Cafe Arabiq

Racist owner. Even though there were clearly seats available he said no seats. We are Caucasian but my friend speak fluent Japanese. He looked us up and down giving us a look of disdain as we said we could wait for seats.

Dolls, used books, and delicious coffee~ The cafe has a gentle pace and it feels like an old doll house. It’s a refreshing aesthetic from all the overly sterile “instagram-worthy” places cropping up in every city. After reading previous reviews, we expected a possibly unpleasant time, but everyone in the cafe provided excellent service. My Japanese is choppy, but everyone spoke English pretty well. The menu also had English. There are few (around 4) tables in Cafe Arabiq and once they are full, they obviously can’t seat any more people. Be prepared to be turned away if they are full up. It really isn’t you, it’s them. They’ve built a small mythology online, so they keep busy it seems. Coming early is your best bet. I ordered the Maria-Theresia, a coffee cocktail of sorts, that contained orange liquer, absolutely delicious whipped cream, and adorable konpeito. I loved it. We also order a premium coffee and the quality was high. They also had denki bran and their food looked tasty, so perhaps next time. After the coffee, I browsed the dolls and wished I could buy everything. The gentleman working was very kind and informative. TLDR: Tasty drinks in an eclectic environment. Super busy, so be patient. Definitely worth going to, especially if dolly stuff is an aesthetic you enjoy.

This is truly a one-of-a-kind cafe! There are bookshelves lining the shop and really interesting art on display, which apparently changes every couple of months. The owner makes incredible drinks (try the Maria Theresa! Or the rum coffee) and the waitress is super friendly. Great place to sit down with a book or a coffee and a long chat.

It seems super cozy. Unfortunately my boyfriend and I just came from another cafe and wanted to browse the books here...thinking it was a bookshop. We wanted to order tea to support the local business, but they have a rule where you need to order 1 drink per person. It's totally understandable but since I thought it was a book shop, I didn't want to pay 12 yen just to browse the books. On the other hand, if you have time to sit in relax, it looks like a comfy place.

The ginger coffee was delicious and the interior of the shop was really interesting and unique. Also appreciated the kind service.