Rozi Coffee is in Shin-Okubo - a cafe hotspot I am yet to mention on this blog. It’s the station next to Shinjuku on the Yamanote line, and is most famous for being Tokyo’s Koreatown. It’s home to a number of cute Korean cafes, although I would say this area is more for people who enjoy the vibe of a cafe and cute desserts, rather than for people who are serious about their coffee (I think both types of cafes have their merits!)
For Kpop fans, there are also plenty of stores selling merch of your favourite idol, plus Korean beauty/cosmetics stores as well.
Shin-Okubo is within walking distance of Shinjuku, so oftentimes when I watch a movie in Shinjuku I might walk over to Shin-Okubo to grab some Korean for lunch. I feel like Shinjuku isn’t really the place I want to hang out at for lunch, really. But Shin-Okubo is great and worth the detour for some good food.
Rozi is one of the aforementioned cute cafes, although this one actually has a bit more of an understated industrial style. I couldn’t quite pinpoint whether it was a Korean-style cafe or not (although I’m not really the expert on what is one) but they specialise in selling these little cakes known as Yakgwa - which as it turns out are a Korean treat, so I guess it is a Korean cafe.
Rozi can have a bit of a line, and so we had to wait for about 10 minutes before we could get in (a little after lunch on a weekday). They also have a strict 90-minute limit. As in literally once your 90 minutes up a staff member will come over and (nicely) kick out.
For a drink, I got their iced latte (693 yen). Unfortunately they don’t have any alternative milk options. They did let you choose from 2 bean options though, and it tasted pretty decent. I also got their pistachio yakgwa (yum).
The couches upstairs were super comfy, so it’s a nice place to while away your allotted 90 minutes before you get kicked out.
As a bit of trivia, if you zoom in on Google Maps, Shin-Okubo has a street named “ikemen-dori” or “handsome-man street”. I think the origin behind that name is that Korean stores along that street would lure in customers with pretty faces.
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 30 coffee shops and roasters here in Japan.
If you found this post useful, you can also show your support by buying me a coffee ☕
Leave a comment