Shimada Café
Kagurazaka, Shinjuku · Tokyo · Steep Index 7.8/10
A chic Kagurazaka brunch spot on the third floor of an unmarked building, better known for its two-day-marinated French toast than for its coffee. Order the toast, skip the latte.
The Steep Index
Solo-Friendliness leads, exactly matching the room's own strength: a genuinely good place to sit alone with a book and let an afternoon pass. Atmosphere follows close behind on a real, chic European-inspired interior and a rooftop mint garden, the kind of detail that fits Kagurazaka's own reputation. Coffee is the deliberate low point, the latte came through under-extracted and tasting more of milk than of coffee, a real letdown against how good the food is. Staying Power and Value both hold in the middle, tempered by genuinely crowded weekends.
- Coffee / Drink Quality: 6.7/10
- Atmosphere: 8.3/10
- Solo-Friendliness: 8.6/10
- Value: 7.7/10
- Staying Power: 7.8/10
- Overall: 7.8/10
Perfect for: reading, brunch
The Space
Tucked up on the third floor of an unmarked Kagurazaka building, easy to walk straight past from the street. Inside it's genuinely chic, European-inspired, with a small rooftop mint garden. It fills up fast on weekends.
The Coffee
The French toast is the reason to come, two days in the making, one to dry the bread and one to marinate it, and it arrives fluffy, moist, and delicate. The latte tells the opposite story, under-extracted and tasting more of milk than of coffee. Order the toast. Skip the coffee.
Order the French toast. Don't order the coffee.
The Vibe
Staff are genuinely warm, and the room is built to be sat in for a while rather than rushed through. Weekends get busy fast, so this is the better weekday find if quiet is what you're after.
The Verdict
Kagurazaka has better coffee elsewhere and better French toast almost nowhere. Come hungry, skip the latte, and read for a while after.
Practical information
- Address: 3-6-6 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 162-0825, Japan (Kagurazaka Sanchome Terrace, 3F)
- Price: ¥¥
- Type: brunch cafe
More in Kagurazaka
- AKHA AMA COFFEE KAGURAZAKAKagurazaka, Shinjuku · Steep Index 8.3/10
A Chiang Mai coffee institution's Tokyo outpost, tucked into a picturesque Kagurazaka backstreet and serving beans sourced directly from Thailand's Akha hill tribes alongside homemade pastries worth ordering.
- Arbor CoffeeKagurazaka, Shinjuku · Steep Index 7.9/10
A small, quaint cafe in an upscale corner of Shinjuku, held back by coffee that has consistently lacked flavor and balance across two visits.
All cafes and bars in Kagurazaka →
More in Tokyo
- Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills, By Hyatt Steep PickToranomon, Minato · Steep Index 8.9/10
The rooftop bar on the 51st floor of Toranomon Hills Mori Tower where the Tokyo skyline does the heavy work and a genuinely imaginative cocktail program does not let it do all of it alone.
- wine bar juni Steep PickMeguro · Steep Index 8.8/10
California-born chef Katy Cole opened this eight-seat Meguro natural wine bar and hand-threw every ceramic piece in it. Around sixty bottles, mostly Savoie and Rheinhessen, ten by the glass, in a room that looks like a Georgia O'Keeffe painting had good taste in wine.
- The Bvlgari Bar Steep PickYaesu, Chuo · Steep Index 8.8/10
A 45th-floor rooftop bar inside Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo, all panoramic skyline views, minimalist Italian design, and a cocktail programme sharp enough to match the address.
- Tokyo Confidential Steep PickAzabujuban, Minato · Steep Index 8.8/10
Six floors above Azabujuban with a secret 7th-floor rooftop that most of Tokyo has not found yet. The cocktails are creative enough that the view almost becomes secondary.
- Nadoya no Katte Steep PickNishihara, Shibuya · Steep Index 8.8/10
In a small Nishihara space with garden seating and communal tables inside, Nadoya no Katte runs one of Tokyo's most considered coffee experiences. You choose the bean. The barista explains everything. Then you wait, and you taste.
- The Bvlgari Lounge Steep PickYaesu, Chuo · Steep Index 8.8/10
A 40th-floor afternoon tea lounge inside Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo, built around Italian-inspired sweets, scrumptious scones, and a genuinely exceptional tea list.