0% Non-alcohol Experience
Photo: Kisa Toyoshima0% Non-Alcohol Experience
Photo: Kisa Toyoshima

Best no-alcohol bars and drinks in Tokyo

These bars and beverages without booze prove you can have maximum flavour with no alcohol at all

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The global nolo (that’s no- and low-alcohol, for those not in the know) trend has been gaining momentum in recent years, and in Japan, it’s estimated that alcohol consumption has halved over the last decade for people in their 20s and 30s. Forget the stereotypical drunken salarymen – with the exciting range of nolo bars and drinks, it's a great time to cut out the hard stuff. 

Mocktails are not the saccharine, neon-coloured concoctions of the past, but curated blends of shrubs, ferments, kombuchas, infusions and non-alcoholic liquor. These inspired, inventive drinks equal the breadth and creativity of cocktails, but minus the alcohol.

RECOMMENDED: Still prefer a drink? Try these urban breweries, wineries and distilleries in the heart of Tokyo

Bars without booze

  • Roppongi

At this sleek and futuristic Roppongi bar, you can expect inventive mocktails like the Goldentree, made from cold brew coffee and fresh grapefruit, or A Real Pleasure, featuring a mix of fresh fruit and basil. There’s over 20 different mocktails to choose from, all created by award-winning bartender Shingo Gokan from The SG Club. To fit the healthier bent of the bar, there's also a menu of small bites that are all vegan, such as quesadillas with fried avocado.

Note that 0% Non-Alcohol Experience only accepts cashless payments.

  • Nightlife
  • Late-night bars
  • Akihabara

Low-Non Bar is decked out with the trimmings of a classic Tokyo cocktail bar: moody lighting, wooden countertops, soft jazz, shelves lined with glittering glassware and attractive bottles of liquor, and a skillful bartender. The only difference is that the cocktails are low- or no-alcohol – but don’t worry, you’ll barely miss it with the selection of inventive drinks like Low-non Bar and Umami Virgin Mary.

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  • Cafés
  • Yoyogi-Uehara

Tucked away on the third floor of an apartment block in Yoyogi-Uehara, No (the abbreviation for ‘number’) is a fresh, modern venue, bringing together a café and bar. As well as cocktails, No has an excellent selection of mocktails, which – in line with the venue’s name – are simply numbered from one to five, plus seasonal specials. We love No 2, a highball glass of cold brew coffee, juniper syrup, vinegar, tonic and soda, and No 3, a short and punchy mocktail of lime juice, lime stock, ginger beer and burdock tea. 

  • Hotel bars
  • Hibiya
  • price 3 of 4

Boasting views of Hibiya Park and the lush Imperial Palace gardens, you'll find this chic hotel bar on the 24th floor of The Peninsula Tokyo. The bar's newly developed zero-alcohol menu featuring a curation of non-alcoholic beverages whipped up by the bar's award-winning mixologist Mari Kamata. Priced at ¥2,050 per drink, the menu consists of non-alcoholic versions of classic cocktails including an aperol spritz, gin and tonic and negroni, as well as booze-free twists on the bar's signature drinks.

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Bar Straw

Bar Straw is a non-alcoholic pop-up bar that you can find Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at the quaint flower shop-wine bar hybrid The Little Shop of Flowers in Shibuya Parco. The menu is short and sweet – there are just a handful of different cocktails, but all are well-balanced, refreshing concoctions. We enjoyed the celery, parsley, sesame and Appletizer mix and the hojicha and grapefruit milk punch. Plus, it’s hard to go past the matcha beer. 

Non-alcoholic drinks

Alcohol-free craft beer

No longer watery, shallow-flavoured or overly fizzy, you can find non-alcoholic ales, lunchtime lagers and fruity sour beers sitting alongside fancy craft beers in the fridge. 

Hitachino Nest beer, made by Kiuchi Brewery in Ibaraki prefecture, is a prolific brewer of inventive beers and the company has even released Non Ale (ABV 0.3%). The beer, which boasts Cascade hops; Munich, Crystal and Chocolate malts and an ale yeast, is a fully flavoured brew. 

Omnipollo is a Swedish craft brewery, known for its spirited brews and technicolor aesthetic, which you can experience in full at Omnipollos Tokyo. But, if you’re looking for a low-ABV alternative to enjoy at home, head to Ikea Harajuku, where you’ll find four flavours of Omnipollo non-alcoholic beer: pale ale, blueberry and vanilla, rosehip, and lingonberry. Like all Omnipollo creations, these are offbeat and complex, retailing for ¥290 to ¥450 per can.

Non-Al

One of Japan’s pioneering alcohol-free spirits, Non-Al comes in two varieties: Blue Paradise, which is infused with aromatics like juniper berry, lavender, cardamom and jasmine, and Green Unexplored Area, with a palate of native Japanese flavours such as yuzu, roasted green tea and sansho. Available from the Non-Al website for ¥3,200 for 500ml. 

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Nema Non-Alcoholic gin and whisky

Nema Non-Alcoholic Gin is a zero-percent ABV Japanese gin made with two types of roses, juniper berries, lavender and spring water from Mount Yatsugatake in Nagano prefecture. The Nema 0.00% Whisky has peated malt, white oak and cacao added to the mix to imitate the flavour of a smoky whisky. Both the gin and whisky can be purchased from the Nema website in 500ml bottles for ¥3,200 and ¥3,240 respectively. 

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