Blue Bottle Coffee - Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Flagship Cafe — Restaurant in Tokyo

Coffee and atmosphere were as expected from this popular store. Not expensive for me, I feel like I was paying the brand and the atmosphere which was for experience. It's popular so I expected it to be friendly to tourists. The coffee and food was great and beyond satisfying 👍🏼

However, compared to other branches, the flagship store seems unprepared for foreign customers. I felt that they are not used to it despite of having English menus. I am a coffee enthusiast so I like cafe hopping. I was the first foreigner at 9AM.

(1) When the clerk saw me, she switched to English menu and I saw the look on her face. I can speak Japanese so I went Japanese is fine (still paranoid on how some establishments may have foreigner tax). She was skeptical and pretended not to understand my Japanese. Please take note that not all foreigners can speak English. I speak English and Japanese and I teach students using both languages.

(2) They deliberately moved the other chairs away from me which they didn't do to guests who were alone.

(3) When I bought their instant coffee for take out, another clerk didn't even say "We will change staff from here" which is common to other establishments. She just moved away and asked another clerk and pointed at me.

(4) Thankfully, the staff who was in charge was professional in giving omotenashi. I think that this staff should be a role model to the others. Another female staff was nice as well and she greets all customers equally.

I was there for breakfast and I was satisfied with the food, needs A LOT of improvement on customer service. There are small businesses coffee shops because Kiyosumi is considered as Tokyo's coffee town. If you want to experience this cafe, It's preferable to go to other branches. Had better experiences with...

Hipster Central. I heard that 清澄白河 is the go to coffee neighbourhood in Tokyo and decided to check out Blue Bottle Coffee for a quick relax on a Monday afternoon. The welcoming smell of coffee emanating on the street was the pretty much the last welcoming thing about the place.

You have to get a number and wait in line just to order, despite it not being very busy. When at the counter the staff make you wait before you can order while they inspect your ticket. The staff aren’t friendly and don’t really smile ever. They look like they’re being forced to make coffee at gunpoint in some weird hostage crisis. They don’t clean up the table until they come to bring you the order and look positively disgusted if you have the audacity to ask for another glass of water. Most of the customers were the types who want to be seen there rather than just relax. I spotted at least two Japanese guys in berets and dark glasses reading pretentious novels and the foreigners next to me were live streaming in their Yeezy shoes throughout and said not a word to each other. Worst of all there’s me scowling in the corner.

The coffee was OK, nothing outstanding and the food was fine. It’s a sad indictment but as a foreigner who has lived more than 10 years in Japan you’re probably better off in Starbucks where normal non pretentious people go for their drink, at least they’re nicer there. It is just...

Blue Bottle Coffee Kiyosumi Shirakawa Roastery & Café

Another cafe review. I don’t need to mention this as I think most coffee lovers will already know this place or brand.

Blue Bottle Coffee café and just 400m away from All Press Cafe. If you visit All Press Cafe why not make another visit to Blue Bottle Café too since you have traveled that far?

Both cafes serve differently but the menu is not that different. The place is much bigger and more spacious compared to AllPress Cafe but seats are limited too. The main core is to roast coffee beans and dispatch them to other branches.

OK, I will stop comparing with All Press now and just focus on Blue Bottle Café. The place is huge and clean and tidy to sit down is enjoy a cup of nice coffee. But there isn’t a sofa or very comfortable seat for you to sit in as long as you can.

Instead, they offer high chair seats with low back support = so you can only sit there for just enough time to have a short coffee break. And to have a longer chitchat with friends and enjoy the place will not be possible for you to do so.

Overall, BB café offers the nice various type of coffee and drinks. If good for a short coffee break but to have a longer coffee break the chair may not as that comfortable at all.

But there is always another outlet around the Tokyo area and you can find it using a Google search...