Soirée

Soirée is defined by its deep, saturated blue light that spills through the front windows onto the sidewalk. Opened in nineteen forty-eight, the coffee house maintains the exact decor and stained glass style chosen by its founder, Shigetaro Nomura. He intended the dim, cobalt atmosphere to make women appear more beautiful, a concept he carried over from his pre-war experience in theater lighting. Most patrons here sit in the velvet booths, sipping coffee beneath the glow of original antique glass lanterns.