Exploring Ginza's Retro Cafés: Two Local Spots

Tokyo's Ginza neighborhood brings to mind designer boutiques, astronomical price tags, and restaurants where a single meal costs more than your monthly food budget. While Ginza is absolutely one of Tokyo's most upscale neighborhoods, there's another side of the area that the guidebooks won't tell you about.

Ginza is quietly home to some of Tokyo's most charming and historic retro cafés, called kissaten (喫茶店) in Japanese. I spent a relaxing afternoon exploring this nostalgic side of Ginza, sampling two local, retro-style spots.

History of Kissaten in Ginza: Roots of Ginza's Retro Cafés

Why does Ginza have so many kissaten? Well, to understand this, we have to go back to the Taisho-era in the early 20th century. During this time, Japan experienced rapid economic growth, and began experimenting with blending Japanese and European culture and aesthetics.

A typical kissaten spread of thick cut shokupan (Japanese milk bread) and coffee.

Western drinks like coffee experienced a major boom in popularity and Japanese workers were sent to Brazil to cultivate coffee in the early 1900s to keep up with the demand. Some of these workers returned to Japan and set up their own cafés, many of which were in Ginza.

In 1911, businessman Ryo Mizuno, opened Cafe Paulista, the oldest café in Ginza, serving Brazillian coffee and European sweets. Similar to famous cafés in Paris like Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore, Café Paulista became known as the place to be for Tokyo's intellectuals, artists, and emerging middle class. The success of Cafe Paulista inspired many similar cafés to be opened in Ginza as well, many of which are still operating to this day.

Ginza Azuma: Where Omurice Dreams Come True

Ginza Azuma (銀座あづま) is tucked into a quiet Ginza street away from the designer store chaos. Established in 1946, this cozy shop is serving up yoshoku, Western-influenced Japanese food, and is famous for their giant, fluffy omurice (fried rice wrapped in an omlette.)

I went for their signature ketchup omurice, with a side of ebi fry (fried shrimp.) After taking my first bite, I understood why this restaurant was so beloved in Ginza.

Everything was perfectly prepared, from the fluffy egg omlette to the ketchup-seasoned fried rice, enormous fried shrimp, and crunchy cabbage salad. The omurice was topped with a small dollop of ketchup as well as a hefty serving of savory demi-glace sauce.

The portion was so generous I left completely stuffed. At 1,600 yen (approximately $11 USD), this feast of a meal was a steal for Ginza standards. The wait staff was friendly and the atmosphere was warm, something that you will only find at these retro style restaurants and cafés in the area. Ginza Azuma is the perfect place to fuel up during a Ginza shopping marathon - trust me, you'll need the energy.

Café de Ginza Miyukikan: A Sweet Step Back in Time

After all that food, I needed some coffee and a dessert so I stopped at Café de Ginza Miyukikan - a true example of what makes Ginza's retro cafés so special. This is the flagship location of five different Café de Ginza shops - all located in Ginza.

Miyukikan was quite popular that day - with many people looking to escape the summer heat.

I came here to try their famous chestnut mont blanc dessert. Miyukikan sells 200,000 of these desserts annually (roughly 550 mont blancs sold daily!) I ordered this along with a large iced coffee to cool down.

A mont blanc and ice coffee is the the perfect summertime refreshment.

Eating at Miyukikan feels like you are transported to a 1920s Parisian café. The art deco interior oozes vintage charm, while the atmosphere buzzes with energy all around you - solo diners reading newspapers, families sharing pastries, friends catching up over perfectly brewed coffee and tea.

The mont blanc was delicious and I understood why so many are sold each year. It was very unique compared to most Mont Blancs, instead of the typical cake inside the chestnut topping, there was light whipped cream and a crunchy merengue base. It was the perfect sweet to balance out the hefty omurice from Ginza Azuma.

Final Thoughts

Tokyo's café culture keeps evolving with trendy third-wave coffee shops and Instagram-worthy desserts, but personally, these retro gems are the way to go when spending a day in Ginza. My advice? Next time you're in Ginza, skip the obvious tourist traps and venture down the quieter streets. Your taste buds will thank you!