street downhill and you’ll end up at the Nakameguro river.
This coffee shop in Kichijōji (right opposite of a small park) serves a lighter roast coffee. The area itself is very lovely, but I have a soft spot for all the more suburban areas like Kichijōji, Yoyogi-Uehara, Yanaka or Kōenji.
If drinking coffee while listening to classical music blasting through a great speaker system is your thing: this is your place. It was a special experience walking through the busy streets of Shibuya and then ending in this venue that seems a bit out of touch with everything in the area.
This was one of my favorite coffee places. The shop is quite small, but you can sit outside or take the coffee to the nearby Yoyogi Park.
A nice building in Daikanyama with a gallery and coffee place located inside.
A bit hidden in Tomigaya. The menu is Japanese only, but the staff is very helpful and the food is awesome. There is a nice little store upstairs as well. I wish I came here more often.
Great art book store and gallery (there are two upstairs and one in the basement) in Ebisu.
I think this is my favorite museum in Tokyo. It is not too huge, so you see everything easily and the garden is quite a contrast to the city.
Lovely small coffee place and roastery in Nakameguro close to the train station. It’s hard to pick a favorite coffee place in Toyko as there are so many, but this is the one place I took everyone to who visited me. You can sit outside next to the counter on the ground floor or go upstairs, sit at the big table and watch the trains go by.
Great coffee (they serve Stumptown Coffee) just a short walk from the Yoyogi-Uehara station right through the suburbs. The whole place feels like an extended living room: great interior (it looks like a cabin), very light and good music. And they open very early at 7:30, so it is perfect for an early morning coffee.
American pizza place in the basement of the H Beauty & Youth store. This one is great for a quick bite.
A lovely (Scandinavian) coffee place in Nakameguro. The interior is very nice with lots of natural light coming in. I’ve been there only once at the end of my stay, but wished I’ve discovered this place earlier.
A small store specialized in analog photography (I bought a lot of film there).
Bicycle shop and small café.
Head for the Tokyo Ramen Street in the Tokyo station (near the Yaesu exit) and queue up (mostly likely, there was always a line when I went) for a great bowl of Tsukemen ramen with the best (very thick) broth I’ve ever tasted. There is also a shop at Haneda airport to get a last bowl before leaving Japan.
Nice coffee place in Ebisu.
The Tokyo branch of the New York City based surf brand Saturdays. Even if their clothes are not your thing go there for a coffee and sit in the back patio which has a great view over the suburbs of Daikanyama.
A gallery located in a former public bathhouse. Great contemporary art, but even the building itself is worth a visit.
Great pizza place in Nakameguro with only two options: margherita or marinara. That’s it. But this was the best pizza I had in Japan.
A small coffee shop run by an elderly gentleman who makes excellent coffee.
An udon shop near Shinjuku station. Expect a queue, but it moves fast and the food is well worth the wait.
This is one of the largest parks in Tokyo and in my opinion one of the prettiest ones. The small entrance fee of 200 yen gives you access to a Japanese landscape garden, a French garden and an English landscape garden. There is also a greenhouse, but I never gave this a try as the weather was always too nice.
This is the tiniest coffee place I’ve been to, right next to Commune 246 and Blue Bottle Coffee.
I’m not really into latte art, but this is the place to go to.
A small coffee shop in Meguro.
A nice restaurant in Sendagaya. I usually combined lunch at this place with a visit to Be A Good Neighbor.
Tokyobike’s Kōenji branch also has a small coffee place.
The original Tokyobike shop in Yanaka. Just around the corner you can also rent a bike for the day (Yanaka is the perfect neighborhood to go around by bike).
As most people who have been to Tokyo will tell you: this is a must visit (especially at the end of the trip as you can get all souvenirs there easily).
A small bakery.
This small bar in Ebisu is one of my favorite places in Tokyo: great whiskey selection, helpful staff and I loved the music they were playing.
A small bakery and breakfast place in Nakameguro.
The flagship store of Traveler’s notebooks.
This Michelin starred ramen place near Sugamo station was well worth the trip. Be there early in the morning to pick up a ticket for a time slot later in the day. How to spend the time between? The nearby Rikugien park is great, in the opposite direction there is a nice market (maybe only on weekends, I was there on a Saturday with lots of elderly shoppers – somewhere online I read the term old people Harajuku which sums it up perfectly) and there is also a great tram, the Toden-Arakawa-Line. Once back to Tsuta be prepared for some of the best ramen you’ve ever had.
This is for sure one of my top places in Tokyo. Three interlinked buildings filled with art books, magazine, literature, DVDs and music. I’ve spent hours here reading, sitting around and enjoying the place – and as it is open for a long time it is perfect for the first jetlagged days in Tokyo.
A spatious clothing store right next to Nakameguro river. Mostly workwear, sportswear and hiking clothes.
Just a short walk from Nakameguro station is this lovely shop dedicated to vinyl, tapes, books and magazines. Watch this video about the store and its owner Tsunoda Taro. Loved this place a lot (and the whole area is so great for just strolling around).
Vegetarian restaurant in Yoyogi-Uehara.