Paul Bassett Shinjuku — Restaurant in Tokyo

First of all, note that Paul Bassett is actually on the B1 floor of the Nomura building; it took me a few minutes to figure that out and I wandered futilely for a bit. Second of all, the atmosphere and coffee were fine but didn't blow me away. I had heard from so many people that Paul Bassett was the de facto "training shop" for so many great baristas--including those at Glitch Coffee, which is amazing--so I had built it up in my mind as this bastion to amazing coffee and service. And while it wasn't bad, it wasn't as amazing as I had wanted it to be. But it's not inconveniently located and it has a good breakfast deal so if you're in the area put it...

Great "third-wave" espresso in Shinjuku. Was not crowded. Good atmosphere. Not too bright, not too dark, not too loud, not too quiet. You can tell the baristas really care about coffee. Extremely good espresso.

Edit: I have been back several times. Each time, I like it more and more. It's never been crowded. It's not even more expensive than a big chain cafe, AND you get 50% off drinks after your first order of the visit! The espresso has consistently been the best I've ever had. The ristretto was a revelation. The baristas are friendly. I can't think of a single bad thing I could say about this place. The perfect cafe. I'd give it 6...

Discovered this coffee place while in Tokyo for vacation in June. My brother and I came back here half a dozen times for our morning coffees, as it was very good. Coffee was EXCELLENT, and was made by friendly and helpful staff. The location was fairly easy to get to once we figured out it was below the street level, and the size and styles of seating was very comfortable. The food items (hot sandwiches with ham and cheese, ricotta pancakes, pain au chocolat ) were all excellent. If you are in the area and looking for a nice strong cup of coffee, definitely go here! Also, they accept credit card and also Suica (and other) IC cards for...