Shinjuku: Blue Bottle Coffee (ブルーボトルコーヒー）

Summary: Definitely lives up to its hype!

There are no coffee lovers in Tokyo who haven’t heard about Blue Bottle Coffee.

There are so many articles and reviews online raving about their coffees, and it is often listed as one of Tokyo’s best coffee places.

I reside within walkable distance of Kiyosumi-Shirakawa (if you consider 40 minutes on foot as walkable), a quaint little industrial neighbourhood with lots of independent artisan coffee houses.

I usually go there to drop by one of my favourite café, and often pass by Blue Bottle Coffee. The place is always packed with hipsters and young couples, all looking to get the perfect Instagrammable coffee shot.     

Now – despite passing by the café many times, I have never thought to stop by because I a) already have allpress in my mind and b) did not buy into the hype.

I was also a little disappointed by the fact that unlike Allpress, they do not serve ‘proper ’ breakfast food. (Blue Bottle Coffee only serves baked goods like muffins and cookies)

However, for the first time today, I decided to swing by their Shinjuku branch, located along the South side of Shinjuku Bus Station, within a retail space called NEWoMan.

I had a health checkup earlier in the morning, and I was starving by the end of it as we are not allowed to eat anything till our checkup is done.

As a well-deserved reward to myself for not screaming/crying/biting someone during my blood test, I decided to treat myself to a doughnut from Krispy Kreme.

On my way back to the office, I passed by Blue Bottle Coffee, and decided that coffee would go well with my doughnut.

I entered the café, and was immediately greeted with an enthusiastic konnichiwa! 

Perhaps because it was a weekday morning, the café was not very crowded – most of their customers were expats or regulars.

The interior was spacious and airy, with the warm sunshine gentling shining into the café space.

It was surprisingly peaceful and quiet, despite being in one of Tokyo’s busiest cities.  

I headed over to the counter to make my order, and was worried when I saw that they were using an iPad (like all hipster cafes) as their register as it often meant that it was cash-only.

To my surprise, they were not only able to accept credit cards, but also allowed payments to be made by PASMO/SUICA (Japanese e-money train/bus card).

I decided to get their Cappuccino, and by their recommendation, Ethiopia Single Origin (+100yen),

Unfortunately, like their other cafes in Tokyo, food selection here is rather limited to basic baked goods like cookies and tea cakes.  

After payment, the lady at the counter asked for my name, and informed me that they would let me know once my coffee was ready.

While waiting, I decided to snap a few shots of the interior of the café.

About 5 minutes later, they called my name, and I went to pick up my coffee.

I know that it's not particularly amazing, but I really think that eateries that use their customers' names rather than a queue number seems a lot more welcoming.

cappuccino 500yen (excluding tax)

Now, would you look at that!

Such perfect foam (or froth or whatever you call it) – smooth and creamy!

work of art

And the cappuccino – absolutely beautiful.

I haven’t had such great coffee in a while.

The staff was right – this coffee really goes well with milk!

I actually went up to the barista to tell him I really loved my cuppa joe.

It’s THAT good.

Unfortunately, I had to get back to work so I couldn’t linger much.

However, I think I am definitely going to come back here for a visit some time again soon.

Overall, amazing cappuccinos and friendly, professional service – all their staff genuinely seem to be enjoying working for Blue Bottle Coffee. 

happy faces

I had a very positive experience today.

Definitely worth its hype.

I guess I’d admit this is one of the times that the internet was right.

Address: 4-1-6 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022

〒160-0022東京都新宿区新宿4-1-6

Phone: -

Hours: Mon- Sun 8am – 10pm

Website: https://bluebottlecoffee.com/cafes/shinjuku