Best bars in Tokyo for date night

Seasonal cocktails are the speciality at Ishinohana, Shibuya's answer to the high-end cocktail bars of Ginza. At a basement location just a minute's walk from Shibuya Station, owner Shinobu Ishigaki wields an array of fresh fruit and vegetables when creating his distinctive drinks: try sharing your mood, and that of your companion’s, with Ishigaki and watch as he conjures up a gorgeous creation sure to satisfy both of your cravings. There are entire menus devoted just to mojitos and martinis, plus a sizeable list of originals in constant flux...

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. A jetsetter and frequent award-winner, founder-bartender Shingo Gokan has recently added a couple more trophies to his mantle: he was awarded the 'Altos Bartenders' Bartender' title at the 2019 Asia's 50 Best Bars while The SG Club came in at No. 13 on the 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...

When one thinks of Ginza bars, prim and prissy spaces affixed with a pricey drink list often come to mind. You can imagine how glad we were to have found Mixology Salon, which is bucking that stereotype with a relaxed attitude that also extends towards its inspired Japanese-take on cocktails. Easily accessible on the 13th floor of Ginza Six, this unpretentious space is a comfortable and welcoming space for a date. In fact, it 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...

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. A place for laidback drinking, this craft beer bar is perfect for first dates. The atmosphere is lively yet relaxed, totally devoid of the formality that common at many top bars in the city.

Although beer is the speciality at Another 8 – the place is equipped with eight taps – there is also a small but very nice selection of sake. The bar snacks 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.

A welcoming atmosphere, service that won’t let you down, rare whisky and brilliant cocktails, a cigar if the occasion calls for it, live jazz and a lavishly decorated interior – everything appears perfect for a date at Roppongi’s Maduro. Only thing is you’ll need to reach it first: after taking a winding approach through the lobby of the Grand Hyatt hotel and navigating a maze of hallways and elevators, you’ll need to cross through a mysterious passage that feels like walking on water before arriving at the bar’s heavy wooden doors, beyond which you’ll find a total of 108 seats reserved exclusively for sophisticated sippers...

Nihonbashi, the heart of old Edo, now has its share of high-rises, but none of these towers stand out quite like the one housing the Mandarin Oriental hotel. Directly accessible from Mitsukoshimae subway station and perched on the 37th floor, the hotel’s signature bar affords impressive views of the surrounding business district. But it’s not all about those Blade Runner-esque vistas. The Mandarin Bar is famed for its interior: local design hotshot Ryu Kosaka was asked to create ‘something sexy, but like nothing you’ve seen before’. His spacious layout incorporating a Zen pool and an array of designer furnishings succeeds on both counts...

When newly distilled whisky is stored in casks and matured, a minuscule amount of it evaporates every year, This lost portion is said to have been drunk by angels, and is thus referred to as the ‘angels’ share’. In other words, the powers that be give their blessing to the distiller in exchange for a tiny portion of his or her product. With its name derived from such an obscure term, you might suspect that this specialist bar in chic Futako-Tamagawa is one of those places where connoisseurs go to have endless conversations about whisky and its many nuances, scaring any couples far away before they even make it through the door. But you’d be wrong...

Named after the supposedly luck-bringing national flower of Tahiti, Tiaré is the domain of Yasuhiko Mizusawa, a former All-Japan bartending champion and a great proponent of making couples happy through the magic of cocktails. Known as the ‘Crown Prince of Fresh Fruit’, Mizusawa has published a book on the topic of fruit-based cocktails but doesn’t just use tropical fruits in his drinks: he is also fond of crafting little butterflies out of peel to decorate the glasses. Tiaré is the perfect spot for lovebirds who just want to focus on each other...

A veteran barman with stints at luxury hotels such as the Westin Tokyo and the Ritz-Carlton under his belt, Takeshi Saito exudes an aura of quiet confidence – this is a man who has seen the world, served it a stiff drink and listened to its stories. Saito’s Ebisu haunt follows his lead – the decor is smart, but the atmosphere is very welcoming. The conventional thing would of course be to just sit at the counter and watch the proprietor craft whichever cocktails he deems appropriate for the two of you, but we’d recommend heading to one of the table seats facing the windows. Looking down from the fifth floor...

The journey to the Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo’s classy bar is a significant part of its charm. Get yourself to Edogawabashi Station then, rather than hailing a cab, walk along the Kanda River with your date until you reach the hotel’s Kabukimon gate. Enter and admire the gorgeous Japanese garden you’ll find yourself in. Once you start feeling thirsty, cross the Benkei bridge and pick out a table at the luxurious Le Marquis. The four seats at the Italian marble-covered counter are appealing, but sinking yourself into one of the sofas probably makes for a more intimate atmosphere...

Couples not very familiar with but willing to learn more about whisky best make straight for this Aoyama hideout. Pass the church on the ground floor of the elegant Santa Chiara complex and climb the stairs to find the door to Whisky Library, distinguished by – of course – its bookcases. And as you’d expect, these shelves are filled not with dusty old tomes but with a stunning collection of more than 1,200 different distilled spirits, sourced from all of the world’s major whisky (and whiskey) regions. Aiming to help newbies learn more about the overwhelming variety of fine malts...

Finding your way up to this hotel bar right by Tokyo Station can be tricky, but nailing it on the first try is also a sure way to impress your companion. Skip the main entrance to the office-filled, 31-storey Pacific Century Place building on Sotobori-dori and instead make way for the right-hand side of the structure, where you’ll see a sign for the Four Seasons Hotel. Enter through the sliding doors, go all the way to the end of the corridor, take the dedicated elevator to the seventh floor and head around the back to encounter a bar so blissful that you’ll hardly believe it sits inside a faceless glass-and-steel tower...

Picking the Keio Plaza’s Sky Lounge as one of Tokyo’s top date bars might seem like a cliché, but we maintain that this expansive spot, reopened in December 2016 after a complete overhaul, is a reborn classic. The spectacular views of Shinjuku’s business district remain unchanged, but the chic, black-toned interior is all new. Also spruced up is the laidback counter-only bar in business since 1971 on the north side of the space. Its windows look out over all of Tokyo’s greatest hits: the metropolitan government building in the west, the Skytree, Tokyo Tower and central Shinjuku to the east, and Nishi-Shinjuku’s futuristic towers to the north...