32 best bars in Tokyo for cocktails, beer, gin, whisky and more

Tokyo Confidential is a refreshing addition to Tokyo’s cocktail scene. The stylish space doesn’t feel like a typical Japanese cocktail bar – not that there’s anything wrong with Tokyo’s more genteel drinking dens – as it offers a more casual and relaxed environment for you to just drop in without fussing over reservations and strict bar rules. At times, the bar doesn’t even feel like Tokyo at all – until you take in the unobstructed view of Tokyo Tower from the open-air terrace. 

The folks behind Tokyo Confidential have some serious street cred. Founder Holly Graham, for instance, was ranked in the top 10 of Bar World 100, a list of the globe's most influential figures in the bar industry. Head bartender Wakana Murata, on the other hand, was on the opening team of Tokyo Edition’s much-loaded Gold Bar.

Highlights include the Bronx Cheer, a refreshing drink made with sherry, grappa, soju, rosé wine and raspberry. For something stronger, go for the Cheung Fun Old Fashioned inspired by the classic Chinese rice roll dish featuring peanut and sesame bourbon, soy caramel and bitters.

Now independent from the SG Group, but still under the stewardship of founder and head bartender Atsushi Suzuki, The Bellwood continues to garner acclaim, even ranking at No. 32 on the most recent list of Asia's 50 Best Bars.

The bar’s decor features sepia-toned photographs, wood-relief finishings, and stained glass that evoke the Taisho-era cafe-bars where Japan’s cocktail culture began to flourish. But the drinks are anything but old-fashioned.

Cocktails range from the light and fruity Miyako Fizz which sees Zubrowka vodka, kombu and umeboshi topped with club soda, to the umami-packed, savoury Yaki-Bloody Mary with smoked vodka, yellow tomato, black garlic and mango. 

For those whose appetites are piqued by the drink menu, the experience is elevated further in an inner sanctum where The Bellwood’s executive chef Ayaka Terai crafts inventive nigiri paired with exclusive cocktails (¥12,000 per person). Reservations are essential.

The SG Club knows how to have fun with cocktails while still maintaining the level of professionalism that has come to exemplify Tokyo's cocktail scene. The bar was recently ranked No 23 on the 2024 Asia's 50 Best Bars list, making this the ninth consecutive year that The SG Club has secured a spot on the prestigious list.

The bar is spread out over two floors, each with a different concept and menu. The ground floor space, named Guzzle, is a casual watering hole. The basement, on the other hand, is named Sip, a sophisticated den with the vibes of a speakeasy and a shoe-shine service.

The elaborate drink menu is as eclectic as The SG Club's clientele, often blending influences and ingredients from both Japan and abroad to great results. The best part is, there's an English menu and there's no table/cover charge for Guzzle (Sip, however, adds on a service charge).

Hotel bars, in particular those in luxury properties, are often too genteel and intimidating, especially for non-staying guests. But Virtù at the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi breaks all luxury hotel bar stereotypes with fun and flair. The inspectors for Asia’s 50 Best Bars seemed to agree, as they placed Virtù in 11th place on the prestigious 2024 list.

Perched on the 39th floor with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, Virtù naturally has a gorgeous view of the financial district skyscrapers as well as Tokyo Skytree. But you might be too taken by the handsome interior to pay any heed to what’s outside. The art deco-inspired design brings to mind ‘The Great Gatsby’ and the style of the Roaring Twenties.

The menu features a surprising list of rare and vintage French alcohol, especially cognacs and armagnacs, complemented by a commendable selection of Japanese whiskies and spirits. This Paris-meets-Tokyo sensibility is also present in the conceptual menu, which categorises its extensive cocktail list into seven virtues derived from Japanese and French folklore.

A highlight is the super-smooth Smoked Ume Fashioned, which puts a twist on the classic old-fashioned by pairing homemade brandy umeshu (plum liquor) with an elegant Japanese whisky and woody hinoki bitters.

