10 best late-night cafés in Tokyo for after-dinner coffee and dessert

Opens till 10pm 

Ebisu-born coffee shop Sarutahiko has expanded across the city. While it now has several branches in Tokyo, we love the light and airy atmosphere of the Harajuku location the most. Set within the Harajuku Station building itself, the café stays open until 10pm daily. Aside from a strong coffee lineup of latte, cold brew and hand-drip coffee, there are seasonal drinks featuring tea and fruit as well.

Sarutahiko is also outfitted with many power outlets, making it a great pitstop to charge up your devices at the end of a long day. Alternatively, if you’re into coffee cocktails, drop by the Sarutahiko Coffee in Shimokitazawa instead as it turns into a bar after dark and stays open until 11pm.

Opens until 12am (until 10pm Mon & Tue)

Norwegian coffee purveyor Fuglen has solidified itself as one of Tokyo’s top coffee shops. It’s so well-regarded that the café has expanded into Asakusa and Hanegi Koen in the last few years. Fuglen’s original outlet in Tomigaya is as popular as ever, thanks to its long opening hours from 7am (which is rare in Tokyo) until 1am (Monday and Tuesday until 10pm). 

While you can sip on coffee and munch on Scandinavian pastries throughout the day, the nighttime menu expands to include Norwegian craft beers and cocktails.

Opens until 10pm

This gorgeous café is tucked away in residential Setagaya, but still draws in crowds throughout the day as it's open from 7am until 10pm daily. The morning menu consists of coffee and small plates like avocado toast, while the café menu from 3pm offers a wide variety of desserts and sandwiches. 

Ogawa Coffee Laboratory recently started offering lunch and dinner courses based around seasonal ingredients paired with coffee. In the evening, dinner and dessert are also available a la carte, along with an extensive selection of coffee cocktails and mocktails.

Opens until 11pm

Stepping into this old-school kissaten (traditional Japanese coffee shop) feels like you’ve travelled back in time to the old Tokyo. Satei Hato specialises in hand-drip coffee, with up to eight varieties of charcoal-roasted beans to choose from.

Coffee is prepared with immaculate precision and you'll even have the pleasure of picking out your coffee cup from the café’s extensive tableware collection. Plus, with an unusual late closing time of 10pm, Satei Hato makes for a great post-dinner coffee in Shibuya. Oh, did we mention they also have dreamy chiffon cakes?

Opens until 10pm

Late-night coffee spots are hard to come by in Tokyo, surprisingly so even in bustling areas like Shinjuku and Shibuya. However, we have found a gem in Ikebukuro – just a four-minute walk from the station – that’s open daily until 10pm. Mermaid Coffee Roasters pride themselves on their freshly roasted coffee beans that are handpicked and roasted in small quantities to optimise flavour and quality.

Upon entry, you'll walk by a table with all the current beans on offer as well as a small decanter where you can sample each roast. While you can’t go wrong with a hand drip or one of their espresso-based drinks, we love the quirkier items on the menu, which include a Craft Cola Coffee and Espresso Romano (coffee lemonade). The café also has small snacks to pair with your coffee including cookies, scones and banana-and-coffee-flavoured gelato.

Opens until 10.30pm

This time-worn café in Ueno hasn't changed one bit in its 46 years of business. Open until 10.30pm daily, Galant offers a quintessential kissaten experience. From the retro furniture to the equally nostalgic dessert selection, this café will transport you back a few decades to the good old days before Instagram. 

You can’t go wrong with the chocolate parfait, which pairs well with a cup of strong black coffee. The coffee jelly and classic anmitsu (small cubes of agar jelly served with fruit and sweet red bean paste) are great desserts, too.

Opens until 10pm (until 11pm Fri & Sat)

This café is a Harajuku institution known for its savoury dishes and colourful desserts. Open until 10pm daily, it’s a great place to drop in for a quick meal or coffee break away from the busy streets. The impressive display at the front of the shop features a mouthwatering selection of housemade cakes and sweets like the Kuma Chocolate, a bear-shaped brownie served with ice cream.

Don’t be discouraged by the spare few tables on the first floor –  Lotus has a spacious basement with plenty of seating. Oh, there’s also free wifi here, too.

Opens until 11pm, Sat & Sun until 8pm

A visit to Sakurai is more of a relaxing experience than a quick tea break. So it’s a good thing that the tea house is open until 11pm on most days, giving you ample time to explore all the unique, premium teas on offer. While you can order individual teas, we recommend going for the full tea tasting course, where you can sample a series of speciality brews including matcha, hojicha (roasted green tea) and gyokuro (green tea grown under shade) paired with Japanese sweets. 

For those who prefer to imbibe, Sakurai also has a bar menu from 7pm, with a selection of tea-infused spirits and cocktails including a very green matcha beer.

Opens until 10.30pm

Despite Parlor Noon’s chic, minimalistic interior, the picture-perfect desserts here are rightfully the main draw. Parlor Noon functions as an all-day café, but starts serving small plates, cocktails and wine from 6.30pm until 10.30pm. In the evening, you can still order most of the items from its café menu, including the popular Vienna coffee and basque cheesecake. 

If you prefer more substantial food, check out Parlor Noon’s sister restaurant Noon on the first floor of the same building.

Open 24 hours

While late-night cafés are uncommon, a 24-hour café is even more of a rare find. However, if you happen to be in Shinjuku, you can pick up a decent cup of coffee from Edinburgh, 24 hours around the clock.

You can also make good use of the café’s free wifi while you linger over your coffee, or add on some food from the extensive kissaten-inspired menu. Choose from desserts including crêpes and parfaits, or go for something savoury such as sandwiches, toast and bagels.