Stockholm Roast was a chance discovery on my way to the office during the second of my two trips to Tokyo in 2018. At the time, it was inside the Tobacco Stand, an old-fashioned smoke shack, for want of a better word, but this closed in September 2019, with Stockholm Roast taking over as a standalone operation.

There’s not much to Stockholm Roast, just a small, square kiosk with a couple of stools inside at the counter, plus two tables, a wooden sofa and an armchair outside in a sheltered seating area. There are a pair of takeaway windows, one here, the other on the street, with a handful of stools, but otherwise that’s it.

Stockholm Roast gets its coffee from the roaster of the same name in Sweden, with the Transatlantic Blend on espresso, all the shots pulled on a La Marzocco Linea Mini espresso machine. This is joined by another blend (Tokyo) and two or three single-origins on pour-over, while if you’re hungry, there’s a daily selection of fresh cakes and pastries.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

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Stockholm Roast literally caught my eye while walking past on my way to the office during the second of two trips to Japan in 2018. On Aoyama Dori, just northeast of Omotesando Station and its junction with Omotesando Avenue, it’s in good company: Blue Bottle Coffee, Maruyama Single Origin and the new Café Kitsuné all inhabit the narrow streets just behind Stockholm Roast.

It’s part of the Commune, a long, narrow alley lined with bars, food stands and the like, with plenty of outdoor seating. Stockholm Roast’s location, in a kiosk on the right-hand side of the alley’s entrance, means that it catches both passing trade on Aoyama Dori (which is how it caught me) plus those going into the alley.

If you’re in a hurry, there’s a takeaway window on Aoyama Dori, so you don’t even have to go inside. Alternatively, head to the kiosk’s left, where there’s a small, raised, covered terrace with the outside seating. There’s another takeaway window here on the right, where the pastries are displayed, so if you are sitting outside, you can order without having to go in. Alternatively, head inside using the door to the left of the takeaway window.

Stockholm Roast is pretty much a cube, the back and right-hand walls (as seen from the street) lined with coffee and related products (plus some unrelated items, like muesli). The counter occupies the front of the kiosk, which takes up maybe two thirds of the floor space. There’s not much space, so it can be a bit of a squeeze, but there are a couple of stools at the counter if you want to sit inside, the perfect place to chat with the baristas.

Stockholm Roast quickly became my go-to place, a combination of its location, very friendly staff and, of course, excellent coffee, making it the ideal calling point both on the way to the office in the morning (it opens at nine o’clock, a rarity in Japan) and when popping out during the day (it’s close enough to the office that I can reliably get there and back during coffee breaks).

I visited on three consecutive days in 2018, trying the espresso, cappuccino (both using the Brazilian house-blend, Transatlantic) and a pour-over. I was back in Tokyo twice in 2019, once in September and again in November. As before, Stockholm Roast was my go-to coffee stop, and I enjoyed multiple flat whites in my HuskeeCup, as well as various pour-overs in my Therma Cup and Global WAKEcup. I also had a shot or three of the espresso.

If you want to know what I made of the coffee during my first visit in 2018, check out my original write up, while you’ll find details of all the coffee I had on my two trips in 2019 in my Coffee Spot Update on Stockholm Roast.

November 2019:  this is an updated version of the original post which was published in October 2018. You can see what has changed in my Coffee Spot Update.

December 2019: Stockholm Roast was a runner-up for the 2019 Best Takeaway Coffee Award.

If you enjoyed this Coffee Spot, then take a look at the rest of Tokyo’s speciality coffee scene with the Coffee Spot Guide to Tokyo.

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