3 bars Updated 16 September 2026

Bars in Tokyo

Where to drink, and what the seat itself costs

3 bars in Tokyo, including what the cover charge really comes to.

A bartender grinding herbs with a pestle and mortar behind a dark bar counterWorth it

Bar Benfiddich

A ninth-floor room in Nishi-Shinjuku where the bartender distils, macerates and mills his own botanicals and there is no menu.

World’s 50 Best Bars No menu Nishi-Shinjuku
TokyoExplore

Not to be missed

VirtùGolden GaiShinjuku
A cocktail on a marble counter in a high-floor hotel bar overlooking TokyoWorth it

Virtù

A European-style hotel bar on the thirty-ninth floor at Otemachi, run by Keith Motsi, that has spent several years on the global bar lists.

Asia’s 50 Best Bars Hotel bar Otemachi, Chiyoda
TokyoExplore

Not to be missed

Bar BenfiddichHoshinoya TokyoImperial Palace East Gardens
Narrow alley of small two-storey bars with hand-painted signs in Shinjuku Golden GaiWorth it

Golden Gai

Six alleys, around 200 bars of five to eight seats each, and one widely misunderstood custom that generates most of the complaints about the place.

¥500–1,500 cover About 200 bars Kabukicho, Shinjuku
TokyoExplore

Not to be missed

ShinjukuBar BenfiddichVirtù

The rest of Tokyo

Every other collection in the city guide, with what is in it.

Sights 6 Museums 3 Districts 4 Restaurants 6 Where to stay 4 What to eat 4 Things to do 3 Walks 2 Events 2