Café 1894

Cafe 1894, a beautifully restored former bank turned restaurant, offers a unique blend of history and ambiance. We visited for dinner without a reservation but were seated within 10 minutes in the outer dining area near the old bank teller windows—a charming spot if you don’t mind being slightly off the main floor. The food was good but on the smaller side, so I’d recommend ordering an appetizer. We had the beef cheek and a pork dish; the pork was flavorful but a bit too fatty. One highlight was the extensive whiskey menu, featuring detailed descriptions of each option. The restaurant also has an exhibition room at the back, showcasing the building’s history—worth checking out while you’re there. Overall, Cafe 1894 is a great spot for those who appreciate historic settings, good food, and a well-curated drink selection.

April 22, 2025 Gorgeous wooden interior with a high ceiling. A romantic atmosphere for a late night dessert. Apple pie was alright and not as filled with freshly baked apple as one might’ve thought. Mauritius vanilla tea was fragrant and pleasant. Overall came for the atmosphere but food and drinks were just so-so, nothing special. Apple pie was ¥1,300 and tea/coffee was ¥800. A little loud, good service though. Crowded but not overwhelmingly full on a Wednesday night at 9pm.

I visited this place around 6 PM and had to leave in less than 30 minutes due to a very unpleasant experience. At the time of ordering, I was not informed about the restaurant’s rule of “one drink and one food per person.” Believing I was simply visiting as a café customer, I ordered one dessert and two drinks. While I was eating, the staff suddenly started pressuring me to order more. It was extremely uncomfortable, and I was even asked to hand over my card to pay in the middle of eating, which felt very unprofessional and poorly managed. If this “one drink, one food” rule had been clearly explained at the beginning, there would have been no issue. However, explaining it after the food was already served and forcing compliance shows a lack of respect toward customers. I am not a tourist but a foreign resident living in Tokyo, and I still received this kind of treatment. For tourists, it might be even more confusing. If you really want to visit this place, please be aware of the “one drink, one food” policy in advance, as it will be enforced even without prior notice. I paid around ¥4,200 in total (seat charge ¥660, drinks ¥1000 and ¥1200, dessert ¥1200–1400), and yet I stayed for less than 25 minutes from entry to leaving. While some people may have had a good experience here, mine was very disappointing. If you want to create pleasant memories during your trip, I would strongly recommend avoiding this place.

We're Taiwanese. Enjoying JPY 10,000 dinner is wonderful for couple. Food is delicious,and the service is also good.The best meal in Tokyo .20250518😍

Slow service (waited 30 mins for drinks) but at least we were lucky we had seats at 21:00, without any queuing. The tall ceiling and architecture takes you back in time. The food/beverage qualities aren’t the best, but it’s just really for the location. *We enjoyed our night dessert here. It seems to be a popular place for youngsters and for a date. It’s nice how it’s connected to the museum.

Nice cafe from 9.00 in Tokyo station! Not so much crowded for morning meeting!

I was there to have some coffee and dessert around 3:30 and they refused to seat me when there were only very few Japanese in the whole cafe. The staff’s English was limited and no particular reason was given. Was told to come back for dinner at 5:30????

We were in the area and liked the structure of this art museum location. Waited 40 minutes for cafe seating. The cafe has really high ceilings and its architectural design is nice. Great place for a cafe. However, the coffee and tea that we ordered were really bad. For the prices they charged, these should have been at least decent quality. Will not visit again.

One of my local friends brought me to this elegant location. I really didn't know what to expect, as I didn't look the restaurant up before arriving, and I was immediately glad that I had chosen to wear one of my nicer dresses that day. It's a classy place - everyone's dressed up for the occasion, there are nice, cloth napkins, and the staff are all wearing butler-esque uniforms. The food was more on the Western side, and I ordered the じっくり煮込んだハヤシライス which translates roughly into "Simmered Hayashi Rice". The accompanying salad was delicious - fresh vegetables and a light vinaigrette. The rice was cooked well and the sauce was thick, rich, and full of flavor. All in all, it was a pleasant experience with pleasant company :) I did go with a local, so I'm not sure how well the staff respond to foreigners. I recommend bringing along someone who can speak Japanese, but if that's not an option, then the menu has pictures, so I can't imagine communication would be impossible.

I have been missing this elegant cafe ever since I left Tokyo. My husband found the info from a magazine and wanted to visit before touring the imperial palace. I felt so blessed about having lunch at cafe 1894 and couldn't thank my sweetheart enough fir his wise decision. It's a symphony of food, unpretentious. I really enjoyed their simple yet complex dish. I had the best seafood risotto with multiple layers of rich flavors and aroma. The initial bite almost bring satisfying tears to my eyes. The last time I had such sensation eating a plate of risotto was at Platino next to Disney Concert Hall, and this dish at Cafe 1894'left it in the dust. All I can say is that the broth used by the chef is so delicate and fresh, you taste the shrimp, the fish, the clam juice, a hint of oyster, blended with herbs that compliment the seafood flavor to perfection. The risotto was limited to 20 plates that day, and I was truly blessed to have the chance encounter. You have to try it to believe, and I guarantee that you will be amazed and perhaps shed a halt tear just like me.