Tokyo 東京 Espresso エスプレッソ

Nid Cafe >>MAP 3-13-23 Aoyama TEL: 03-5772-7639 東京都港区南青山3-13-23 [UPDATE: Nid Cafe is permanently closed for business.] From the same group responsible for the fetching Eau Cafe in Daikanyama, Nid can be a bit hipper-than-thou at times and the place is something of a smokers' paradise. However, the espresso is often good to very good and the food, like lamb curry, is subtle and a step-up from pedestrian cafe fare. First visit: August 14, 2009

Bonnet >>MAP 1-12-3 Utsukushigaoka, Aoba-ku, Yokohama Tama Plaza Station TEL: 045-901-6550 横浜市青葉区美しが丘1-12-3 A bit feminine for my tastes, but Bonnet is a lovely cafe and the owner knows his espresso. First visit: August 16, 2009

da Gino >>MAP 1-2-3 Minami-Ebisu TEL: 03-5723-8877 東京都渋谷区恵比寿南1-2-3 [UPDATE: da Gino is permanently closed for business.] After all the time spent "laboring" in Ebisu, I can't believe I missed da Gino. Thanks to Jeremy S. who brought this two-year old wine and espresso bar to my attention. Is it great espresso? No, not yet. Does it show extraordinary promise? Yes. My single espresso was more akin to a double pour. The barista was well-meaning and admitted to have only just started to really study how to make good espresso. He flushed the Cimbali about 10 minutes prior to my pull and my shot suffered. The result was an over-extracted pour. da Gino's massive Cimbali simply gets the water too hot and a flush is absolutely required prior to each pull. Otherwise , his technique was good (grinding fresh for the shot, swiping the portafilter, etc.). What da Gino also has going for it is the fact that it is roasting and using its own beans (it even sell...

Lili Marleen >>MAP 2-8-2 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku TEL: 03-3724-0319 東京都目黒区自由が丘 2-8-2 A quirky but ultimately winsome new café in Jiyugaoka’s dated “Little Venice.” The owner is a charming woman with some connection to Germany (I didn’t ask). The menu is full of sausages and pretzels and she has two beers on tap (one from Germany I failed to recognize and the other brewed in German style by a microbrewer here in Japan ). The espresso beans are imported courtesy of LaVazza and the quality suffers as a result. Click here for my rant on the senselessness of importing roasted beans. However, I get the feeling that the owner is getting to know her espresso machine, a gorgeous Carimali Kicco 1, and there are worse shots being pulled in Tokyo . My advice: skip the espresso for now and have a beer on the patio by the “canal.”

Café Pause >>MAP 2-14-12 Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku TEL: 03-5950-6117 東京都豊島区南池袋 2-14-12 One of the few cafes in Tokyo with free Wi-Fi, Café Pause is a very able café. Though the crema on the espresso was a tad blond for my taste, the beans were ground to order and the taste was sweet. The food menu is lacking, however.

Café Cowra >>MAP 5-15-15 Ebara, Shinagawa-ku TEL: 03-3782-2411 東京都品川区荏原 5−15−15 西小山サマリヤマンション 1F Blond wood is everywhere at this Nordic Nishi-koyama café. Lovely owners preside over an accomplished operation that always seems to be exhibiting compelling art by local artists. Wine and coffee are focal points (with very good pulls of espresso), but that’s not to say that Cowra doesn’t succeed at putting out some very fine pastas (homemade tomato sauce and spinach) and craft desserts (pound cake with sugared kiwi is pictured).

Asuka Café >>MAP 12-34 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku TEL: 03-3464-0125 東京都渋谷区猿楽町 12-34 UPDATE: THIS CAFE IS CLOSED . Opened in July 2007, this cafe is devoted to organics--from food to coffee. Unfortunately, that laudable aim coupled with a gorgeous La Marzocca couldn't save my espresso from a severe case of over-extraction.

Zoka >>MAP 3-2-2 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo TEL: 03-3560-7251 東京都港区赤坂 3-2-2 アマンド赤坂ビル [UPDATE: This Zoka location is permanently closed for business.] A little bit like putting Starbucks up on your blog, but Zoka’s attention to coffee and barista training far exceed anything “Staba” is doing. It's also probably the only place to try a cup of coffee produced by a Clover (a coffee system that brews each cup to order) (see picture).

Ben's Café >>MAP 1-29-21 Takadanobaba Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo TEL: 03-3202-2445 新宿区高田馬場1-29-21 [UPDATE: Ben's is permanently closed for business. It will be missed!] Ben’s bills itself as Tokyo’s only New-York style café. I’ve had some uneven pulls of espresso here, but, all-in-all, Ben’s is truly a community café (poetry readings, open mic, go lessons, etc.) that gets a wonderfully eclectic mix of people in the door. The hummus plate will transport you home. Free Internet and Wi-Fi too (a rarity in Tokyo ).

LoSpazio >>MAP 3-3-5 Takaban, Meguro-ku, Tokyo (Toyoko Line Gakugeidaigaku Station) TEL: 03-5722-6799 東京都目黒区鷹番3-3-5 東急東横線学芸大学駅東口下車徒歩１分 One of Tokyo’s few true Italian espresso bars (also see Primoordine ) where customers can stand at the marble counter and down a quick shot. LoSpazio even offers barista training seminars (in Japanese).

Bar Alimentari Daniela >>MAP 5-16-23 Daizawa, Setagaya-ku TEL：03-3487-6086 世田谷区代沢 5-16-23 This is an unassuming Italian place serving paninis, pastas and espresso. Its sister restaurant, Il Nido , is now closed permanently but was across the street and rumored to have been spectacular. The single espresso (see picture) was too long for my taste and overextracted. The mortadella sandwich (also pictured) hit the spot.

Cafe One >>MAP Jiyugaoka 1-31-8 , Ishikawa Bldg. 2F 目黒区自由が丘 1-31-8 石川ビル２階 Just the type of cozy café Jiyugaoka needs. It’s a tad pricey but the owner knows his coffee.