This cosy cocktail den hidden in the Toranomon Hills Business Tower has one of the most interesting bar concepts in Tokyo. The plant-filled, wood-accented interior is reminiscent of a plush safari lodge and hints at the bar’s botanical leanings. While the menu features drinks made with fruit and herbs, the hero here is the cacao.

Led by acclaimed bartender Shuzo Nagumo, Memento Mori celebrates cacao in its various forms – not just the final product that we are all too familiar with, ie, chocolate. The best way to savour this concept is with the Bean to Glass signature cocktail course, which comes with the option of having three, four or five items.

As Memento Mori takes pride in working with fair trade companies that source directly from farmers in different parts of the world, the menu goes into detail explaining the provenance of each cacao and its unique flavour profile. Madagascar cacao, for instance, possesses fruity acidity with a complex aroma while Colombian cacao has notes of black tea and honey. And you can really taste the terroir in the cocktails, of which there is a long list, ranging from reworked classics like Amazon Cacao Negroni (with cacao Campari) to new creations such as the dessert-like Caramel Mango Cake (with cacao vodka).

Hidden in a basement just a minute’s walk from Shibuya Station, Ishinohana is Shibuya’s answer to the high-end, Japanese-style cocktail bars of Ginza, but with a more relaxed vibe and far more inventive drinks. Seasonal cocktails are the speciality here, as owner-bartender Shinobu Ishigaki wields an array of fresh fruit and herbs when creating his distinctive concoctions: a gin and tonic is enlivened with kumquat, a margherita gets an injection of housemade cassis confiture, and a highball features dill and green apple syrup, for example. In fact, Ishinohana is so serious about its fruit that the menu indicates the provenance of its selections.

The menu, however, covers more grounds than just fruity concoctions. Aside from providing an enticing list of coffee cocktails and monthly recommendations, Shinobu can shake up many variations of three classic cocktails – old fashioned, negroni and bloody mary – reimagined with local ingredients and creative twists. The Japanese Old Fashioned, for instance, mixes shiitake-infused whisky with maple syrup and umami bitters while the Rose Negroni sings with beautiful floral notes thanks to the use of rosewater and rose petal-infused gin. 

If you’re a fan of these Japan-inspired cocktails, you’ll be spoilt for choice. The quality here is generally high, and first-time visitors should find the atmosphere considerably less intimidating than at Ginza's bartending temples.

Helmed by bartender Soran Nomura of acclaimed Asakusa standing bar Nomura Shoten, Quarter Room is a unique fusion of art and cocktails. Drawing inspiration from Renaissance and contemporary art and translating them into experimental cocktails, the bar menu lists drinks such as Peony and Butterfly, named after Shotei Watanabe’s painting ‘Picture of Peony with Butterfly’, as well as  Apple and Orange, which is a nod to Paul Cézanne's ‘Apples and Oranges’.

Behind the bar counter is a small ‘lab’, where Nomura experiments with different formulas for bottled cocktails. Once ready, these exclusive creations can be purchased at the kiosk by the entrance.

Beyond its innovative drinks, Quarter Room frequently welcomes guest artists for exhibitions while creating special limited-time cocktails inspired by the displayed art. Quarter Room is tucked away in the basement of Setagaya-Daita's Nakahara Sou complex.

This is simply one of the most inventive bars in Tokyo. When Gen Yamamoto opened back in 2013, it was one of the first bars in the world offering omakase cocktails. In other words, there's no menu to order from here. You simply choose a tasting set that ranges between four to seven drinks (¥6,200–¥9,000). If you've ever ordered a 'bartender's choice' menu, there's a good chance the concept here was the inspiration behind it. 

Yamamoto will serve the cocktails one at a time, explaining the origins of each ingredient (in English as well as Japanese). The whole experience lasts about 90 minutes. Don't worry about getting too tipsy – the drinks here are typically smaller and less alcoholic than what you'll find at most bars. But rest assured, you'll be getting value for money. The menu is constantly changing according to what's in season, so no two visits are likely to be the same.

