If you want to live like a madam for a few hours, Royal Crystal Coffee (ロイヤルクリスタルコーヒー) is the best place to visit in Jiyūgaoka. The cafe housed in a Western-style house that would appear in period dramas is opened by the founder of Doutor Coffee, a Japanese coffee shop chain. The building is where Toriba Hiromichi (鳥羽 博道) realize his dream of making the ultimate cup of coffee. The first floor is divided into a shop space, a gallery, an eat-in corner, and a coffee-roasting workshop. If you have time to enjoy the classical ambiance, head to the second floor and be impressed.
Stepping inside the store, you will find yourself greeted by a bright and refined space. Following the spiral staircase in the middle of the building, you will arrive at Royal Crystal Coffee’s dining area, which resembles the lounge room of a European castle.
Apparently, the cafe space was designed using a European hotel as a model. Each piece of furniture was carefully selected. As the tables are spaced far enough apart, you won’t be bothered by the conversations of neighboring customers.
Private rooms are also available and can accommodate up to 12 people.
Tip: There is also an elevator right next to the stairs.
What to Do at Royal Crystal Coffee
At Royal Crystal Coffee, the menu is served on tableware from the French porcelain brand Raynaud. Using tableware with delicate patterns typically used by top restaurants and royal families around the world, the cafe offers a luxurious dining experience. The good news is it won’t cost you too much!
An interesting thing about dining at Royal Crystal Coffee is its wet hand towel. The hand towel on the glass plate would look like sugar cube will spread after you pour the water in the small glass jar over it!
After a relaxing afternoon tea, remember to check out the cafe’s impressive collection of coffee cups and coffee grinders at the back of the ground floor. There are 301 demitasse cups and saucers produced at famous kilns around the world on display! Regarding the 80 antique coffee mills, they were mainly from Europe and America in the early 1900s. But there is also one made in Turkey in the 1800s.
Depending on when you visit Royal Crystal Coffee, you can see the beans being roasted by the cafe’s skilled roasters through the glass wall.
The raw beans are aged on the basement floor before they are processed in-house using a custom-designed roaster. The freshly roasted beans and prepacked drip coffee bags can be purchased from the shop. The lineup includes seven types of beans. Even the rare Panama Geisha coffee is offered! For those who can’t tolerate caffeine, we recommend their Mexican Organic Decaf Coffee (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
What’s more, there is a coffee stand with a tasting corner on the first floor, where you can try the finest coffee at a minimal cost! Ordering a smooth Hawaiian Kona Coffee soft serve ice cream (ハワイコナコーヒーソフトクリーム) is another way to enjoy coffee at Royal Crystal Coffee. Freshly roasted coffee beans are processed by a pressure machine to extract the essential ingredients and turn them into soft-serve ice cream.
Royal Crystal Coffee’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Royal Crystal Coffee is open from
- 11 am to 8 pm on weekdays
- 11 am to 7 pm on weekends and public holidays
- The cafe is a 3-minute walk from Tokyū Dentetsu’s Jiyūgaoka Station (自由が丘駅).
What Else Can You Do in Jiyūgaoka
Besides enjoying food and coffee, Jiyūgaoka has much more to offer. The neighborhood named Liberty Hill has many famous sweet makers and stylish boutique shops. From places perfect for taking a break during a date, to photogenic places, and even solemn temples and shrines to pray for relationships, Jiyūgaoka is where you can have a taste of Japan’s capital without being pushed around!
For more information, refer to our article on What to Do and Where to Eat in Jiyūgaoka!
