Awesome Tokyo cafe’s less-than-a-buck beer is so cheap it’s almost criminal

The name of the restaurant is Coffee Mafia, but it’s the poster for 100-yen beer that has our attention.

Earlier this week, 7-Eleven broke our hearts by canceling its plans to start selling draft beer in its Japanese branches for the ludicrously low price of just 100 yen (US$0.90). We admit, we cried a little…but then we dried our tears and picked ourselves up. We were not giving up on the dream of 100-yen beer, because our three mottoes in life are:

1. Stay hungry
2. Stay thirsty
3. Stay cheap

And so we threw ourselves into research, searching for a substitute, and we finally found one!

Located in downtown Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood, Coffee Mafia (which also has a branch in the city’s Iidabashi district) is, as the name implies, primarily a coffee specialist. However, they serve beer too, and as of July 18, just one day after 7-Eleven cancelled its affordable alcohol plans, Coffee Mafia started its summer promotion, where until August 31 draft beer costs just 100 yen. Oh, and that’s including tax, so you really can order a beer and pay for it with a single 100-yen coin.

Coffee Mafia pours its beer into the same cups it serves its coffee in, so if the foam hasn’t settled yet, it actually looks like you’re sipping a latte instead of imbibing a brew. The cafe also has food, and since we were saving so much on beer, we splurged on a plate of thick-cut roast beef for 800 yen, which was decadently delicious.

▼ The cafe’s outdoor table feels great on a warm summer night.

100 yen gets you a small-size beer, but you can also upgrade to a medium or large for 190 or 280 yen, still both extremely low prices for owntown Tokyo. Speaking of the location, Coffee Mafia is just a few blocks from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (also called “Tocho”) and its free observation towers, and since the café is open until 11 p.m., it’s a great place to stop off for a drink after seeing the city from above, even if all you’ve got is a single 100-yen coin in your pocket.

Cafe information
Coffee Mafia (West Shinjuku branch) / コーヒーマフィア（西新宿店）
Address: Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Nishi Shinjuku 6-12-16, Tenku Mura 2nd floor
東京都新宿区西新宿6-12-16天空MURA2F
Open 8 a.m.-11 p.m.
Closed Saturdays, Sundays, holidays
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24

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