Nakameguro, Tokyo: Starbucks Reserve Roastery
A premium Starbucks experience with a unique, Japanese twist at their second largest location in the world.
The second largest Starbucks in the world as of 2020, Tokyo’s Starbucks Reserve Roastery is an impressive coffee experience and is situated in the hip, artsy neighborhood of Nakameguro.
How to get there
Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo is a several minute walk from Nakameguro Station, which is accessible via the Tōyoko and Hibiya lines. It’s located along the Meguro riverside, one of the main destinations in the area.
The first floor coffee counters of Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo was the 5th of its kind, and the opening was a huge event.
It’s been a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, so much so that it’s typical to have to go to the building next door in order to pull a number for a time slot. They use a system called AirWAIT, and you’ll be able to check how many people are in front of you in real-time.
Because tourism is almost non-existent in this 2020 summer, I seized the opportunity and checked it out.
Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo was formerly the biggest Starbucks in the world, edging out Starbucks Reserve Roastery Shanghai (which I also visited) in 2019 before being dethroned later that year by Chicago’s. It is 4 stories and 32,000 sq. ft. (2,973 sq. meters) big.
Sakura cask at Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
It’s centered around a 56-foot (17 meter) high copper cask, decorated with 2,100 copper cherry blossom flowers and leaves, handcrafted by Japanese artisans.
This perfectly aligns not only with Japan, but also with the neighborhood since the Meguro river right next to it is known for its cherry blossoms. I personally consider it to be one of Tokyo’s top 5 photogenic cherry blossom spots.
Cherry blossoms over the Meguro River which is next to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
The attention to detail at this location is fantastic, and something very Japanese.
The shop was designed by top Japanese architect Kuma Kengo, who has designed other Starbucks locations like the one in Dazaifu, Fukuoka, as well as the Tokyo Olympic Stadium and many other buildings.
The ceiling brings forth images of Japanese wood crafts, and was indeed inspired by origami. Much of the wood in the shop, from counters to tables to walls, are made of Japanese cyprus.
Even the staff demonstrated the Japanese “omotenashi” hospitality mixed with a friendly touch. There were no shortage of smiles (despite masks) and even when I felt my camera may be distracting, they’d give a thumbs up, invite me to take closer shots, and even offered to start brewing coffee for a better shot.
The first floor
Brew station and coffee bar on the first floor of Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
The first floor focuses on coffee, baked goods and the gift shop.
Taking up the majority of the floor are the main coffee bar and the bean roasting facilities. The first floor’s roaster is at the base of the copper cask, flanked by the main bar which serves an enormous range of coffees.
From 5 different brew methods comes coffees like whiskey barrel-aged cold brew, and concoctions with names such as Melrose-Tokyo, Shakerato-bianco and Pepper nitro with with a Jerky-twist.
Princi bakery at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
Princi, a bakery from Milano, has one of their three Tokyo locations here. From artisan sandwiches to tarts to sourdough bread, there’s likely something that will be appealing.
After trying their mango baguette and Princi loaf, I was sold! Basically they’re my new favorite bakery. We even went to their Daikanyama location the next week to buy more.
The gift shop area has everything coffee and Starbucks related, including clothing and a collaboration castella cake with famous, nearby Japanese bakery Fukusaya [J].
The shop was actually smaller than I expected, especially after seeing the size of Shanghai’s location and the fact that Japanese love buying souvenirs. In any case, there’s likely something you’ll at least consider purchasing.
The second floor
TEAVANA at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
The stairs to the right of Princi leads up to the second floor, which is Starbucks’ tea-focused floor - TEAVANA.
There’s a main counter, a seating area, a separate tea section that brings you closer to the different types of tea, and a wall for tea items available for purchase.
The third floor
ARRIVIAMO Bar at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
The third floor was where we decided to take a seat. It’s divided into a few sections - a second roasting facility, an outdoor seating area and the ARRIVIAMO Bar.
The bar is where coffee craft and mixology comes together, and a handful of skilled bartenders create and serve a range of coffee-inspired cocktails and mocktails.
We ordered two drinks: A Silver Needle Highball and a Starbucks Reserve Espresso Martini.
The Silver Needle Highball was made with white tea and was officially described as having a gentle scent, light floral taste and silky texture. It was very subtle and smooth, the most refined highball I’ve ever had.
The Starbucks Reserve Espresso Martini was made with single origin Rwanda Abakundajawa coffee (officially described as having a medium roast and body, with hints of tangerine zest, graham crackers, and nougat, and being smooth and sweet), single malt vodka, vanilla syrup and bean to bar chocolate. After debating the steep ￥2,000 price, I went for it and have zero regrets. It was ridiculously good.
