Ginza Bars – Your Ultimate Guide
Chic Ginza is hardly budget-friendly, but our guide to Ginza bars will soon have you forgetting your money woes. Cocktails, wine, sake, beer, whatever your drink, find it in Ginza.
Ginza is notorious as one of Tokyo’s more upmarket districts; a wonderland of chic stores, exclusive restaurants and of course, a whole host of bars to lubricate the fun once the sun sets. The legions of office workers in the district use these bars to unwind nightly, they, unlike you, blessed with the luxury of time to find their favourite. The sheer volume of bars in the area means a shot in the dark is risky, instead, use our guide to the best Ginza bars for some help.
For more on shopping in Ginza, read Ginza Shopping – The Ultimate Guide
For more on Ginza restaurants, read The 15 Best Restaurants in Ginza
Ginza Bars, Clubs, Nightlife
Ginza has a vibrant nightlife scene, studded with all kinds of establishments from gentlemen’s clubs and hostess bars to sake, wine and cocktail bars of varying quality. The commonality between them all is price. Ginza is expensive, its bars included. Before settling into a bar for the night, it’s always a good idea to check the cost of the cover charge and have a look at the menu. No one wants an unpleasant surprise at the end of the night.
Nevertheless, a night in Ginza often justifies the price. The bars, from high-end joints like BVLGARI IL BAR to genial local joints like Kirin City Plus Beer Garden are fantastic, and the convivial atmosphere that pervades the area once the sun sets is irresistible.
Best Ginza Bars
What makes our picks the best? Our Ginza bars all excel in originality, service, quality drinks and general all-around experience. As said, Ginza bars are many and varied so we can’t guarantee the list is complete, but we’ve certainly done our best.
Ginza Cocktail Bars
Cocktails are increasingly popular in Japan, though certain bars have been mixing them up for decades. Some of Ginza’s best, below:
Bar Hoshi
Conveniently close to the station and always guaranteeing a great atmosphere, Bar Hoshi is a great choice for a few cocktails. The menu is diverse and original, and though on the pricey side, it’s well worth it as an evening treat.
|
19.00 – 3.00 (Mon – Fri) 19.00 – 01.00 (Sat/Sun/holidays) 03-3573-8887 |
104-0061 Tokyo Prefecture, Chuo, Ginza 6-3-7 Aoki Tower 8F Website |
|---|
Bar High Five
Bar High Five is one of Ginza’s most revered. Thanks, largely, to the always amiable owner, Hidetsugu Ueno. Ueno famously quizzes his customers on their tastes and preferences before fixing them the drink of a lifetime. This personal service and the super high-quality of the drinks puts this bar in a league of its own.
|
17.00 – 01.00 closed on Sun/holidays 03-3571-5815 |
|---|
Star Bar Ginza
Imagine a classic, dimly lit, cosmopolitan bar, one that wouldn’t look out of place in a work of noir. This is Star Bar, one of Ginza’s more sophisticated. Shunning faddish trends and gimmicks, Star Bar does the classics well and treats its customers like royalty.
|
17.00 – 00.00 closed on Tue 03-3535-8005 |
|---|
Bar Mimitsuka
Winner of the “Best Technical” category at 2012’s World Cocktail Championships, you know you’re in good hands with Bar Mimitsuka’s owner, Fumiyasu Mimitsuka. Minutes from Ginza Station, the bar is unpretentious and simple, confident in the superior quality of what it serves up. Ask for a recommendation or something tried and tested, whatever it is, you’re sure to leave happy.
|
18.00 – 02.00 closed on Sun 03-6274-6629 |
|---|
Bar Orchard Ginza
Located on the 7th floor of an unassuming central Ginza block, Bar Orchard is certainly more characterful inside than out. The bar feels lively and tropical, an atmosphere complemented by the excellent fruit-based cocktails that are the speciality. Although not a huge place, customers can choose to sit at the impressive wooden bar or at a private table.
|
18.00 – 03.00 closed on Sun/holidays 03-3575-0333 |
104-0061 Tokyo Prefecture, Chuo, Ginza 6-5-16 Website |
|---|
Y & M Kisling
A high-class venue with dim lighting and bar tenders decked out in dashing white suits, the pressure’s on to dress to impress at Y & M Kisling. As you’d expect, the drinks are similarly high-quality. The fruit-based cocktails are divine, as are the classics, all of which are prepared with skill and precision before your eyes.
|
18.00 – 03.00 (Mon – Fri) 18.00 – 23.00 (Sat) closed on Sun/holidays |
104-0061 Tokyo Prefecture, Chuo, Ginza 7-5-4 Website 03-3573-2071 |
|---|
Ginza Tender
Ginza Bar Tender is home to Mr. Hard Shake himself, Kazuo Ueda, the inventor of Japan’s biggest contribution to the world of cocktails. Well into his seventies, Ueda is still going strong, maintaining his bar’s reputation as one of Tokyo’s best. The drinks are famously strong, and although pricey, the cosy ambience makes a tipple or two well worth it.
