A must-visit café for coffee lovers: freshly ground organic coffee from Hollywood

▲ Cappuccino.

Photos and text / excerpted from"Tokyo Gourmet Selection: 42 Master Chefs' Signature Restaurants" by Joanne Huang, published by Style流行风

Urth Caffé
~ Organic Coffee from Hollywood ~

Those who have been to Los Angeles, USA, may have heard of Urth Caffé, the super-famous first organic coffee shop in the United States. The company was actually established as early as 1989, initially focusing on selling organic coffee beans. It wasn’t until 1994 that the first café opened on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, an area lined with high-end boutiques. The café quickly gained popularity among Hollywood celebrities and stars, and was ranked as the No. 1 coffee restaurant in Los Angeles by Los Angeles Magazine, propelling it to fame. The shop has since opened branches in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Downtown Los Angeles, and Old Town Pasadena, each attracting long lines of locals and tourists.

Since opening its first café, Urth Caffé has long been loved by Asian customers. In April 2013, it expanded into Japan. Its first location was set in Daikanyama—a tranquil, elegant area with a foreign vibe—hoping to bring a laid-back, casual American coffee culture to Asia. The store quickly caused a sensation, with almost daily long queues. Visitors weren’t just local Japanese coffee fans but also tourists from around the world, showing that Urth Caffé was already well known internationally. In May 2014, its second Tokyo store quietly opened in a back alley behind Omotesando Hills, continuing the tradition of serving its own freshly ground organic coffee with no chemical additives.

Unlike typical cafés, Urth Caffé pays great attention to the sourcing and production process of its coffee beans. To ensure all partners meet its strict standards for product quality and ethical sourcing, the company decided to vertically integrate the entire coffee bean production process and collaborate with specific organic coffee farms. It uses only shade-grown, certified fair trade organic coffee beans, maintaining full control over the procurement, roasting, and sales processes to guarantee customers enjoy the highest-quality organic coffee.

▲ Plain pancake.

The new store located in an Omotesando backstreet is tucked inside a multi-brand boutique fashion store. Aside from indoor seating, there is also a relaxing outdoor terrace in the backyard, giving off a subtle Southern California vibe—very laid-back and cozy. In addition to organic coffee and tea, Urth Caffé’s menu features a wide range of options, including breakfast, brunch, salads, sandwiches, pancakes, and cakes—all made mostly with organic ingredients to be easy on the body, allowing guests to indulge without worry. When visiting Urth Caffé with friends, consider ordering different drinks to sample various flavors while admiring the cute and intricate latte art unique to Urth Caffé!

▲ Organic bubble tea.

Joanne’s Foodie Whisper
Popular items at the store include lattes, matcha lattes, coffee frappés, and organic coffee-flavored pancakes. Urth Caffé’s bubble tea series is also quite popular, with large tapioca pearls that have the perfect soft yet chewy texture—perfect for hot summer days.

Don’t underestimate the few American cookies placed at the counter—whether chocolate chip, oatmeal, or walnut chocolate chip, they’re all delicious.
Although the outdoor seating in the backyard feels comfy and relaxed, note that the metal chairs have grid-like holes and no cushions. So ladies wearing skirts or shorts might want to choose seats carefully.

Shop Information
Phone: 03-6447-4771
Address: 4-9-8 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, SO-CAL LINK OMOTESANDO
Nearest station: Chiyoda Line / Ginza Line / Hanzomon Line – Omotesando Station
Business hours: 10:00–20:00 (last order at 19:00)
Closed: None
Seating: 50 seats
Prices: ¥700–¥2,000
Website:http://www.urthcaffe-japan.com