Kanpai Tokyo – love your bars
No trip to Tokyo would be complete without experiences a number of its world class bars – thanks to our friends from Tequila Patron and other former colleagues we were able to sample a few and we were not a drop disappointed !!!
Bar High Five – Ginza
This basement venue in glitzy Ginza was the 1st of our Bar visits and lived up to its reputation. Just around the corner from all the lights and dazzle go down a floor and enjoy this really cool spot where there is no bar menu. The very savvy wait staff tailor make your order and the super mixologist delivers with some really tasty drinks. The combination of Japanese bartending techniques plus modified classic recipes has resulted in High Five being a regular in the World’s 50 Best Bar list since it opened a decade ago It also had the honour of being the Best Bar in Japan at Asia’s 50 Best in 2019. It was a pleasure watch the Mixologist in action – she was grumpy grumpy however her final product was worth it. We had versions of the Negroni, A Tequila based creation, Coffee cocktails all adjusted to fit your fancy. The bar’s fame and small size mean the bar fills quickly – calling ahead is advised – and you’ll likely encounter more Palangi or Westerners than locals.
Tokyo Confidential Bar
We absolutley loved the vibe here where we were celebrating Chiaras 29th Birthday – Waka co founder and Mixologist was a blast and really made us feel welcome. It feels lilke a good times cocktail bar . It is located in Azabu-juban with uninterrupted views of Tokyo Tower. It has a limited but levated bar food – we tried the 3 versions of hot dogs – all delicious !! The cocktails were all impecably prepared and presented and fun Waka even came and had a mystery skull with us all ( bar Sabine ) … Do reserve .. a lot more locals at this bar. The team preferred the vibe here then to High Five – both world class bar options.
CELAVi
This was not on our original list however Rio from the Andaz recommended we visit this bar – the breathtaking view from the terrace is worth the trip and to be honest the food though pricy was well prepared & tasty. It is not cheap you are paying for location location location. It has 2 floors and the music and sound system is great. We would give it another try – we just werent that lucky.
Bulgari Bar – Bulgari Hotel Tokyo
We spent our last night in Tokyo at the hotel and enjoyed a few Negronis while Sabine her favorite Tokyo Cocktail Sake Martinin !!! The Bar is a rooftop bar on the top 45th floor that combines a comfortable terrace with stunning views of Tokyo skyline. The terrace area is surrounded by a citrus garden, an iconic space much like the rest of the hotel. We also sample the bar food – calamaretti and the foaccia – both excellent. I admit to getting confused with the Bulgari Ginza bar – which we will visit next time however the hotel bar is also a true gem – the decoration and ambience is so special.
The Rooftop Bar – Andaz Tokyo
What a great space … a bar, sushi restaurant and 2 further spaces all with amazing views of that memorable Tokyo Skyline. What caught my eye was how well the sound was managed in each space. We sat on a table with the Tokyo tower as our back drop !! where the DJs playlist was well received and at exactly the right volume for the space. We tried a few different cocktails all made to perfection: Sabine loved her Mocktail with a cheesy flavor !! We tried some tapas – the sliders . truffle fries with just the right amount of truffle !! Hate over trffled fries !! It was a fitting final to pur Japanese holiday which was one to remember and a worth celebration of Chiaras 29th birthday !!! Fond memories made even better in the setting of this bar and the service by Rio at the Rooftop !!
