1. Ben Fiddich, Shinjuku
Address: Japan, 〒160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Nishishinjuku, 1 Chome−13−7 大和家ビル 9F (Google Maps)
This is probably one of my favourite bars in the world, not just in Tokyo. I stumbled across this little gem looking for a gin bar but boy, did I get more than that! Located on the 9th floor of a commercial building, this cosy bar serves up some of the best cocktails in the world.
The owner, Hiroyasu Kayama, grows his own herbs and spices from his family farm and creates his own herbal infusions. They also distill their own liquor. The gin and whisky cocktails were absolute winners! This place is super popular so I would highly recommend making a reservation (Note: they only accept reservations one day in advance). They are also closed on a Sunday.
2. Albatross, Golden Gai Shinjuku
Address: 1 Chome-1-7 Kabukicho, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0021, Japan (Google Maps)
Website: www.alba-s.com
Located in a tiny alleyway, Albatross is a cosy three-storey bar with a Victorian-baroque interior. Downstairs, there are around 8 seats that surround the bar so you get to see the mixologists work their magic. As you can imagine, downstairs fills up pretty quickly, so we ended up sitting upstairs. The stairwell is narrow and quite steep and as you can imagine not something you want to be navigating with drinks in your hand; don’t worry Albatross has this covered – you can order drinks through a hidden door in the floor directly above the bar and the drinks are then passed up to you from the bar. On the top floor, there is an open balcony where you can enjoy the view and the chaos of the Tokyo with a drink in your hand.
There is also sister bars located in Koenji and Omoide Yokocho.
3. Not Suspicious, Golden Gai Shinjuku
Address: 1 Chome-1-6 Kabukicho, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0021, Japan (Google Maps)
The best way to experience Golden Gai is to stroll along the alleyways but we were given a recommendation from a friend to hit up “Not Suspicious”. It took some time to find as they are not listed on Google Maps but eventually we found it (look for this door). We meandered up the narrow stairwell to this upstairs bar which has a very unique character – simple, quirky and super friendly. The bar was lined from floor to ceiling with notes from past customers, which added to the charm – you can leave your own personalised note there too as they provide crayons and paper. The bar only has 8 seats (some people are allowed to stand). By the time we left, we had made friends with the bartender and all of the other customers – yup we were all doing shots together!
Drinks were really reasonably priced, around drinks are ¥800 and no tax. An additional bonus, there is no cover charge!
4. Dagashi Bar, Ebisu
Address: 1 Chome-13-7 Ebisunishi, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0021, Japan (Google Maps)
Remember what it felt like stepping into a candy shop as a kid, mesmerised by all of the colourful wrappers that lined the shelves?
If you fancy reliving that childhood nostalgia, look no further than this retro bar with all-you-can-eat Japanese snacks. “Dagashi” is the Japanese equivalent to penny sweets. For a cover charge of ¥500, you help yourself to any of the snacks that are laid out all at the snack buffet and also around the bar. The only rules are that you must buy at least one drink and you cannot take snacks home.
We went to the one at Ebisu, shortly before we went for dinner at Ebisu Tokocho (for more information, check out my “Must Eats in Toyko! ” post. There are multiple branches at Ningyocho (Google Maps), Ikebukuro (Google Maps) and Shibuya (Google Maps).
You can make reservations at Ebisu Dagashi Bar online HERE.
Enjoy!
Follow me on Instagram or Twitter – @Gobbytraveller and hashtag #IGmealtime for a shout out.
Eat.Cook.Travel.
Gobbytraveller 