Curator’s statement
For as well-known as Tokyo is for its food scene, its drinking culture is equally as impressive. If you’re a beer drinker, you’ll have no problem popping into an izakaya off the street and finding a vibe that you like. If you like Japanese whiskey, same deal. Tons of establishments like Zoetrope in Shinjuku or Tokyo Whiskey Library in Shibuya will most likely blow you away. Don’t forget to have your share of the most iconic whiskey drink of all, the Japanese highball!
Obviously, sake should be on your priority list. If you’re not a fan of sake in the states, I challenge you to branch out and try the good stuff they make in Japan. Sake production is more complex than you think, which causes the final product to vary tremendously depending on the region where the rice was grown, the amount of polishing the grain of rice went through, and the type and length of fermentation process. I’d recommend booking yourself an experience in or near one of Japan’s sake regions like we did in Kyoto. More on that later. No matter your style, you’re bound to find something that reminds you of your favorite glass of wine, and maybe even better than anything you’ve had before. When it comes to finding the right place, as you could probably guess, there are a plethora of sake bars scattered throughout the city. All you have to do is look for the hanging lit red lantern outside of an izakaya to know if they’re serving sake inside. If you find yourself with a sake craving and you’re looking for a more specialized sake bar, I can help you parse through the noise and come up with a list of options to choose from.
Finally, there are the fancy cocktail bars, which I love the most. Nothing jazzes me up more than a uniquely thought-out and perfectly executed cocktail in a quality glass with ice so clear its invisible. Out of the three spots we hit up, two of them made the 2023 World’s 50 Best Bars list. These places take cocktails to the next level, and I’m excited to share my first-time experience at them with you.
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The best cocktail bars in Tokyo
Bar Benfiddich (2023 World’s 50 Best Bars - No. 37)
You’ll never stumble upon Benfiddich unless you’re looking for it. Tucked up on the ninth floor off of a busy Shinjuku street is one of the best bars in the world. Even coming off the elevator, you still might not realize where this place is. Take a left and go through the tiny door. Once you’re in, it's like you’ve been transported to the secret belly of an old pirate ship captained by a man who is every bit as quirky and inventive as the drinks he’s crafting. A farmer by day and cocktail wizard by night, Hiroyasu Kayama designs your drinks to your specific preferences from ingredients that he sources from his own farm. He even distills his own absinthe from the wormwood, anise and fennel that he cultivates himself. The guy’s story is incredible, and so are the drinks he makes. How to get in? We were lucky in that a table was opening as soon as we got upstairs. There are only 18 or so seats in the bar, so you might find yourself waiting. Do your best to show up at off-peak times for the best chance to snag a seat. Once you’re in, it’s then your job to articulate to the cocktail masters the type of drink you’re looking for. Don’t be afraid to challenge them. The best drink I had there, and possibly one of the best cocktails I’ve ever had, was made from my suggestion for banana and spice. What came out was completely unexpected. He hand-mashed a banana and combined a series of exotic alcohols and chai and masala spices to make a cocktail that, to this day, I’ve been unable to properly describe.
SG Club (2023 World’s 50 Best Bars – No. 36)
Coming in one spot above Benfiddich on 2023’s 50 Best Bars List is SG Club in Shibuya. SG stands for sip and guzzle. Sip, the low-lit basement bar, and Guzzle, the more spacious saloon upstairs. I was lucky enough to snag a table at Sip as a walk-in, not even knowing at the time it was considered one of the world’s best. I was blown away by my cold soba noodle negroni, which blended the savoriness of the buckwheat noodles with the bittersweetness of your favorite negroni, all topped with a dried, crunchy nest of soba as a garnish. You don’t have to make a reservation here, but you might need to wait a while depending on how crowded it is. If you don’t have time to wait, don’t worry, you’ve got options. Bar Tram and its sister Bar Trench are within a nine-minute taxi ride from SG Club to Ebisu. These are two that ranked high on our list to try, but we couldn’t find the time.
Memento Mori
Cacao lovers? This one is for you. Memento Mori surprised us most of all. Hidden in plain sight in a fancy corporate office building up the escalator and to the right is a modern 15-seat bar specializing in artisan creations featuring Amazonian cacao. I can’t properly explain the euphoria that I experienced after trying the espresso cacao martini for the first time. Of course, basic AF Steven orders the Cacao version of an espresso martini — sue me, it was fantastic. Follow that with their signature cacao pulp fizz and cap off your experience with the cacao & pistachio negroni for the ultimate trifecta of buzz and fizz. The friends we traveled with ordered other bomb-looking drinks from here too, but I was too focused on mine to remember what they were. Pro tip? Try to get there right when they open — 2 pm on Sundays and 4 pm every other day — to guarantee yourself a spot.
Need to know
In a nutshell, Tokyo’s drinking scene is strong. No matter what you’re looking for or what neighborhood you find yourself in, there is bound to be something you’re craving close by. Yes, there are the fancy establishments that I mentioned above, and plenty more where that came from, but if you’re in the mood for a dive or something simple, just pop in to any ole izakaya and enjoy a proper highball or a Sapporo. I’ve already compiled a list of some of Tokyo’s best, and I’m continually learning from industry experts to keep my ear to the ground. If you’re planning a trip to Japan, look out for more of my content soon to be dropped!
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Steven Lawrence
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This guide is part of our ongoing series on travel to Tokyo. For more travel tips, check out my guide, Four-Day Foodie Filled–Asheville Itinerary.