Neighbors Café

Matcha, hojicha and a Japanese-French counter

Neighbors Café is the daytime counter at 1 Hotel Tokyo in Akasaka, built for food eaten on the move and stocked with organic, locally sourced ingredients. The drinks split three ways. Coffee covers espresso, americano, latte and cappuccino, plus a Banana-Miso Caramel Latte and Mitsumoto cold drip. Matcha and hojicha get equal billing, with an Organic Matcha Latte, a Dirty Matcha Latte, Strawberry Matcha Dream, and Hoji Harmony, which is iced hojicha with oat milk, banana and miso caramel. Tokyo producers are named on the counter rather than hidden in the supply chain, among them The Matcha Tokyo, a honey farm and an organic granola maker, and that is the clearest sign of how the place thinks about sourcing.

Morning, afternoon, all day

The menu is organised by time of day rather than by course, which tells you what kind of room this is. Mornings bring onigiri and a miso soup infused with sake lees alongside French bakery items: Twist Kaya, Croissant aux Amandes, Pain au Raisin and Pain au Chocolat. Later the counter turns toward an Anko Butter Salt Roll and a seasonal dessert selection. The all-day section carries the more substantial things, including a vegan bagel sandwich with avocado, plant-based meat, tomato and lettuce, and a croissant sandwich made with a vegan croissant, comté, bologna ham and olives. Smoothies and light bites fill in around all of it for anyone who wants the visit to be a short one. Pastries are baked in house each day, and the pastry lead works in a seasonal register, precise without being fussy.

Start with the Strawberry Matcha Dream

For a first order, Strawberry Matcha Dream is the clearest signature: iced matcha with strawberry and nama cream. Hoji Harmony is the other distinctive one if roasted tea appeals more than green. Coffee drinkers can stay classic with an espresso, americano, latte or cappuccino, or take the Banana-Miso Caramel Latte or the Mitsumoto cold drip for something specific to this counter. Pair the drink with onigiri if you want the savoury Japanese side of the menu, or go to the pastry case for Pain au Chocolat, Croissant aux Amandes, Pain au Raisin, Twist Kaya or the Anko Butter Salt Roll. The two halves of the menu, Japanese and French, are meant to be mixed, and the best orders here usually take one thing from each.