Albatross

Hidden among the tiny, time-worn yakitori stalls of Omoide Yokocho, by Shinjuku Station, Albatross is a tiny three-storey salon that seats, in total, around 30 people. The floor above is officially a gallery – more accurately a Japanese-style room with a few pictures on the walls. Upper-floor customers can also place their orders and receive their drinks through the wooden stairwell railing; an operation that becomes increasingly perilous as the night progresses and senses diminish. Up top, in lenient weather, a rickety roof accommodates half a dozen more drinkers. The crowd is a genuinely eclectic mix of suits, artists, expats and students. They also have an eponymous sister bar in Golden Gai, although this outlet tends to be a bit less cramped.