It’s official. The world’s biggest Starbucks is now situated in Tokyo, thanks to the coffee chain’s brand spanking new Reserve Roastery that opened in the Japanese capital city last week. What was once a title held by Shanghai is now bestowed on the Nakameguro store, which covers 32,000 sq ft in its four-story space.
This marks the brand’s fifth roastery on the planet, following outlets in cities like New York, Milan, Seattle, and Shanghai. For a quick breakdown, the building houses a cafe with goodies by Milanese bakery Princi on the first floor, the globe’s largest Teavana tea room with 20 brew varieties on the second level, an Arriviamo cocktail bar with coffee-centric drinks like espresso martinis on the third floor, and a lounge/workshop area with a roasting factory and Starbucks’ biggest roaster on the highest level.
Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the interior is sleek and contemporary, inspired by the cherry blossom trees around its location along the Meguro River. It also features an outdoor terrace that offers a glimpse of the blooms, best seen during their peak.
On the menu, about 60 coffee and tea brews are exclusive to the Tokyo store, with new concoctions such as black tea lattes with turmeric and cardamom or jasmine teas served with popsicles. You can take home a variety of freshly roasted coffee beans as well, if you can’t resist the fragrant lure of java.
