Coffee L'ambre

This cafe has apparently been open since 1947 and I definitely understand why it's still a favorite among locals ☕️ If you aren't paying attention, you just might walk right past the cafe while strolling around Shinjuku. Once you enter the cafe you may think it's rather small but looks can be deceiving. On the left side, you'll find stairs that lead to the basement floor that has a capacity of 200 people 🤯 Although there was a line when I arrived it moved rather quickly and I was able to get a table in less than 15 mins. The interior of the cafe is the main reason people come here and I have to say it certainly lives up to the hype. For a moment, I was able to get a glimpse of what life was possibly like back in the Showa era. Everything inside from the comfy red seats to the retro chandeliers are a sharp contrast to the modern brutalist cafes that seem to be on the rise in Tokyo these days. A much welcomed change of pace! As for the food and drinks, I highly recommend you stick with the set menu items. Ordering items not included in the set will prove to be quite expensive and you'll most likely find yourself spending 2000-2500 yen per person. However, if you order the set it'll only be 1400-1500 per person 💴 I ordered the shortcake and hot coffee set. The shortcake was lovely and was not too sweet. I also like how fresh it tasted and you can sense a difference in quality from the ones you can buy at the convenience store! The coffee was good and not too bitter. I think even those who don't enjoy black coffee will be able to drink this just fine! Though it does come with a side of milk and sugar so don't worry 😊 I've seen some reviews saying that the staff can be rude but I had a pleasant time with them during my visit! They were very honest and informed me that I would actually end up paying a lot more if I didn't order the set 😅 TLDR: The perfect cafe to experience Showa era vibes with decent coffee and dessert.

An average retro-style coffee shop 喫茶店. Both the service and the quality of drinks and food were underwhelming, especially considering the location and price. The basement seating area was cramped and noisy, with poor lighting and uncomfortable table and seat height. Utensils and cups were also very basic. Might be suitable for those just looking to escape the heat or take a short break. Not ideal for deep conversations, reading, or definitely not for working/studying.

Great coffee shop to take a break and relax. Vibe is very unique and has an old aesthetic to it. Staff are super nice, very helpful, and friendly. They made us feel very welcome and comfortable as we got seated quickly as well. The coffee shop is in the basement down the stairs on the left, the upper floor looks closed when you enter. The coffee was good but very very strong and slightly bitter, however this suits strongly the very sweet desserts. Ask about portions and items you are not sure of before ordering as me and my partner accidentally over ordered. Things we ordered: Coffee Wiener, coffee jelly, chocolate cake, and apple pie. The chocolate cake was not the best, however the apple pie and coffee jelly I highly recommend. My mistake was I assumed the coffee jelly came in a drink however it came as a big jelly with a vanilla ice cream scope and creamer on the side.

Lovely place for a fancy coffee. Relatively pricey and the coffee was nothing special, but the atmosphere was relaxing and charming.

Quick pit stop to escape the heat. Very cool subterranean coffee shop that makes me feel like I am back in Vienna Austria. A lovely place to rest and enjoy coffee. We had iced coffee and coffee jelly.

Large retro coffee shop with a standard menu of various drinks and small meals. The cake set seems like a good deal (1,200 yen) but I just ended up getting a Vienna coffee only. Seating was a bit uncomfortable (low chairs) so it’s difficult to feel relaxed while eating and you end up hunching over to eat and drink which makes it hard enjoy staying for longer than 20-30 minutes. Long wait especially on weekends and the waiting line will go up the stairs. No need to put your name down on anything just wait in line. It took me about 15 minutes to wait from the top of the stairs to my table.

The atmosphere is good, it's a place where only local Japanese gather, making it a very good choice after shopping at Isetan for a few hours.

Stunning old Shōwa kissaten (coffee shop) in the heart of Shinjuku sanchome. Quite a time slip. Hope places like this can stay here forever. Wonderful breakfast set. Delicious! Gorgeous old original decor. A must for kissaten lovers!

I can't recommend this place, it seems like a throwback to the 80s/a bar that got converted into a coffee shop. The non-smoking area is downstairs and it's got that damp basement feel to it. Even though it's non-smoking the scent of cigarette smoke is pretty pervasive and even with my terrible sense of smell I could pick it up just sitting there. The menu options for the coffee are fairly limited, and for the price it was pretty small. Fortunately, the service there was hands off enough that we could wait around as long as we needed so that the rest of our group could meet up with us.

After lunch at Nakajima, we wandered into Coffee L'ambre only to realize that we had actually travelled back in time to the 1950s. Asking for non smoking area, we were directed to the basement floor where we walked into a space decorated with red velvet with gold trims. Complete with a coin phone and a set of wooden stairs that led to a even lower den, with a wood carving of Mozart this definitely looks like a place James Bond hung out in wayyy back then. Delightful. The coffee, oolong tea and schwartzwalder cake was also really good, but this place is all about the ambiance.

Out of my cafe type index (1. Hippy Hangout Study Cafe, 2. Diner-esque Style Cafe, and 3. The Upscale Trendy Restaurant Style Cafe) this one ranks a 3. It's got an unusual theme that looks like the furniture and decor came out of a Victorian era mansion. I saw one girl dressed up like an anime character with a teddy bear sitting next to her while taking to a friend. God I wish I could have taken a picture with her. The epitome of cool weirdness I love. It takes courage to bring teddy along and not think am I totally as crazy as I look right now.... Let me ask teddy.... I adore her for her awesomeness in courage. I totally should have talked to her :-P anyway, I needed to study today so I couldn't stay too long cause it didn't feel like a study cafe but it was truly interesting to go there and see something that felt like it was out of a story book. The upstairs when you walk in is for smoking and is rather drab but when you go downstairs its strikingly impressive. I would like to take a date there if my dating life wasn't as disappointing as a mime being invited to sing the national anthem at Yankee stadium. Guess maybe I should have talked to teddy girl. I would definitely recommend this place as an interesting unusual type 3 cafe with a ye olde theme. Also the prices are around 700-1200 for most things on the menu which to me was golden cause they had some good choices. Not overpriced at all for the options. The one setback in Japanese cafe fashion is..... Wifi ja nai. So if you need to get ye olde internet in ye olde cafe then well you're out of luck sir! Also I asked if there was a place to plug in my laptop. Also ja nai. But like I said. It's a number 3 type. A great cafe to bring friends or your young super hottie kawaii Japanese girlfriend with or without teddy (One day. Cry*) and see something quite different for your cafe experience.

Stopped by here because of the high rating and it was close by and we wanted coffee, but was not at all impressed. Very old facilities and service was subpar - not to mention the pricey normal coffee ($6USD).