Easily accessible on the 13th floor of Ginza Six, Mixology Salon looks more like a modern tea bar than an alcoholic one – and there’s a good reason for that. Specialising in what they call ‘teatails’, Mixology Salon’s signature cocktails are all made with its house blend of tea-infused spirits. You’ll find a wide range here, from hojicha-infused bourbon and soba cha vodka to oolong tea-flavoured rum and sencha gin.

For first-timers, we recommend you go for a teatail course, where you can choose between three to five drinks (¥5,400-¥9,300), each featuring a different type of tea. Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with the Green Tea Fashioned, a fresh, Japanese take on the classic Old Fashioned.

This cocktail bar in the bookstore neighbourhood of Jinbocho is helmed by Eiji Miyazawa, a well-known figure in the local cocktail scene who has seemingly won every industry gong going. Go check out its 160-strong international craft gin collection – of which 25 are Japanese labels, including Ki No Bi from Kyoto and Alchemiae from Gifu.

While purists will insist on tasting the gin on its own, the bar’s many cocktails are worth coming down off your high horse for. We particularly love the Matcha Chai Latte that’s infused with cinnamon, star anise and Ki No Bi gin. Like chai, it can be served hot or cold. But whatever your choice of cocktail is, you can expect them to be beautifully presented.

Hiding in plain sight on a Kuramae street corner, Tokyo Riverside Distillery makes inventive, quality spirits from food surplus and waste. It houses an on-site bar called Stage on the second floor, a slick single room that’s all copper fittings, polished concrete and potted plants. This is where the distillery really gets to strut its stuff. 

The cocktails here are made to showcase the company’s own spirits and its sustainability ethos, like the mojito made with TRD's Elegant gin and mint from the building’s own rooftop garden. Be sure to order the Cocktail from Beer, a fruity clarified milk punch featuring Revive (a gin distilled from leftover beer). You can order any of the gins in a G&T, or just neat if you really want to sample the spirit.

Just your everyday coffee shop... Or is it? Unlike other speakeasies, accessing Janai Coffee isn’t as simple as locating a secret passageway. Getting a seat at this coffee cocktail speciality bar requires a reservation, and making a reservation requires cracking the Janai Coffee website to access the secret booking site. We don’t want to spoil all the fun, so we’ll leave you with this tip: when on the Janai Coffee website, pay special attention to the shop logo and trace clockwise. (It’s easier on your phone.)  

If you’ve successfully made a reservation, head to the coffee shop, pull up the secret website on your phone and show the barista who will guide you to the hidden doorway. If you can’t prove you’ve deciphered the riddle on the website, the barista might deny there’s a bar hidden in the venue somewhere – they’re very dedicated to this well kept secret. 

This small watering hole, located off an alleyway just a few minutes' walk from Ebisu Station, stocks herbal liqueurs like Chartreuse and Picon as well as quality absinthe, appropriately served with a sugar cube and cold water. Bar Trench's original cocktails are also well worth a shot – who could resist names like 'Corpse Reviver #2' or 'Monkey Gland'? Complete with a aristocratic-looking bartender and an interior that reeks of fin de siècle France, this has to be one of the most interesting bars in Tokyo.

Tucked away off Ikejiri-Ohashi’s main shopping street, Lobby is a space made to feel as if you're hanging out in the lobby of a hip hotel. Try one of the many craft gins stocked at the bar or a signature cocktail like the Lobby made from muscat liqueur, mint, fresh cream and egg white for a frothy top. The interior is inspired by the cool industrial-style restaurants found in Sydney, Australia with cement walls, bench seats and a secret hideaway gallery space showcasing a rotating selection of unique art.

Upon entering The Hisaka, you'll first see the tasting room. This convivial area encourages patrons to sample an array of global gins you wouldn't come across in an ordinary bar. With a separate liquor-selling permit, owner-bartender Hirokazu Ogura has made it possible for guests to buy bottles of the gins they savour.