|
17.00 – 01.00 closed on Sun/holidays 03-3571-8343 |
104-0061 Tokyo Prefecture, Chuo, Ginza 6-5-15 Website |
|---|
Bar Musashi
Shunning the pretension that characterises a lot of Ginza bars, Bar Musashi is a welcoming, ever-friendly addition to the area’s nightlife landscape. The interior is coolly stylish and spacious, making it an ideal location for groups or those wanting a little privacy. Close to Shimbashi Station, drop by for a couple of drinks as you pass through.
|
18.00 – 02.00 closed on Sun/holidays 03-5537-6634 |
104-0061 Tokyo Prefecture, Chuo, Ginza 8-10-7 Website |
|---|
Lupin
Named in honour of gentlemen thief Arsène Lupin, Bar Lupin evokes the feeling of early 20th-century Europe nicely, right down to the haze of cigarette smoke and classic cocktails, which are, it must be said, fantastic. This underground bar one minute from Ginza Station is not to be missed.
|
17.00 – 23.30 closed on Sun/Mon/holidays 03-3571-0750 |
|---|
Ginza Wine Bars
Although better known for its rice wine than anything else, Japan does have a fondness for the European variety. Discover some of our favourite Ginza wine bars.
Aux Amis des Vins Wine Bar
The ground floor restaurant of Aux Amis des Vins serves up some of Ginza’s finest French cuisine, though it’s the wine we’re more interested in. Once the restaurant closes, the upper two floors transform into one of Ginza’s largest wine bars. The wine list is extensive and mostly French in origin and the prices vary from quite reasonable to astronomical.
|
17.30 – 24.00 (Mon – Fri) 17.00 – 23.00 (Sat/Sun/holidays) 03-3567-4120 |
|---|
Sherry Club
Sherry Club is Ginza’s premier Spanish bar, where, unsurprisingly, all you’ll find on the wine list is that most Spanish of drinks – sherry. Snack on some delicious tapas, enjoy some flamenco and generally soak up the Spanish vibes, right in the heart of Tokyo.
|
17.00 – 24:00 (Mon – Thu, Sat) 17.00 – 02.00 (Fri) closed on Sun |
104-0061 Tokyo Prefecture, Chuo, Ginza 6-3-17 03-3572-2527 |
|---|
Kurabuu
Head slightly out from Ginza’s heart toward Tsukiji and you’ll be rewarded with another great wine bar, Kurabuu. Owned by Imadeya, one of Japan’s largest sake, shochu and wine retailers, the bar stocks over 200 wine varieties at this location alone. The extensive list includes something for everyone, so don’t be to stop by.
|
17.00 – 23.30 (Mon-Thu, Sat) 17.00 – 05.00 (Fri) closed on Sun |
104-0045 Tokyo Prefecture, Chuo, Tsukiji, 1−5−11 03-6264-1759 |
|---|
Ginza Sake Bars
Sake, the most Japanese of drinks, should not be ignored if you want to make the most of Ginza’s nightlife. Some of the best, below:
Kuri
This calm, dimly lit bar is the perfect location for taking your first tentative steps into the world of Japanese sake. Enjoy the wide range of sake varieties alongside a plethora of traditional foods, including favourites like sashimi and yakitori. Although not cheap, the prices are a reflection of the undeniable quality.
|
17.00 – 24.00 closed on Sun/holidays 03-3573-8033 |
|---|
Sake Hall Hibiya Bar
Effortlessly, Sake Hall Hibiya Bar blends a taste of traditional Japan with modern cool, resulting in a bar that is well worth checking out. Try some sake straight or experiment with an original sake-based cocktail, whatever you choose, satisfaction is guaranteed. Conveniently, Sake Hall Hibiya Bar is also just a minutes walk from Ginza Station.
|
17.00 – 23.30 03-3572-7123 |
|---|
Dassai Bar 23
Dassai Bar 23 is another classy venue you may want to dress up for and where the main event, the sake, is taken very seriously indeed. Try varieties made using different rice and different brewing techniques and find the sake for you. The affable bartenders are always happy to point you in the right direction should you need it.
|
16.00 – 24.00 (Mon – Fri) 12.00 – 24-00 (Sat) closed Sun/holidays |
104-0031 Tokyo Prefecture, Chuo, Kyobashi 3-1-1 03-5542-1623 |
|---|
Ginza Beer Bars
Beer doesn’t go neglected in Ginza, either. The district is home to bars and pubs of all kinds, serving up everything from domestic lager to Belgian ales. If it’s a pint you’re after, look no further.
Pub Bulldog
A spacious joint right beside Yurakucho Station, Bulldog gets pretty close to an authentic pub vibe. The selection of domestic and international bottled and draft beers is impressive and there’s even a menu of hearty food to go with it. Most drinks are priced around 1,000 yen, making this one of the cheaper options for a beer in Ginza.
|
17.00 – 23.30 03-3564-0996 |
|---|
Ginza Lion
A beer hall right out of Bavaria, Ginza Lion’s high ceilings, art deco fittings and German tunes lend it an authenticity you won’t find in too many other Tokyo drinking holes, helped along, of course, by the free-flowing beer and smell of bratwurst in the air. Ginza Lion’s reputation proceeds it, the absence of empty seats each night of the week being proof enough of this. Be warned, come the weekend, this place can get pretty lively.
|
11.30 – 23.00 (Mon – Sat) 11.30 – 22.30 (Sun/holidays) 03-3571-2590 |
104-0061 Tokyo Prefecture, Chuo, