🌟 Minimum purchase is one cup of coffee or drink, outside food is not allowed.
🌟 Each table and interaction is limited to one reptile.
🌟 Weekdays: 90 points / Weekends: 60 points, for children aged seven and above.
The Reptile Cafe is located next to the Lanxi Creative Park on Section 2 of Shulin Street. Parking for cars and scooters nearby is quite inconvenient. The cafe has a simple, rectangular indoor space with a small seating area of about six tables, but there are a lot of different kinds of reptiles, highly recommended for bringing children to experience (if they are not afraid). Private guided tours include: reptile feeding experiences, introduction to habits, professional explanations by the owner, feeding tips, debunking myths, and deep interaction.
If you're scared to handle the reptiles, staff can assist you. The boxes and glass windows will indicate whether the reptiles are safe to handle or provide information about their personalities.
Types of reptiles available include geckos, hognose snakes, bearded dragons, chameleons, giant grasshoppers, jungle horned toads, blue-tongued skinks, and many more. They are surprisingly cute, although I was really scared at first. 🤣🤣
The Reptile Cafe menu includes: coffee, drinks, desserts, and hot-pressed toast. Earl Grey lava Basque cheesecake is highly recommended! However, it’s easy to overlook the food here because most people are busy interacting with the reptiles!
Let’s eat:
Earl Grey Lava Basque Cheesecake 💰120
The aroma of the Earl Grey is very strong and not too sweet; the lava Basque flavor is rich and dense, although the lava part is not very pronounced. 😂😂
Caramel Latte 💰150
Thoughts: Initially, I was super scared because I wasn’t familiar with reptiles, but the staff were very patient in helping me handle them and introducing their habits. They also informed me about their personalities or recommended a few reptiles to try handling before I got more comfortable.
If you prioritize the food: Don’t miss the Earl Grey Basque cheesecake.
If you prioritize the environment: There are many adorable reptiles, and while the indoor space is small, it is very orderly.
If you prioritize parking: Scooters can be parked nearby (though it's still tricky).
Cars need to park farther away and walk over (parking isn’t easy).
If you prioritize restrooms: There is one shared restroom available.
If you prioritize queueing: It’s advisable to make a reservation on weekends.
If you prioritize service: It's quite good, and the staff are very patient.
If you prioritize value for money: 🌟🌟🌟
(Just comparing food and prices).
The store is really discreet.
It's a little café with a unique charm.
The staff are all very friendly.
The Sicilian coffee has a great lemon flavor.
The white sugar cake has a crispy exterior.
Plus, it tastes great with the peanut powder.
The minimum consumption for dining in is 180 NT dollars.
You can pay with cash or LINEPAY.
Next to the counter, they also sell snacks for pets.
The overall atmosphere and decor of the store
adopt a vintage style from old architecture,
making it perfect for influencers to come and take photos!
From selecting beans to roasting, each cup of coffee is made by hand. A local café that values cultural heritage.
Japan has many rural areas where one can often find amazing hidden gem shops. Near Kofu City in Yamanashi Prefecture, there’s a café featured in the 2024 BRUTUS coffee special.
With a main decor of gray concrete and white painted wood, you can faintly see the PROBAT coffee roaster outside. This type of local shop always creates a space where people, no matter where they are, can enjoy excellent coffee from around the world.
On this day, I ordered a hand-brewed coffee from Ethiopia, which had a gentle fruity aroma and a balanced overall flavor. It’s hard to believe such high-quality coffee costs only 600 yen.
Their handmade scones and muffins also have great reviews online. When you order them, they’ll help heat them up, and my colleagues who tried them highly recommend them too.
This time I opted for takeout, but there are seats available for dining in. The first floor feels a bit industrial, but I didn’t go up to the second floor. If you have the chance to be in the area, I highly recommend stopping by to grab a cup of coffee!
☕️ Worthy of a Michelin three-star in the coffee world! Experience the exquisite limits of sensations interwoven by coffee.
KOFFEE MAMEYA in Omotesando has long been a pilgrimage site for coffee lovers. After the original coffee shop closed in 2015, it only sold selected beans for a while. In 2021, it began a new coffee shop venture in Kiyosumi Shirakawa, a prime coffee area in Tokyo.
The name Kakeru means "multiplication" in Japanese, representing their desire to "multiply" various coffees and methods in this shop, providing customers with the most special coffee experience.
This place requires a reservation, so make sure to book in advance! However, you can easily make a reservation via Google Maps, so there's no need to worry.
In addition to the high quality of the coffee and the skills of the baristas, the overall consumer experience is a top-notch enjoyment. They adopt a table service model where the baristas also have good English skills. There are often more foreign customers than Japanese ones, and the baristas serve in English throughout.
Both the coffee set and the coffee cocktail set feature different methods crafted from a single type of bean, making it a true coffee feast. If you're lucky, you might enjoy drinks made by winners of Japan’s coffee cocktail competitions!
I have personally visited three times, and each time has brought different surprises! It’s my top choice when I can only select one coffee shop in Tokyo!
On the second day of our trip to Osaka and Kyoto, we found this takeout coffee shop near our hotel. It looks quite impressive and is only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. There were quite a few customers on-site, and only cash was accepted.
We wanted to drink lattes, but it was more like coffee with milk. The prices are quite high, with single items starting from over 1000 yen. The only options that could be paired with milk were the top three types of beans, so we each ordered a cup to try.
The Home Blend is affordable and probably medium roasted; it has a nice balance between bitterness and sweetness.
I ordered Colombian beans, which are lightly roasted, and I also paid extra to swap for premium milk (650 yen extra, which is quite pricey). The beans had a strong melon flavor, which I had experienced before, and it was really well-expressed. However, I couldn't really taste the difference in the milk; perhaps I’d need to order the same cup again to make a more noticeable comparison.
If you're in Osaka and want to enjoy a cup of lightly brewed coffee or milk, make sure to stop by!
🏡 Step into a fairytale picture book mini wooden house and enjoy a dreamy afternoon time. 🍰
Just a five-minute walk from Koenji Station, there is a row of renovated old houses in a shopping district. Walking through, it's easy to be drawn to "HATTIFNATT," which looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale.
You have to bend down to enter the shop, almost like visiting a little elf's home. Inside, there are various clever little touches, along with charming murals filled with childhood whimsy. It feels like returning to childhood and entering a picture book world, truly delightful!
The overall structure of the building features a traditional design with a shop on the first floor and residential space above. After checking in with a QR code and table number on the first floor, you can go upstairs to find your corresponding seat and place your order. The two cute lofts are said to be the popular reservation areas!
When I visited during lunchtime on a weekday, you can’t order the cake alone; it must be paired with a main dish or drink. The chiffon cake is light but not dry, and both the whipped cream and frosting have a refreshing taste, which I think Taiwanese people would enjoy!
The vanilla ice cream on top of the floating matcha latte is super delicious. The matcha has a slight bitterness, and its texture is quite watery, but after I ate half the ice cream and it melted in, it was just perfect.
I arrived after having lunch, and it looked like other tables in the shop were enjoying main dishes that all seemed very tasty. In Koenji, where most eateries are traditional izakayas, yakiniku, or ramen places, if you’re looking for Western-style meals or afternoon tea desserts, this spot could be a great option to consider!
This is a chain café that can be found everywhere in Canada. Many offices will reserve their coffee and snacks to enjoy together on a specific afternoon! My sister used to work here and often enjoyed their afternoon tea. This time, my sister brought me along.
We simply ordered a latte.
❤️ Oat milk latte
Just like in Taiwan, many coffee shops here allow you to substitute regular milk with oat milk. I have been dealing with gastrointestinal issues for a long time, so I am sometimes sensitive to regular milk. I am used to replacing it with oat milk! However, when switching to oat milk, it can sometimes lead to a lack of the creamy sweetness that milk provides, making the coffee taste very bitter! Fortunately, the coffee here does not have that issue—it still has a great richness!