The fourth floor
Outdoor deck at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
The top floor is called AMU Inspiration Lounge, and is mainly a seating area. There’s both an indoor area and outdoor deck space.
Like the third floor deck, it looks out to a view of the Meguro river, which will be beautifully covered in pinkish-white cherry blossoms during the spring.
The 24th anniversary of Starbucks’ first store in Japan - sign at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
What was cool about our visit, and it was completely coincidental, was that it was on the 24th anniversary of Starbucks’ opening their first shop in Japan.
The first shop was in Ginza, Tokyo, and the first order was a double tall latte.
“Straight from cask to cup” signs around the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
Everything here was amazing and once again, I found myself really impressed by Starbucks Reserve Roastery.
It’s a culmination of a global coffee chain focusing on the craft and details, and adding their own artistic twist to it in order to create a premium experience for coffee fans.
Worth a visit.
Bagging station at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
Above the main coffee bar at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
“Handpicked at the roastery” window at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
“Tokyo” coffee card wall at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo
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Shanghai, China: Starbucks Reserve Roastery
A premier Starbucks experience at their third largest location in the world.
The third largest Starbucks in the world as of 2020 (second largest at the time of this visit), Shanghai’s Starbucks Reserve Roastery is an impressive coffee playground. It represents everything Starbucks is about and fits it into one location.
How to get there
Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery is located on West Nanjing Road in a nice area full of fashion and high end shops from Chanel and Dior to Nike Kicks Lab and Levi’s. It’s right across the street diagonally from exit 11 at West Nanjing Road metro station (南京西路) on Line 13.
Package station and first floor of Starbucks Reserve Roastery Shanghai
Starbucks has its fair share of critics, but it’s always around us no matter where we live. So when I had planned to be in Shanghai, I decided I had to check this location out.
Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery is formerly the biggest Starbucks in the world before Tokyo’s Nakameguro location dethroned it in 2019. It is 2 open stories and 30,000 sq. ft. (2,787 sq. meters) big.
Brew station and coffee bar on the first floor of Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery
The first floor
At the center of the first floor is the bean roasting facilities, packaging station, and large Chinese-themed bronze cask that houses their nitrogen-infused tea drinks.
The gift shop area takes up a significant portion of the floor and is full of multiple variations of everything coffee-related as well as clothing and more.
There are 2 coffee bars on this level with one featuring chocolates. There’s also a bakery counter and deli.
Chocolate counter at Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery
The second floor
The stairs overlooking the packaging area will lead you to the second floor, with the first area being Starbucks’s tribute to tea - TEAVANA. It’s just as impressive as their coffee bars, rightfully so as it is in China.
Along with tea, the second floor has a cold brew coffee area, a pastries and bakery counter, another brew station and coffee bar as well as a roaster.
There’s a decent amount of seats on the second floor for people to sit and enjoy their drinks, sipping to the occasional sound of coffee beans being shot through the pipes above.
Brew station and coffee bar on the second floor of Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery
The menu
As expected, the Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery’s menu is quite extensive. Different coffees, teas, cakes, pies, pastries, chocolates and everything in between.
We stuck with mixed drinks for the evening.
Amongst the mixed coffee drinks were the Emerald City Mule (Cold brew, ginger ale, burnt cinnamon syrup and lemon, finished with an apple slice) and the exclusive Shanghai Lane Romance (Cold brew, plum-flavored syrup and Chinese yellow rice wine and preserved plums infused with wine and coffee).
Tea mixed drinks had selections like Citrus Mint Mojito (citrus jasmine tea muddled and shaken with mint, Demerara sugar and lime, and tonic and sparkling water along with rum) and the exclusive Youthberry Prosecco (chilled Youthberry tea layered with bubbly prosecco, and vermillion sugar cubes).
These were just a few of the selections.
Everything here looked really good and it would be great to sit at the counter and learn about coffee from one of the baristas.
This is one of the prime showcases to how a global coffee chain still focuses on the craft while steering towards the future. Impressive and worth the visit.
Brew station and coffee bar on the first floor of Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery
Bakery counter on the second floor of Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery
Some pastries and baked goods at Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery
Starbucks Reserve Cold Brew Bar on the second floor of Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery
Different types of coffee beans on the second floor of Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery
“Shanghai” wall made from coffee packages at the Starbucks Reserve Shanghai Roastery
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Bali: Nau Villas - An Immersive Ubud Stay
My review on Nau Villas - A relaxing Ubud getaway that seamlessly and luxuriously immerses you in the surrounding nature
Have you ever arrived at a hotel and thought, do I really need to leave and sightsee?
