Western Kitayama Coffee Shop

The most amazing place for coffee lovers who can speak Japanese. Unforgettable luxury coffee experience.

Despite a lot of negative reviews, this coffee shop deserves its 4 stars! This place is very special, the coffee is made with passion and you will be served a real piece of art.
But I’m sorry to tell you that if you can’t speak Japanese, it may be hard for you to get in. Not because the owner is unfriendly towards foreigners (quite the contrary actually, he’s a very sweet person) but only because he can’t speak English and wants to be sure that people will completely understand the rules and deeply enjoy the experience he wants to give to his customers. You’re not going to only drink a very good coffee, the experience will be deeper. This isn’t your typical kissaten. No food here, no chit-chat with the owners or the customers. You can’t talk (do not even try to ask questions to the coffee master), you can’t read, you can’t touch your smartphone, you can’t take pictures inside and you can’t stay more than 30 minutes. You can’t see how your coffee is made (don’t even try to leave your chair to sneak a peek!), just close your eyes, smell and listen. The magic is happening. Soak in the atmosphere and enjoy every single drop of the delicious coffee made with a real savoir-faire. You’re going to be out of the real world for 30 minutes and have the most luxurious coffee experience.
It’s a little bit expensive (from around 1000 yen to 6000 yen) but honestly I don’t mind paying extra money for drinking such an amazing coffee!

This place is highly recommended for coffee enthusiasts and connoisseurs who can speak Japanese. You will never forget the taste of a coffee you had at Kitayama.

Bonus: you can buy coffee beans to bring a part of this special experience at home.

A coffee shop with straight rule and seems they dont really welcome customer... but they have the best coffee bean in the world

Excellent coffee. It is possibly the best cup of coffee I've ever had. It's definitely in the top 3. However you are not very likely to make it past the front door if you aren't very fluent in spoken and written Japanese.

I can see why it's intimidating to most foreign visitors as all the signs are in Japanese, and they want to make sure you understand and abide by the rules posted on the door outside before they will let you in to enjoy the coffee. Others have already posted the rules in their reviews, so I won't repeat them here. They are very particular about the coffee and manner of service here, and frankly this place would be perfect bait for Instagram, except they explicitly forbid photos. The menu has moderately detailed descriptions to give you an idea of the flavor profile, and each includes the age of the beans. The cheapest cup of coffee on the menu is ¥1000 and I believe it goes up to the ¥1800 neighborhood. They meticulously prepare each cup, so expect to wait several minutes in silent repose after you order. Each table/seat has a sign describing the proper way to enjoy the coffee.

If you are really into coffee and don't mind the prices, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better cup in Japan.