On a recent weekend we found ourselves back in Kuramae to check out another of its many coffee stores - Coffee Counter Nishiya. This one came at the recommendation of a barista from another coffee store we had visited, so we were sure it wouldn’t disappoint (and it didn’t!)
Coffee Counter Nishiya has a bit of a unique setup in that you take your order at one long and narrow counter. There are no seats, so this is probably not the place to linger for too long.
The store is owned by Kyohei Nishitani, who was runner-up at the Japan Barista championship back in 2004. From our visit to Ignis Coffee, we heard that apparently barista championship judges when they come to Tokyo will specifically come here to drink coffee, so it must be good.
You might think that because you are being served championship-level coffee that you should probably just stick to a basic latte so that you can enjoy the taste of the coffee properly. But interestingly he seems to like specialising in quite a lot of different sweet drinks.
I decided to get the coconut au lait, while my husband got the espresso banana milkshake.
On occasion I do like a sweet drink, and I might even get a Starbucks Frappuccino from time to time (which may be a coffee sin depending on who you’re talking to). Unlike a Starbucks drink where the sweetness can be quite overwhelming, I thought these had hit the perfect balance of sweetness paired with the coffee shot.
The Coffee Counter is also quite famous for their pudding. We didn’t get the pudding this time since the drinks were already sweet enough, but I sneakily took a zoomed in photo of someone else’s pudding for your enjoyment.
As well as my husband and I, there were two other solo customers in the store, both men - and they had both ordered a pudding. I think sometimes in Japan there can be a bit of a (unfounded) stigma towards guys ordering desserts by themselves, but I felt like the vibe of this place with its counter-only seating makes it an ideal place to come solo and to get a pudding too.
It seemed also that the barista knew one of the other customers as he walked in. After a bit of small talk, the barista straight up asked him - “Did you gain weight?” “Yep, 7kg”, the guy replied (while enjoying his pudding).
An interesting aspect of Japanese culture (and probably many other Asian countries too) is that it’s perfectly acceptable to point out a person’s weight gain/loss. From a westerner’s POV, I don’t think I would ever go there!
As a final note, Nishiya is cash-only.
Their other quirk is that they open from 12pm, which is a little later than your usual cafe in Tokyo. The Google Maps listing doesn’t have their opening hours as I think they can sometimes change, so the most up-to-date is to check their Instagram.
Hi, I'm Emma!
I'm a long-time lover of coffee - back in Sydney my go-to drink was always a soy cappucino. After I moved to Tokyo 4 years ago, I discovered the wonders of pour-over coffee and now I'm always on the lookout for new coffee beans to try. So far I've checked out 28 coffee shops and roasters here in Japan.
If you found this post useful, you can also show your support by buying me a coffee ☕
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