Bars & Cocktails

Bar LUKE opened in September 2017 as the sister bar of Chianti PoP, which the site describes as a long-standing bar in Okachimachi, and the two are only a few seconds apart on foot. Between them they pour over 90 whiskies and more than 190 drinks in total, including cocktails, wine, sake and shochu, and both serve the same food menu. LUKE has 6 counter seats and 15 table seats and is in the basement. Both bars stay open until 4:30 the next morning, but they close on different days: LUKE on Sunday and Chianti PoP on Tuesday.

Good to know

• The two bars close on different days: Bar LUKE is closed on Sundays, Chianti PoP on Tuesdays. Chianti PoP opens at 18:00 and also closes at 4:30 the next morning.
• Bar LUKE is in the basement.
• For groups of four or more it helps to call ahead so that tables can be rearranged. LUKE 03-6240-1795, Chianti PoP 03-3831-8962.
• When booking, the bar asks you to mention that you saw the website.
• It is not clear when the official site was last updated, so call to confirm that the bar is open before visiting.
• Payment methods are not stated on the official site, and whether prices include tax is not stated either.

The Corridor-street branch of the standing bar, in a basement in Ginza 8-chome two minutes from the Ginza exit of Shimbashi Station, holding up to 80 guests. Its own English page describes it by its corridor-street setting and its DJ events, which makes it the loudest of the three.

The ticket system is the same: at least three tickets per person on arrival, ¥330 each with tax, no table charge, exchangeable for any of the 150-odd drinks. One original cocktail, the NEO TOKYO at three tickets, is served only here. On Fridays, Saturdays and the night before a holiday it stays open until 2:00.

Good to know

• You must buy at least three tickets per person on arrival; the minimum spend is therefore ¥990 including tax.
• There is no table charge, and tickets are valid at all three branches.
• This is a standing bar — there are no seats to book.
• Happy hour runs until 19:00.

A bar-style restaurant on the ground floor of the Asakusa View Hotel, open from 17:30 to 22:00 with last orders at 21:00 for food and 21:30 for drinks. The room has a high ceiling and music playing, and is meant to be walked into rather than planned around.

It is the plain option in a hotel whose other two night venues both charge for the seat: the bar on the twenty-eighth floor and the buffet on the twenty-sixth. There is no view from here, and no table charge.

Good to know

• On the ground floor, so there is no view; the window seats are upstairs and cost extra.
• Food last orders are at 21:00, half an hour before drinks.

YONA YONA BEER WORKS is a craft beer pub pouring the beers of Yoho Brewing on tap, a couple of minutes from Shinjuku-sanchome Station in the basement of a building behind Bic Camera. Beers are poured in three sizes, 250ml, 400ml and 550ml, and there are tasting sets of three or of ten. Food runs from salads and mac and cheese to whole roast chicken, which the pub notes takes 25 to 40 minutes to cook. All prices on the menu include tax and the whole pub is non-smoking.

Good to know

• The whole pub is non-smoking.
• All listed prices include tax.
• The all-you-can-drink courses are for two people or more.
• Roast chicken and fried chicken take about 25 to 40 minutes to cook.
• Takeaway is canned beer only; the pub does not sell draught beer by volume to take away.
• Book online through the reservation page or by phone on 050-1808-8835.
• There is free Wi-Fi and no car park.
• The number of seats, any closing day and any age limit are not stated on the official page.

Ueno Shojyo is a bar specialising in junmai sake, run by an owner who holds both sake sommelier and wine sommelier qualifications and selects bottles from across Japan. The chilled sake line-up changes daily, while the bottles kept at room temperature are mainly kimoto and yamahai styles that can also be served warmed. Seating is an L-shaped counter only, and the bar says solo guests are welcome; the corner of the counter suits groups of three or four. Last orders are at 1:00 and the last entry is at midnight.

Good to know

• Guests who do not drink alcohol cannot enter on their own; the bar does not admit parties made up only of non-drinkers.
• The stairs up to the bar are steep, and the bar states that staff cannot help guests up or down them. It is not suitable for wheelchair users or anyone unsteady on their feet.
• Anyone who is already drunk will not be admitted.
• Table charge ¥500 per person, which includes a small appetizer.
• Last entry is at midnight and last orders are an hour before closing.
• Closed on Mondays and public holidays, and the bar may close early if ingredients run out.
• Payment methods and whether prices include tax are not stated on the official site.

2nd COOPER is a craft beer gastropub in Okachimachi and the sister bar of COOPER ALE'S in Shimbashi. Real ale is poured from a hand pump, with at least 12 beers on tap and around 80 bottled beers, each served in the glass of the brewery that made it. The room has 7 counter seats and 35 table seats, with large windows and a high ceiling in the style of a European pub. Signs inside state that the whole venue is non-smoking.

Good to know

• When the pub is busy there is a two-hour limit on tables.
• Reservations can be made online or by phone on 03-6806-0130. For a table after 20:00 the pub asks you to call directly, and it recommends booking for groups of five or more.
• If you will be more than 10 minutes late, contact the pub; otherwise the reservation may be cancelled.
• Beer and other drink prices are not published on the official site.
• Monday opening hours are not listed on the official site, and no closing day is stated, so check before going.
• Payment methods are not stated on the official site, and whether prices include tax is not stated either.

THIS BREWING is a taproom attached to its own brewery on a back street that the brewery describes as being in Yushima. The beer recipes change from batch to batch, and there is a counter with the beer taps at the back. The ground floor is glazed, with the brewing tanks lined up behind. The taproom closes at 21:00 on most days, 22:00 on Friday and 20:00 on Sunday, and is closed on Tuesdays.

Good to know

• Closed on Tuesdays, and closing time is early (21:00 on most days, 20:00 on Sunday), so it does not work for a late night out.
• Prices in the taproom are not published on the official site; the prices shown there are for the online shop.
• Whether reservations are taken, the payment methods accepted and the smoking policy are not stated on the official site. There is only a contact form.
• The official site does not give the nearest station or walking time.

A bar on a back street three minutes from Tsukiji Station, opened in January 2022 by a bartender who, the bar says, worked in bars for years before going out on their own. The room is red and black, lit low, with fifteen seats and a counter.

It opens at 18:00 and runs to 02:00 from Monday to Friday, and to 01:00 at weekends and on public holidays. There is no closing day. Note that smoking is allowed at every seat and there is no English menu, although the bar's own page can be read in English, Korean and Chinese.

Good to know

• Smoking is allowed at every seat.
• Children cannot be brought in.
• There is no English menu, though the bar's own page can be read in English.
• Only fifteen seats, and the bar cannot be booked out.

A basement bar that has been open in Ueno since 2001, two minutes from the station. The room is built around a heavy black marble counter, lit to feel like daylight.

The list runs to beers from ¥1,200, single malts such as Macallan 12 and Talisker 18, and a short food menu of house-made plates.

Good to know

• This is not a show bar. The owners ask visitors to note that there are no flame shows or sword performances here.
• Reservations are accepted up to the day before through the website form; for same-day booking, call the bar.
• Closing days are not listed on the official site.