Venture deeper into the establishment and you'll discover the main bar, where Ogura's dedication to craft gin truly comes to life. This space exudes a more intimate and refined aura, akin to a hidden gin speakeasy. The expertly curated cocktail menu is a testament to Ogura's expertise and passion, featuring signature drinks like the 'Bear's Honey', a creative concoction blending Kumamoto's Bears Book Gin, Chartreuse Jaune, green tea, mikan honey and hoji tea agar.

The variety at The Hisaka is unmatched, with over 150 types of craft gin lining its shelves, from rare vintage bottles to unique imports not yet available elsewhere in Japan. It's a haven for gin enthusiasts and also warmly welcomes newcomers looking to explore the intriguing world of craft gin.

This cosy Nakameguro hangout reckons it’s Japan’s very first dedicated gin and tonic bar. It’s certainly well suited to the role, boasting shelves stocked with over 120 kinds of gin from around the world. 

Look out for local favourites like Roku Gin and Ki No Bi, popular brands such as The Botanist and Hendricks, and rare bottles like Bottega Bacur and Cruxland gin. If you’d rather something lighter, the bar even has a selection of non-alcoholic spirits designed to taste like gin, including Nema and Seedlip.

Not sure which gin to pick? No problem – just consult the bartender, or you can check out the bar’s dedicated Instagram menu to see the full list of gin available with a description of each bottle. For those feeling particularly adventurous, Antonic offers a 90-minute all-you-can-drink option which gets you unlimited gin and tonic for only ¥4,000 per person (last orders after 60 minutes). It’s a great way to try a new brand because you can choose any of the gin available at the bar that day and ask the bartender to whip you up a drink.

The luxe red interior and furnishings, brimming bookshelves and mood lighting at this secluded little lair are enough to get you through the door – and that’s before you even look at the incredible cocktail list. This self-described ‘library bar’ pays homage to Eiichi Shibusawa, a 19th century businessman and banker with a passion for tea and reading, who helped turn the area into the ‘Wall Street of Japan’.

Appropriately, you’ll find Asian tea blends featuring in brewed, stirred and shaken drinks. The cocktail list is produced by bartenders Soran Nomura (creator of many of our favourite cocktails in Tokyo, including those at The SG Club) and Kai Tanaka (owner of The Open Book in Shinjuku), with regal-sounding concoctions like The Shogunal Car, featuring Denki Bran, mezcal, tea and yuzu.

Great bartenders are like modern-day alchemists – and this analogy is especially true for Hiroyasu Kayama of Bar Benfiddich, who’s famed for creating spirits, liqueurs and cocktails from scratch, using herbs, spices, roots, fruits and plants harvested from his family farm. As such, there’s no menu; state your preferred base (whisky, gin, absinthe…) and taste, and Kayama will concoct your drink off-the-cuff, often using a pestle and mortar to mash up the botanicals as much as a conventional shaker.

The sister shop of Kyoto-based craft beer and sake bar Before 9, Another 8 opened in posh Meguro in a space that used to be a garage. It's a cool place for laidback drinking, and it tends to get very crowded on weekends, especially when there's a guest DJ playing.

Local craft beer is the speciality at Another 8; the place is equipped with eight taps and the selection changes frequently. However, there is also a small but well-curated selection of sake. The bar bites are pretty good too – we’re big fans of the marinated octopus and celery, while those looking for something more substantial will want to try the shirasu (whitebait) and daikon omelette.

Originating from Copenhagen, Denmark, Mikkeller Tokyo is set in a corner building in Shibuya’s love hotel-infested Hyakkendana. Offering a smallish but comfy stage for sipping both house brews and guest beers from Japan and beyond – there are 20 taps in total – it’s a wonderful addition to an offbeat neighbourhood where sex shops co-exist with stylish restaurants and even a Shinto shrine.

Partially opening up onto the street, the ground floor is where to enjoy a drink on your feet and always gets crowded once the sun goes down, while tables are found in the quiet space upstairs. Bringing a touch of Scandinavian flair to Shibuya, Mikkeller is the kind of place we’d like to stop by every night.