❤️ Carrot Muffin 🥕
In Taiwan, it is rare to see this type of ingredient in pastries, but I personally love using carrots or pumpkins to make pies or muffins! It gives a very unique sweetness, which is a flavor I really enjoy!
You can find this chain store everywhere in Canada; you don’t need to specify which one—the flavors are pretty much the same! If you’re interested, feel free to go in and enjoy a simple afternoon tea, but do keep in mind that the desserts are a bit sweeter!
🌟 Minimum order of one drink, with adorable pets (two resident cats)
🌟 Late-night café with no time limit, offering outlets and takeout
"July8th.cafe" is tucked away in a hidden alley in the East District, featuring a modern minimalist style built in pure white. Operating from the afternoon into the late night, it provides outlets and cute resident cats, making it an ideal café for relaxation and work.
Inside July8th.cafe, aside from the bar seating area, there are two tables for two and three tables for four, all with outlets available at wall seating areas. The café also has two mother-and-kitten cats, and if you love cats, you can also tip them with some cat treats.
The menu offers a variety of choices including single-origin pour-over coffee, specialty coffee, beverages, mild alcoholic drinks, desserts, and savory pies.
Let’s eat!
Red Tea Latte 💰 160 (Takeout 100)
The red tea latte, passed through a homogenizer snow, has a refined texture and an incredibly delicious mouthfeel. Super cool!
Cold Brew Coffee 💰 200 (Takeout 150)
Extracted coffee essence with a unique aroma.
Seasonal Fruit Mille-Feuille 💰 220
The mango filling is sweet but not overpowering, and the flaky layers are very crispy. However, I spotted a cat hair on it when it was served 😅
(I personally have a cat, so I don’t mind much.)
Review: The beverages taste really good, and the coffee is nice too. This café, away from the city center, offers another choice for those living in the East District.
If you value the food: The dishes are delicious.
If you value the environment: Clean and bright, with cats.
If parking is a priority: Motorcycles can park at the entrance.
Cars can park in nearby spaces, a 5-minute walk away (depends on luck).
If restroom facilities are important: There is one shared restroom.
If avoiding lines matters: The service is quite fast, almost no waiting.
If you value service: Average.
If you focus on cost-performance ratio: 🌟🌟🌟
(Purely discussing food and pricing.)
Near Exit 3 or 4 of Ximen, it takes about five minutes to walk there. The seating has plenty of space. I came on a weekday afternoon, and I was the only customer in the shop. It was very quiet. 🤣 The minimum charge is $150 or one drink.
☕️ Sicilian Lemon Sparkling Coffee $170
Since it was too hot, I ordered it iced. I have always loved Sicilian coffee, and the slight fizz really cools you down. There’s caramel on the rim of the cup, so when you sip, you bite into the crunchy sugar. The texture and layers are very rich. The bitterness and acidity blend well together without any one flavor standing out too much. I really liked it!
And one more important point: the boss is very handsome. Hahaha! Everyone can come and verify for themselves. 🤣
Coffee, latte art, desserts, and service all meet a certain standard, making it feel great.
The cheesecake is rich and creamy, and the chiffon cake has a strong tea flavor; the whipped cream is smooth and not overly sweet. The hand-brewed coffee is also very unique, highly recommended. They offer coffee latte art lessons, and when you look at the landmark, you can really see various patterns.
Before going, I called to ask if pets were allowed. Upon arrival, the owner said it's fine for the dog to run around on the floor. It instantly felt like a lucky dog, greeting every table.🤣
♡︎ Hokkaido Snow Hidden Lemon Cheesecake 150
♡︎ Earl Grey Chiffon Cake 150
♡︎ Latte 8oz 140
♡︎ Single-Origin Hand-Brewed Coffee 180
Oat milk +20 / Minimum order of one drink per person.