I’m pretty sure you’ve pass it many times without even noticing it, especially if your goal was Shinjuku Omoide Yokochō (Drinking Alley of the Memory), one of the best place in Shinjuku to get drunk and enjoy yakitori in old-fashioned food stalls. Tajimaya sits at the edge of the drinking alley with its charming feel of the good old days, waiting for you to find about its caffeinated treasures.

Tajimaya (但馬屋珈琲店) 
 Since 1964 (Showa 39) – Renovated in 1987 (Showa 62)
 Smoking
 No WI-FI, no power outlets
 Lively and popular 
 Recommendation: homemade coffee jelly, original blend coffee   
 Japanese & English Menu
 Couple, alone
 We love: excellent coffee, sitting at the counter and savoir-faire
 Special points : atmosphere, fine bone china cups and milk coming in copperware
 Drinks prices : 600-3000 yen
Kissa-meter: Rustic with a Taisho feeling

Kissaten Overview

• • The first time I went there, I felt a little bit uncomfortable. It happens to me sometimes in Kissaten, people are not sure I could read or understand Japanese so they get nervous, sometimes they may be rude and as a result I got nervous as well and feel really uncomfortable. It happened in Tajimaya at the beginning. I’m happy I didn’t stop to my cold first experience there and went again because finally I had a nice little chat with the barista at the counter. I heard from other people (mostly Japanese) that sometimes the staff may be a little bit cold. So don’t take it personally if your first encounter with this place is colder than you thought.

• • The coffee there is truly amazing and made with a special selection of beans roasted by Tajimaya. Being French, I’m used to over-roasted robusta coffee, so popular in France (and tasting extremely bad for everyone else). I felt a bit nostalgic to taste the original blend: strong, full-bodied, a little bit bitter and without aftertaste. It really reminds me France.

• • I’m also impressed by the huge choice of drinks; you can even get wine (but I’m not sure about its taste…). The food menu is also varied and it looks so mouth-watering: cakes, sandwiches, toasts, coffee jelly etc… Actually everything is quite nice. The coffee-jelly (770 yen) is a must try but the Opera cake is incredible. Rich, chocolaty, and packed with coffee flavor, it stole my French heart. You can have it in a set for 1400 yen and according to me it’s the best 1400 yen ever you’ll spend in a cake set!

• • You can enjoy “kopi luwak” aka weasel coffee in Tajimaya. It’s quite rare and hard to find in Tokyo, only few cafés and luxury hotels are serving it. I’m not that surprised to find it here, considering that Tajimaya is selecting its coffee among world’s finest beans. For 3000 yen, your cup of coffee is even coming with an authenticity certificate attesting that the fair-trade beans were collected ethically from wild civets and not from farmed animals.

• • Taking pictures in the café is forbidden; there even is a sign outside saying you can’t take picture. I asked to the barista if I could take few pictures of my drink, and she was kind enough to accept. I didn’t want to ask too much so I couldn’t take pictures of the whole place… No velvet and big chandelier but dark wood, subdued lighting (should I say semi-darkness?) and well thought out decoration; I wish I could share with you the really nice Taisho feeling of this showa kissaten (sic!).

• • This place is not really suitable for lively conversation with friends, it’s more about relaxing there by yourself or enjoying with your lover. The atmosphere is quiet, not cozy but still comfy with jazz as background music. I sometimes caught sight of people sleeping or dozing. I actually took catnaps there too! In such a peaceful atmosphere, it’s hard to believe that we are so close to Shinjuku station and its 3,65 millions passengers everyday.
    

• • Of course quality has a price but the place is still a little bit expensive…

Tips

• • Ask for the “osusume” (recommendation) if you want to try something else than the original blend

• • If you’re not that much into coffee but still want to try this place, go for the very good “ice white chocolate” (720 yen) or a tea from their selection (720-800 yen).

• • You can get your caffeine dose take-away! I sometimes leave home earlier to grab my coffee there in my own tumbler and enjoy it on my way to work.

• • If you want to enjoy their coffee at home, you can buy a bag of one of their freshly ground coffee. There are few varieties but you can refer to their “coffee chart” to choose the one you’ll like the best. Personally, I’m always going for the original blend (1200 yen for 200g). You can also get it from Tajimaya web store.

• • Takajimaya has 4 others stores around Tokyo but go for the Shinjuku one which is the flagship store.

Tamajiya (但馬屋珈琲店)
Address: Nishi-shinjuku 1-2-6, Shinjuku, Tokyo
(東京都 新宿区 西新宿 １-２-６)
Phone: 03-3342-0881 
10:00〜23:00
  Tajimaya Website

Maybe we will meet there next time by chance!