The best bar in Oku-Shibuya (‘inner Shibuya’) for a pint, Øl Tokyo is the local outpost of Oslo Brewing and exudes Scandinavian style: the furniture and part of the décor was flown in straight from Norway. The 20 taps serve a range of Nordic brews plus a rotating selection of guest beers. There's a food truck parked in front, offering a selection of Mexican street food including tacos and carnitas to complement the stellar craft beer.

As the name suggests, fresh, seasonal fruits form the basis for the cocktails at this classy bar near Ginza Station. Always innovating, the bartenders here are what you'd call open-minded traditionalists, drawing on a strictly limited array of mixology approaches to give their concoctions a little extra fizz. Look out for smoke rising from behind the bar, as they experiment with liquid nitrogen to create wild-looking but perfectly balanced 'frozen' cocktails. Their antics resemble an old-school magic show: not too flashy, a little mysterious, and always ending in a way that satisfies the viewer.

Tucked away in a basement on a quiet Daikanyama side street, Flying Bumblebee is the kind of bar that seems destined to spread by word-of-mouth. The entrance, via a nondescript concrete staircase, means you’re unlikely to stumble upon this place by chance. Once inside, the low lighting, sleek design and trip hop soundtrack make Flying Bumblebee feel like a secret you just can’t keep to yourself.

Owned and run by bartender Ai Igarashi, whose experience ranges from managing Ebisu stalwart Bar Trench to stints at Singapore’s D2tllry and Maison Ikkoku, Flying Bumblebee is decidedly different from your typical Tokyo cocktail bar. Instead of a standard setup with the bartender on one side and the customers on another, Flying Bumblebee has an open plan layout. A dark marbled island bar dominates the room and there are stools on both sides, creating an instant sense of intimacy as Igarashi glides back and forth, serving drinks and chatting to regulars.

Don’t expect any hefty leather bound menus here. In keeping with the minimalist space, the bar takes a less-is-more approach to the drinks. The single page menu is split into five standard and five seasonal cocktails.

If it's Japanese whisky you want, Zoetrope is the place to head. Tucked away on a back street in Nishi-Shinjuku, this intimate, dimly lit bar boasts a collection of bottles that's unrivalled anywhere else in the city: there are 300 varieties on offer, many of which are no longer even on the market.

Whisky geeks will relish the chance to sample rare bottlings from the likes of Mercian and up-and-coming distillery Venture Whisky, while beginners can start with a sampler set of choice malts from big dogs Suntory and Nikka (or opt for some draft microbrew).

Owner Atsushi Horigami isn't just a whisky fan – he's also a massive cinema geek, and recruited the late Takeo Kimura – a legendary art director in the world of Japanese film – to do the bar's décor. Horigami likes to screen films during the evening, meaning you can watch an old silent comedy or vintage animation while sipping your malt.

This Belgian beer pub is a copy of its original Brussels location, with a little bit of Japanese flavour thrown in for that local feel. The changing craft beer lineup ranges from ubiquitous Belgian beers to a few Belgian-Japanese collaborations – think a yuzu-infused weissbier for example, brewed in Kyoto with guidance from the Belgians.

Prices are similar to those at other craft or import beer pubs in the area (from around ¥850 for a regular glass) and their food menu is worth a gander too. Most dishes go around the ¥1,000 mark and are somewhere between actual meals and elaborate, filling bar snacks.

Just down the road from the famed Shin Udon, this casual brewery/gastropub is a great place to wind down from the intensity of Shinjuku. The first floor brewery pub is where to go for a craft beer, or three: the changing line-up of beers includes house brews and domestic favourites such as Niigata's Swan Lake. If you want something to nibble on with your beer, head to the seventh floor 'beer kitchen', which serves the same line-up of craft beers alongside a Western-inspired food menu.

Considering the monocromatic, sleek décor, it's a surprise that YYG won't set you back that much: beers go for ¥850 to ¥1,200, most appetisers are around the ¥900 mark and mains are from ¥1,000, with generous portions to boot, too. Unlike many other craft beer joints in Tokyo, YYG has a full English menu as well.

