Starbucks Reserve - Tokyo Midtown — Restaurant in Tokyo

EDIT: 10/01/2024

I've revised the review to reflect current situation. They seem to have listened and put more lights in the stairwell. It seems to be much better. I'll change it back down if I see any changes on my next visit.

Why not five stars? The lack of power outlets. None of the cafes in Tokyo seem to be equipped with power outlets. It's doesn't excuse them not having some, after all this is the "Reserve."

ORIGINAL:

Great location and atmosphere. Why the one star for atmosphere?

Well, first, the building is unsafe. Specifically the stairs leading up to the second floor seating area. It's painted black and it's so dimly lit that it's a tripping hazard. The two tiny spot lights are focused on the poster when it should be pointed on the steps. Artistic but not practical. During an emergency the building is a death trap. People will trip over themselves trying to get out of the building.

The second, the lack of outlets was disappointing and unwelcoming. I would have stayed all day and drank coffee and transition to beer, as the upstairs has a legit bar.

It's too bad that the lack of foresight and poor execution of simple common sense regards to safety is justification for successful business practice. The franchisee (I assume they're individually owned) should reevaluate...

I often go to Starbucks to do research, even though I think the coffee is really bad (although their straight Hojicha is surprisingly good), because I can sit for a couple of hours and not worry about it (though I frequent independent shops that support this activity as much as possible). The exception to this is the "Nitro" coffee that Starbucks introduced a while back. That was the best coffee I've had in Japan, but like anything especially good, they discontinued it. I came to this Starbucks specifically because I heard they still had the Nitro coffee. That's technically true, but this "reserve" version of Nitro is 850 yen instead of 600 yen, and it doesn't taste nearly as good, and it doesn't have that full-bodied mouth feel that made the normal Nitro coffee so delicious. This version of Nitro is just a mediocre rip-off, and I feel scammed coming here to waste time and money on it. The cafe looks...

I came here to pick up some cherry blossom cups and a couple drinks for my husband and me. Despite me only speaking English, the workers were very helpful. Since ordering at Starbucks is a little complicated at times if you need any specialization’s like soy milk , I was able to use Google translate to share what I needed. The workers were all friendly and respectful.

The drinks were smaller than what we are used to in the US, but the prices are also a little lower.

The iced drinks come in paper cups which is great; my hand didn’t get as cold as I was walking back to our hotel. The Frappuccino was in a plastic cup due to the...