Swell Coffee Roasters — Restaurant in Tokyo

Great environment, good to get some work done/study: ☕️🍵FOOD&DRINKS: We got there when almost all sweets were sold out and didn’t want to get sandwiches, but we also just wanted drinks, so we got hot cafe latte, hot flavoured latte (French vanilla) and iced matcha latte (the no sugar one). They were all very tasty.

🏡ENVIRONMENT: Really nice spot! The building itself is cool. The outdoor seats are ideal to hang out with friends. The indoor space is minimal, cool, the theme is gray/black/white, and all the customers understood the assignment. It looked like they all came to a theme party, they were all literally matching the furniture, lol. Pretty impressive. Many aesthetic people around. 🔌there is good free private Wi-Fi, as well as power outlets. We used the counter seats which were very comfortable for working. We stayed for a while.

👨‍🍳SERVICE: Staff was very nice and friendly. Not cold as it might be common in such cool spots. They definitely didn’t have the “you-can’t-sit-with-us” attitude, they were rather cheerful and friendly instead! They were professional and they seemed experts in latte art. I liked it.

💸PRICES: What you might expect, not too crazy, not cheap. Adjusted to the location and coolness.

Would definitely come back!

We’re two Italian sisters going cafe/restaurant-hopping! Follow our Instagram account 👉 @italiansinjapan We share the best spots we find around...

これは2年前の私のレビューですが、印象に残っていたため、今日内容を補足して再投稿しました。

偶然なのか分かりませんが、このお店の店員の態度が非常に悪く、とても恐怖と失望を感じました。場所は良いのに、コーヒーは本当にイマイチでした⋯。

数ヶ月前、日本の友人と海外の友人と一緒にこのお店を訪れました。その日はとても暑く、太陽が強かったので、友人がコーヒーを買う間、私たちは店の外の軒下で日差しを避けながら待っていました。 すると、少し年配で、自分ではおしゃれのつもりなのかもしれませんが、実際には子供っぽい格好をした男性が店内から出てきました。彼は刺青をしていて、態度が非常に横柄で、まるで不良のような雰囲気でした。そして、突然私たちに「ここから出て行ってください」と言いました。 私たちはその時、とても礼儀正しく対応し、「友人が店内でコーヒーを買っているので、少しの間ここで待たせてください」と丁寧に説明しました。しかし、彼はまったく聞く耳を持たず、まるでチンピラのような態度で、喧嘩を売るかのような雰囲気で私たちを追い出そうとしました。 店の外のスペースは本来、通行人が自由に行き来できる公共のエリアであり、私たちはただ暑さをしのいでいただけで、誰にも迷惑をかけていませんでした。しかも、その時外には他の客もいなかったのに、なぜこんな扱いを受けたのか理解できません。もしかすると、このお店は当時とても人気があり、客を選ぶ余裕があったのかもしれません。しかし、私はこの店の前をよく通りますが、あの男性店員を見かけるたびに、彼の態度は気分次第なのではないかと感じます。このような接客は到底受け入れられません。彼が何者かは知りませんが、この経験には本当に失望しました。最悪の体験でした。 私たちは終始礼儀正しく対応していたのに、このような扱いを受け、心からがっかりしました。この店はまったく信用できず、外国人にはおすすめできません。何より、コーヒーも全然美味しくありません。ただの「インスタ映えスポット」なだけです。 この出来事があってから、日本の「おもてなし」についての考え方が大きく変わりました。それまでは、日本はサービスの質が高く、誰に対しても親切な国だと思っていました。しかし、このような経験をすると、日本の「おもてなし」は特定の場面や特定の人にだけ向けられているのではないかと疑問を感じます。さらに、この出来事のせいで、その後の旅行の気分も台無しになり、楽しいはずの旅が一気に憂鬱なものになってしまいました。 ここで大切な時間を無駄にしてしまいました⋯。

English Version I’m not sure if it was just a coincidence, but the attitude of the staff at this store was extremely bad, leaving me feeling both fearful and disappointed. While the location is good, the coffee was honestly quite mediocre… A few months ago, I visited this store with some Japanese and international friends. It was a scorching hot day, and since one of my friends wanted to get a coffee, we waited under the eaves outside the store to escape the sun while they went inside to purchase drinks and desserts. Then, a slightly older man, who seemed to think he was fashionable but was actually dressed like a childish teenager, walked out from inside the store. He had tattoos and an extremely aggressive attitude, giving off the vibe of a delinquent. Without any explanation, he suddenly told us to leave the outdoor area. We remained very polite and calmly explained that our friend was inside buying coffee, and we were just waiting for a moment. However, he refused to listen at all. Instead, he acted like a complete thug, looking as if he was ready to pick a fight with us, and rudely insisted that we leave. The outdoor area was a public walkway where people naturally pass through. We were simply seeking shade and weren’t disturbing anyone. In fact, there wasn’t a single other customer outside at the time, so I truly don’t understand why we were treated this way. Maybe the store was really popular back then and didn’t need extra customers, but I often pass by this place and frequently see the same staff member. From what I’ve observed, his attitude seems to depend entirely on his mood. This kind of service is absolutely unacceptable. I don’t know who that man was, but his behavior left me deeply disappointed—it was one of the worst experiences I’ve had. Despite being polite throughout the entire interaction, we were treated so poorly. This store is completely untrustworthy and not recommended for foreigners. Most importantly, the coffee isn’t even good—it’s just another “Instagrammable spot.” This experience significantly changed my perception of Japan’s so-called “hospitality.” I used to believe Japan was a country known for its exceptional customer service and kindness to everyone. However, after this incident, I started to question whether this so-called “hospitality” is only extended to certain people or situations. This unpleasant encounter also ruined the rest of my trip, leaving me in a bad mood for the following days.

I completely wasted my time...

This is truly one of the best coffee shops I’ve ever been to in the world. Every drink I tried was incredible! I had their green matcha iced latte, corn tea, the “half-and-half” coffee that tasted like toffee and caramel, and even a carbonated cold brew. Each one was unforgettable.

But what really made the experience special was Rei, the barista who absolutely stole the show. Her warm personality and out-of-this-world recommendations made this visit stand out. She made me feel welcome and turned a simple coffee run into a highlight of my trip.

The entire staff at Swell Coffee did an amazing job keeping the café running smoothly. The atmosphere is luxuriously modern and avant-garde, with a stunning palette of black, white, and grey. Even the restrooms and fixtures were top-tier every detail was thoughtfully designed.

This café is everything the world needs more of. Thank you, Rei, for making my vacation unforgettable, and thank you to the Swell Coffee Roasters team for creating such a...