Coffee Tei (皇琲亭) is a coffee shop in Ikebukuro that has been operating since 1983. With the slightly dimmed lighting and jazz music softly playing in the background, it had a really relaxing ambience and interior. They serve a couple of different types of coffee drinks - including one super-fancy one where they will dim the lights and light it on fire (or something).
I decided to keep my order simple though, and got a black coffee. They had a couple of different beans to choose from - although if you are familiar with kissaten ( traditional Japanese coffee shops), all the beans are quite darkly roasted, so that may or may not be to your taste. I decided to get the Colombian bean (880 yen).
It was a tiny bit bitter as you might expect from a dark roast, but still pretty tasty nonethless. From all the pourovers I’ve been drinking lately I’ve found my tastebuds have pretty much adjusted to black coffee (which sort of feels like a superpower) so I enjoyed the cup. They also do give you a side of milk for free with the coffee that you can use if you need it.
I also got a slice of their rare cheese cake (630 yen) that went really well with the coffee.
One of the waiters noticed I was taking photos, and he came over to say hello. He told me that there used to be quite a few kissaten in Ikebukuro, and that sadly a lot of them closed down and have been replaced by cafes. I guiltily remembered that I had recently visited Mermaid Coffee in Ikebukuro which is probably one such example, ha.
He told me there’s at least one more kissa still in operation nearby - although he couldn’t quite remember the name. Looking at Google Maps though, there seems to be a couple, but Coffee Tei is by far rated the highest among the kissatens in the area, so it seems like it’s doing pretty well for itself!
The store also has free WiFi available (although it wasn’t very fast) and I did see one businessman clacking away at his laptop, so it is also laptop-friendly. If you buy a second cup of coffee, there is a discount available as well. I went by around lunchtime on a weekday and it was super quiet with lots of seats available. Since it is open until 11pm, I suspect it might get more crowded at nighttimes when people stop by for a coffee after dinner.
One thing to keep in mind before you visit is that it is cash-only!
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 24 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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