Cafeography
Tokyo · Shimokitazawa

Cafés in Shimokitazawa

Theaters, vintage shops and a rebuilt rail strip, with cafés open from 07:00 to 02:00.

Photo: Iban Lopez Luna, Pexels License

Shimokitazawa lies in the southwest corner of Setagaya's Kitazawa district, where the Odakyu line meets the Keio Inokashira line, and it has long been a center for stage theater, live music and secondhand clothing.1 Shinjuku and Shibuya are each about ten minutes away by train.2 In 2022 Time Out ranked it seventh of 51 neighborhoods on its list of the world's coolest.3

The district changed shape after March 2013, when the Odakyu tracks went underground and nine level crossings disappeared.2 Odakyu turned the 1.7 km of former track into Shimokita Senrogai, a strip of shops, homes and small complexes that fully opened in May 2022.2 Newer cafés line it, and others are in the lanes of Kitazawa 2-chōme and Daita.

Local tip: After an evening show at the Honda Theater, 漫画と珈琲 (Manga and Coffee) serves until 02:00 every day.2

At a glance

150Cafés listed
19With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
02:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Sidewalk Coffee, from 07:00 (Daily 07:00–19:00).
  • Closes latest: 漫画と珈琲, until 02:00 (Daily 09:00–02:00).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (7%), specialty (4%), open late (3%).

オンザウェイ

ON THE WAY

  • 北沢二丁目 16-2
  • Mon 10:00–19:00 · Wed–Sun 10:00–19:00
  • +81-3-6805-5736
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Coffee chains in Shimokitazawa

Shimokita Senrogai, Bonus Track and Mikan

Bonus Track, a shopping street of combined shop-and-home buildings, was built on the former rail land, and Time Out counted it, reload and Mikan Shimokita among the complexes that raised the area's profile with affordable cafés and restaurants.23

Brooklyn Roasting Company is at the end of the Mikan Shimokita complex, at 2-6-2 Kitazawa: a large, lofty café with free Wi-Fi, breakfast from 08:00 and a light-roast Tokyo blend of Ethiopian and Colombian beans.4 It is open daily until 21:30.

Light Up Coffee and the specialty bars

Light Up Coffee began in July 2014, when Kawano Yūma opened a shop on Nakamichi-dōri in Kichijōji as a third-year university student, after tasting the coffee at Fuglen Tokyo and Onibus Coffee.5 Its Shimokitazawa branch opens daily 10:00–18:00.

Grass, with a bakery and Wi-Fi, opens 09:00–21:00 and serves specialty coffee. Sidewalk Coffee and スリーコンカフェ both open at 07:00 every day, and Sidewalk has indoor and outdoor seats and a bakery counter. Tolo Coffee & Bakery opens at 10:30 and closes on Tuesdays.

In Daita, Universal Bakes and Cafe at 9-1 Daita sells vegan baked goods and opens 08:30–18:00 from Wednesday to Sunday. PostCoffee opens daily 09:00–19:00 with Wi-Fi, while Glaubell Coffee keeps short hours, opening only on Friday to Sunday afternoons.

Kissaten, jazz and late nights

Kissa Negura (喫茶ネグラ) at 2-6-13 Kitazawa opens 11:30–19:30 from Wednesday to Sunday and has Wi-Fi. Masako Jazz & Coffee is a jazz café, and Et, the Cultural Coffeehouse, runs from 07:30 to 22:00. RBL Cafe opens only in the afternoon, 13:00–19:00, on Wednesdays and from Friday to Sunday.

After the theaters let out, Andorea at 6-5-25 Daita serves 14:00–00:00 daily, kate coffee stays open until midnight, and 漫画と珈琲 (Manga and Coffee) is open 09:00–02:00 every day. Simokitazawa Opensource Cafe at 6-11-14 Daita and Pluffy Cafe at 2-29-16 Kitazawa also have Wi-Fi.

Theaters, vintage shops and getting there

The Honda Theater (本多劇場) is the area's landmark stage, and many smaller theaters and halls, live houses and vintage clothing shops are packed around the station.2 Shimokitazawa Station is the transfer point between the Odakyu Odawara line and the Keio Inokashira line.1

Shimokita Chaya (シモキタ園藝部ちゃや) opens 14:00–19:00 from Wednesday to Sunday.

Sources

  1. Shimokitazawa, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. 下北沢の街の魅力, Nomura Real Estate Solutions, machikara (March 19, 2024), accessed October 2026
  3. Shimokitazawa is one of the world's top 10 coolest neighbourhoods in 2022, Time Out Tokyo (October 12, 2022), accessed October 2026
  4. Brooklyn Roasting Company Shimokitazawa, Time Out Tokyo (September 29, 2022), accessed October 2026
  5. LIGHT UP COFFEE 川野優馬, Forbes Japan (May 29, 2020), accessed October 2026
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In Shimokitazawa, also browse: Specialty coffee Open late Wi-Fi Outdoor seating Bakery cafés

FAQ

Shimokitazawa cafés: questions

What is Shimokita Senrogai in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo?

Shimokita Senrogai is the 1.7 km strip of shops, homes and small complexes Odakyu built on its old track after the line went underground in March 2013. It fully opened in May 2022. Its parts include Bonus Track, a street of shop-and-home buildings; Brooklyn Roasting Company is at the end of the nearby Mikan Shimokita complex.

Which cafés in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, open early or stay open late?

Sidewalk Coffee and スリーコンカフェ open at 07:00 every day, and Et, the Cultural Coffeehouse, at 07:30. Brooklyn Roasting Company serves breakfast from 08:00. At night, Andorea in Daita and kate coffee stay open until midnight, and 漫画と珈琲 (Manga and Coffee) is open until 02:00 every day.

How do you get to Shimokitazawa from Shinjuku or Shibuya in Tokyo?

Shimokitazawa Station is the meeting point of the Odakyu Odawara line and the Keio Inokashira line, and both Shinjuku and Shibuya are about ten minutes away by train. The Odakyu platforms have been underground since March 2013, and the old track above them is now the Shimokita Senrogai strip of shops and cafés.

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