Where to Eat in Kiyosumi Shirakawa, Tokyo’s Coffee Town

Kiyosumi Shirakawa might just be one of Tokyo’s best kept secret neighborhoods in the heart of downtown Tokyo. Known as Tokyo’s “coffee town,” trendy cafes, traditional Edo-era gardens, and hole in the wall restaurants all coexist in this downtown (下町 ・shitamachi) neighborhood minutes away from some of Tokyo’s most popular areas like Asakusa, Tokyo Sky Tree, and Ginza. 

Having lived in Kiyosumi Shirakawa for over five years, I will call myself something of an expert on the neighborhood. Here is my insider, food focused guide on where to eat in Kiyosumi Shirakawa:

Best Places to Eat in Kiyosumi Shirakawa:

Allpress Espresso Tokyo Roastery & Cafe

Kiyosumi Shirakawa is the unofficial “coffee town” of Tokyo. Their coffee focused reputation first began when coffee wholesalers set up shop in the neighborhood, delivering their freshly roasted beans to restaurants and cafes around the city. Slowly but surely, these coffee roasters began selling coffee from their factories to people in the neighborhood, eventually opening shops of their own to cater to locals.

In the mid 2000s, Kiyosumi Shirakawa became the center of Tokyo’s third wave coffee scene, characterized by espresso based drinks, impressive latte art, and master baristas. In fact, Blue Bottle, the popular coffee shop from San Francisco, opened their flagship Japanese store in Kiyosumi Shirakawa in 2015.

One of the most beloved coffee shops in the neighborhood is Allpress Espresso. Allpress started in New Zealand, but has two shops in Tokyo, one of them in the center of Kiyosumi Shirakawa close to the Museum of Contemporary Art. 

It’s the perfect shop for a quick coffee break while exploring the area. The shop roasts their beans in house, and you can watch the roaster whirring in the background while you sip your latte or iced americano. Their banana bread is also a must try!

Kiyosumi Garden Ryotei Teahouse

After enjoying some coffee from Allpress, head over to Kiyosumi Garden. No list of Kiyosumi Shirakawa would be complete without it.

You might think that this traditional Japanese garden, known for it's beautifully greenery and abundance of animals, doesn’t serve food, but, you can enjoy freshly made matcha and Japanese sweets called wagashi in the garden’s own tea house, open to visitors in the spring and summer.

This iced matcha and peach shaped wagashi dessert happens to be vegan too!

Even if the tea house isn’t open when you visit, there are plenty of coffee shops around the area to pop into. The contrast between the old and new is one of the things that makes Tokyo so unique. Where else can you visit an over 200-year old garden after drinking an artisanal latte?

Momotaro

Momotaro is the place to go when you are looking for a hearty, filling lunch that perfectly represents East Tokyo’s downtown charm. 

Momotaro is a family run 町中華 (Machi Chūka), or neighborhood Chinese restaurant, serving up old-school Chuka Ryouri (中華料理) Japanese-inspired Chinese food. 

Expect to find Japanese riffs on Chinese dishes you may be familiar with like gyoza and fried rice, and some unfamiliar ones like レバニラ炒め (Reba Nira Itame・liver and garlic chive stir fry.) If you’re extra hungry, go for their no-frills shoyu (soy sauce) ramen, which was originally served at Chinese restaurants like this all around Tokyo.

Cattlea

Want to taste a bit of (delicious) history? Head over to Cattlea, the bakery behind Japan's very first curry bread. The shop first came up with the idea of putting curry into bread and deep frying it in 1927, and curry bread has become a beloved Japanese bakery staple ever since.

Cattlea also sells a variety of other Japanese bakery staples at their shop.

Compared to other curry breads, Cattlea's doesn’t skimp on the filling - the crispy fried bread is stuffed with rich curry mixed with tender beef and simmered carrots. You can choose between two types - regular and spicy. Both are delicious with the latter having a slight, but not too intense, kick. 

Plus, if you go to Cattlea at 7am, 11am, or 3pm, you can get your curry bread baked fresh and crispy from the fryer, making an already tasty snack even tastier.

Ramen Kōkaibō

On the border of Kiyosumi Shirakawa and neighboring Monzennakacho is Ramen Kōkaibō, one of East Tokyo's best ramen shops, known as much for their warm customer service as they are known for their delicious ramen.

You can choose from ramen or tsukemen (deconstructed, dipping ramen) which are both made from a soup base combining pork, chicken, dried sardines, and bonito flakes all seasoned with four types of soy sauce. The ramen is rich without being too heavy, so you can drink the soup down to the very last drop.

For a detailed review of Ramen Kokaibo, check out our blog on 5AM Ramen.

How to get to Kiyosumi Shirakawa

You can get to Kiyosumi Shirakawa Station by taking the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line or the Toei Oedo Line. Here is how to get there from central Tokyo:

From Shibuya Station: Take the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line 25 minutes to Kiyosumi Shirakawa Station.

From Shinjuku Station: Take the Toei Oedo Line 40 minutes to Kiyosumi Shirakawa Station.

From Tokyo Station: Take the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line to Otemachi Station. At Otemachi Station, transfer to the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line and get off at Kiyosumi Shirakawa Station. The full trip is around 30 minutes.

Final Thoughts

If you’re hunting for a local neighborhood most tourists overlook, filled with great food and speciality coffee - Kiyosumi Shirakawa is for you. Conveniently located close to many Tokyo hotspots like Asakusa and Ginza, Kiyosumi Shirakawa is a perfect breather in your action-packed Tokyo itinerary.

After more off the beaten path neighborhoods to add to your Tokyo itinerary? Sign up for our completely customizable Tokyo Full Day Food Tour, where you can explore Tokyo through its food!