Actually, I'll start from the beginning. Have you ever been on a trip and as you were headed to your hotel wondered, where the hell am I?
I was on a trip to Bali, staying in Seminyak and Ubud, and those were my first two thoughts when I arrived at Nau Villas.
We caught a taxi up from Seminyak, and after getting lost hitting a collapsed bridge, we made a turn onto an old road that was more broken rocks than road. With the car's shocks being severely tested, I looked around, saw only rice fields and thought, where are we?!
Any and all worries disappeared after checking in.
After the lime-mint slush welcome drink and the golf cart ride down to our villa, I knew that this would be an amazing stay.
Here are 5 reasons it was:
1. Beautiful, spacious rooms
The rooms are decorated nicely - they feel luxurious yet authentic. The high ceiling made it feel even more spacious as did the big window doors that open out to the private pool deck area.
There's a Bang & Olufsen speaker if you want music as well as a nicely sized flatscreen TV.
We had room #3 (there are 10 total) which was towards the higher end of the road closer to the reception area. Even though there were rooms above and below, it almost felt like we were all alone at the resort. It's a perfect environment to kick back and relax, especially on the comfy king-sized bed.
2. Outdoor bathroom
I'll admit, the outdoor bathroom took some getting used to. There aren't many cases where using the toilet, taking a shower or soaking in a bath is a "public" experience.
Once I realized that the villas are thoughtfully designed for privacy even when there are no doors or walls, I became ok being in nature when nature called.
Being able to look up at the star-filled night sky while taking a shower actually helped perfect the Bali experience. After all, it doesn't make sense to stay in the middle of rice fields only to use a small, enclosed bathroom, right?
3. Private pool area
The private pool area was amazing. The water itself was a little too cold to be honest, but cooling off in your own pool on a hot Bali day is nothing to complain about.
With the table for two set up on the deck, we used this area to have breakfast as well as watch sunsets. The area is open with no walls, and because the pathway is below the deck, there was never anyone getting in between us and the surrounding nature.
4. Great food service
Nau Villas basically had an all-you-can-eat breakfast that they'd bring to our room and set up for us so that we could eat poolside.
There were several categories to choose from for breakfast, and you can choose something from each or just order one thing.
Drinks: 5 different coffees, 6 teas, hot chocolate and milk
Tropical fresh fruit salad
Fresh fruit juice: Watermelon, H. melon, papaya, pineapple, orange
Healthy juice: Carrot and Ginger on the Green, Spicy Ginger Pineapple, The Beetroot Sun, The Minty Cucumber
Cheese platter
Cereal
Pastries: Pancakes, waffles, toast, croissant, danish, French toast
Yogurt
Smoothie bowls: Dragon Bowl (mango, banana, dragonfruit, mixed berries, coconut milk), Be Strong (mango, banana, pineapple, coconut milk), Coconut Breeze (red dragonfruit, pineapple, banana, coconut water)
Egg dishes: 7 different styles of eggs, omelets and a condiment on the side
Indonesian dishes, breakfast salad bowl, Balinese healthy breakfast options of Loloh or Jamu Kunyit
My personal favorites were the eggs benedict, Vietnamese coffee and all of the smoothie bowls.
5. Luxurious service
What's a resort getaway without good service, right?
Despite only opening in December 2017, 5 months before our stay, the staff operated like veterans from the time Esty, one of the receptionists, helped us with our reservation.
They were all extremely accommodating, helpful and patient. They also seemed to genuinely care about the resort - something that was obvious in the quality of service that they gave.
Convenient transportation services are available, that is, in case you want to leave.
There's a free shuttle a few times a day that transports guests to and from Ubud town, about 30 minutes away.
For about 600,000-900,000 IDR ($42-63 USD), Nau Villas also provides private, custom tours. Our driver, Kadek, who had traveled the world while previously working on a cruise ship, took us around for 2 days in which I wrote about, and explained a lot about the places we were at and about some of the local culture.
A table near the reception area available for meals or just to relax
Nau Villas was very carefully and impressively thought through.
Everything from the terraced villas to the villa design itself to the secluded dining tables makes you feel as if you are the only ones at the entire resort.
They provide an experience that seamlessly immerses you in the island's nature at almost every moment, never once feeling like you're not on a relaxing, spa-like getaway.
If you're reading this and are planning to stay in the Ubud area, consider Nau Villas. It's a fantastic deal to say the least. I had a great experience and would love to stay there again sometime.
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Maybe the most photogenic city in the world, Hong Kong is also a favorite of mine.