9 best hidden bars in Tokyo and where to find them

Behind a nondescript door on the second floor of an old office building in Shibuya is one of the  city’s greatest izakayas specialising in lemon sour cocktails. These aren’t your classic izakaya lemon sours, mind you. A sister establishment of our beloved SG Club, the menu of SG Low is more of a playful modern take on familiar favourites. Like your standard izakaya, SG Low serves up an otooshi (welcome appetiser) included with the table charge, but instead of chilled tofu or a bowl of edamame, the opening menu item here is a seasonal welcome martini. 

As for the food, think sharing-style izakaya staples with a fresh twist. Deep fried nankotsu (chicken cartilage) is tossed in fiery red buffalo-wing sauce while the potato salad is dressed up like a mini bowl of ramen. Dishes you can’t leave without trying include the irresistibly gooey mentaiko mac 'n' cheese and the mazemen noodles with uni and a side of bone marrow. 

Everything is made to pair perfectly with a crisp lemon sour, and the bar has endless variations of them. There are versions that range from the Sauna Sour with a twist of salt to one that actually alters your taste buds for a span of 30 minutes, but the staff recommend starting off with the ‘normal lemon sour’ (¥880) and working your way down the list.

Tokyo’s bar scene has officially joined the cocktails-on-tap trend, thanks to local mixology icon Atsushi Suzuki. Hidden on the second floor of the building next to Suzuki’s Taisho-era inspired speakeasy, The Bellwood, BW Cave is a recently opened cocktail bar crossed with an izakaya. Mirroring the vibe of its sister establishment, BW Cave features an interior of weathered wood accents and graffiti of playful caricatures for an atmosphere that's both edgy and inviting. 

Behind the bar, a gleaming gold-hued panel of taps showcase four kinds of signature martinis. The selection currently includes a classic martini (¥1,100) crafted from BW Cave's special gin, vermouth and olive. Adventurous drinkers might lean towards the ‘Green & Spicy’ martini, spiked with tomato and sansho, or the ‘Easy & Tropical’ martini, a smooth mix of coconut gin, banana vermouth and cacao. 

These pre-mixed creations offer a speedy and exciting alternative for those craving something more complex than a beer or whisky highball without the wait for a crafted cocktail.

You'll find the ground-floor entrance to Wall Aoyama hidden in plain sight. Situated in the same building as the Facetasm flagship store, Wall's entrance differentiates itself from its immediate neighbour in the subtlest way. Instead of a prominent entrance, search for an obscure rectangular door, handle-less amidst an unmarked wall. Push through and you'll discover the intimate realm of Wall.

The interior is a stark contrast to its inconspicuous facade. The walls are adorned with art pieces and there's a flourishing vertical garden masterfully designed by botanist Patrick Blanc. This verdant oasis set against minimalist concrete countertops encapsulates Aoyama's chic and trendy vibe. By day, the establishment welcomes patrons for tea and light fare such as salads and flatbreads. As night falls, it morphs into a stylish speakeasy for seasonal fruit cocktails and a refined wine selection.

Behind a small, discreet wooden door that blends into the street of Golden Gai’s Fifth Avenue is undoubtedly one of the most charming nooks in all of Tokyo. While most closed doors in Golden Gai indicate a members-only rule, The Open Book is a happy exception. This quiet standing bar is run by the grandson of award-winning Japanese novelist Komimasa Tanaka and is usually full of book lovers. 

One side of the bar is dedicated to its signature lemon sours, with jars of homemade lemon syrup and special double-chamber filters stationed behind the rustic counter, while the other side is its iconic open bookcase of wooden shelves stacked with prized novels that guests can freely browse. Besides serving some of the best lemon sours in the city, the bar also offers up a delightfully moreish curry toast for anyone craving a hot snack to go with their booze.

A few minutes walk from Gaienmae Station is a small but edgy wine shop with an impressive variety of vino. The term ‘avant-garde’ comes to mind when one steps into the industrial interior, where bottles of natural wine are stacked in brightly coloured wire mesh racks that juxtapose the otherwise bare concrete walls. 

