In a city with an abundance of rooftops, there is a surprising shortage of rooftop bars and restaurants in Tokyo. Thankfully, the short list now has a new addition at the recently reopened Shibuya Parco. The team behind the popular Aoyama Farmers’ Market and Commune outdoor food park in Omotesando are ensuring that the new shopping centre’s rooftop is put to good use, with a hip multi-purpose space that features eating, drinking and the occasional events.
Called the ‘Commune Parco’, this rooftop venue has a trendy warehouse vibe, replete with stylish scaffolding, timber bar tables and neon lights. It’s surrounded by an expansive deck, which looks out to sweeping a view of Shibuya that's fully visible through the floor-to-ceiling glass doors. The vendors are set up like street food carts and here’s what you can expect for food and drinks.
A long-time resident of the original Commune in Omotesando, Ikiba makes an appearance at the new location. For lunch, it offers various pastas, stewed dishes and hearty salads. Dinner, on the other hand, serves up shared platters, fish and chips, and a cocktail menu blending fruit, herbs and spices with liquor.
Takobar is inspired by Mexican street food culture, cooking up tacos with handmade tortillas (¥500 each; three for ¥1,200), as well as corn chips, guacamole and salsa. Wash them down with a tequila shot (¥500), Mexican beer (¥700), mojito or frozen margarita (¥1,000). Tip: drop by on Taco Tuesday when the tacos are ¥400 each and three for ¥1,000.
Coffee Bar Gallage is a spiked coffee specialist (5pm-11pm). Come get your caffeine and liquor fix at the same time in the form of an espresso martini, coffee highball or their signature Irish coffee (¥1,200), which adds honey and orange peel to the mix. Its original location, a cocktail and jazz bar, is in Nakano.
Light Up Coffee serves its single-origin brews (¥400-600) from 11am-5pm daily. The first Light Up Coffee location opened in Kichijoji in 2014 as a cafe with its own in-house roastery. Aside from the Parco Shibuya and Kichijoji outlets, Light Up also has a roastery in Shimokitazawa plus a café in Kyoto.
If you haven’t checked out the new Shibuya Parco, which opened in November 2019 after an extensive three-year renovation, it’s no ordinary shopping centre. It starts with a lively basement populated by a psychedelic array of restaurants and bars, followed by nine floors of fashion brands like Issey Miyake, Kenzo and Vivianne Westwood, interspersed with an art gallery, video game arcade and novelty shops like Condomania and Japan's first official Nintendo store. And now, the building is crowned with this casual food hall and watering hole. We’re so looking forward to spending leisurely afternoons here in summer with a frozen margarita in hand.
While you’re in the area, check out these sensational views of Shibuya Crossing and make a beeline for these top restaurants in Shibuya.