A mixture of shochu, club soda and lemon juice, the humble lemon sour (the Japanese kind, not the cocktail base) isn't the kind of drink you would think merits a specialist bar. You'll change your mind, however, after a visit to The Open Book at  Shinjuku's Golden Gai. Upon entering, your eyes are sure to fixate on the massive back wall, covered with books all the way to the ceiling.

Mr Tanaka, the owner, is actually a grandchild of the late Komimasa Tanaka, a Naoki Award-winning author and translator who is of course well represented in the Open Book library. The unique collection also includes tomes brought over by Komimasa For his signature sours, Tanaka uses a double-chamber Randall filter to bring out the zesty best in the lemons while mixing them with power-packed shochu and homemade lemon syrup, resulting in a harmony of sweet, sour and crisp.

Opened in 1989, this Tokyo institution is themed after the historic members-only Gaslight Bar in 1950s Chicago, which once counted Elizabeth Taylor as one of its many celebrity clients. While you’re unlikely to spot any Hollywood stars enjoying a nightcap in Kasumigaseki, this classy bar has a similarly discreet air and is known for featuring bartending greats such as Takao Mori.

Now nearing its 30th anniversary, this elegant bar is currently helmed by owner-bartender Noriyuki Iguchi, a big name in the local bar scene who won the 2007 National Bartender Skills Competition. Take a seat at the 20-foot long counter made from African teak and order Gaslight’s famous dry martini, which comes served in a Bohemia Crystal.

Some of the city’s bartending greats once worked at this basement drinking den, such as Yuichi Hoshi, who has gone on to open eight outlets throughout Japan, and Fumiyasu Mimitsuka, who now has his own bar in Ginza. Meanwhile, Kazuma Matsuo, who still works at the bar today, is a famed bartender on the local circuit.

Although it’s been open for 25 years, Little Smith still pops up in conversions about the top bars in Ginza. You wouldn’t guess its age based on the contemporary interior design, which boasts an unusually high four-metre ceiling. The sleek island bar made of wood and wrapped around an imposing column remains a much-loved aspect of Little Smith. It is the work of the late renowned architect Takahiko Yanagisawa, who was also responsible for some of Tokyo’s most iconic landmarks such as the Yurakucho Mullion and the Opera City Tower.

A trifecta of rough stone, warm wood and faint light welcomes the thirsty to Hulotte – 'owl' in French – an Azabu watering hole that regularly appears in flashy bar features praising its unique atmosphere. But this is no trendy date spot – far from it. It's much better suited to lone imbibers, who are prepared to make the hike from Azabu-Juban Station for the chance to sit quietly, sample a fine cigar and sip on a cocktail mixed up by Hulotte's master bartender, a veteran of Aoyama's extraordinary Radio. There is a seat for two at the very end of the room, but you'd probably have to come here at least a dozen times before they let you use it.

Established 40 years ago, the aptly named Grandfather’s started out with a playlist style that was uncommon at the time, blending together rock LPs one song at a time. Today, the tunes are a selection of popular music (mainly AOR and funk and soul) from the ’70s, when vinyl records were mainstream. However, the owner is constantly on the lookout for new music and if a modern artist wins his favour they’ll get some ‘airtime’ too.

After all these years, the interior is still well maintained, giving off a rich ambience that’s appropriate for such a venerable bar and that lends an extra level of charm to the music.

The beloved Old Imperial Bar is classic Tokyo: a genteel atmosphere, all decked out like a gentlemen’s club in dark wood and leather, presided over by a staff of immaculately dressed bartenders. It is the only place within the iconic Imperial Hotel which still retains art deco traces of its former 1923 building designed by the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

While the quality at most bars can be directly linked to the skills of an individual bartender, at Old Imperial Bar every mixologist is equally adept at creating an impeccable cocktail. For a drink that’s almost as storied as the bar, order the signature Mount Fuji, which has been on the menu since the early ’20s. It’s a perfectly balanced mix of gin, pineapple, lemon and egg white – and to match the bar’s old-world vibe – garnished with a glacé cherry.