Just as farm-to-table restaurants want diners to know where their produce comes from, No. 501 wants its patrons to get acquainted with the people who produce the wines stocked here. As a result, every bottle in the shop has a special story, whether it’s the fruity Pastafarian from the Unico Zelo microbrewery in Australia, or the creamy Chard à Canon chardonnay by the French artisanal winemaker Nicolas Arnou.

At the back of the shop, you can sit at the bar where, alongside glasses of wine, you can order from a weekly food menu of seasonal dishes created to pair with the bottles from the cellar. 

The entrance of this speakeasy is hidden in plain sight, so only those who know what they’re looking for are able to access it. To the untrained eye, the set of lockers across from Ebisu Park is just another streetside storage unit. But if you try to pull open one of the boxes to store something, the whole wall swings open to reveal a set of stairs leading to the basement. 

Inspired by the 1920s-style speakeasies of New York, this suave record bar is filled with vintage vinyls ranging from jazz to R&B. A10 has a different set of music selectors each night who pick and mix different sounds for the turntable as the bartenders whip up cocktails. The bar has an endless selection of classic cocktails, but there are also house specials by head bartender and mixologist Shuzo Nagumo.

Try Nagumo’s Chartini made with Ki No Tea Kyoto Dry Gin, cold brew green tea and dashi olive (¥1,430), or the movie popcorn-inspired 'Feel Like a Cinema' with Don Julio Reposado, fresh cream and caramel syrup (¥1,540) if you've got a sweet tooth. Do note that A10 charges a ¥1,100 cover per person.

Established by the crew behind electronic music festival Zipang, Débris in Daikanyama puts on a wide range of events, from club nights to art exhibitions and film screenings. The interiors and sound system were built with the help of artists and other creatives who earned their stripes at Japanese outdoor festivals, and the result is a quirky crisscross of tastes and sensibilities.

Open the door that looks like the entrance to a Prohibition-era speakeasy and you’ll soon find yourself in a flashy ‘neo-Asian’ cavern decorated with daruma dolls and neon signs. The bar serves up cocktails made with craft spirits from around the world, while the P.B. Restaurant by the entrance lets you savour aromatic Chinese tea and congee. The restaurant's shelves are stacked with rare books selected by the operators of 'mobile library' Paradise Books. All in all, Débris is the kind of spot that works just as well at lunchtime as in those feverish late-night moments before the last train.

Just your everyday coffee shop... Or is it? Unlike other speakeasies on this list, accessing Janai Coffee isn’t as simple as locating a secret passageway. Getting a seat at this coffee cocktail speciality bar requires a reservation, and making a reservation requires cracking the Janai Coffee website to access the secret booking site. We don’t want to spoil all the fun, so we’ll leave you with this tip: when on the Janai Coffee website, pay special attention to the shop logo and trace clockwise. (It’s easier on your phone.)  

If you’ve successfully made a reservation, head to the coffee shop, pull up the secret website on your phone and show the barista who will guide you to the hidden doorway. If you can’t prove you’ve deciphered the riddle on the website, the barista might deny there’s a bar hidden in the venue somewhere – they’re very dedicated to this well kept secret. 

After a lengthy hiatus during the pandemic, hideaway bar and music venue Aoyama Tunnel has reopened and is ready to welcome back the city’s alternative partygoers. As its name suggests, the nightlife venue is located behind a black and yellow entry way at the head of the Aoyama Tunnel. 

The space has undergone a renovation, so it looks a bit different from the grungy DJ bar you may remember. The art on the walls has been replaced with different pieces and new sofas have been added as well. Even the sound system has been upgraded with Taguchi amps and the acoustic design has been adjusted so that people in every corner of the space will be able to hear the live music better. Regular events feature DJs of all ages and backgrounds, though house music is the predominant genre here.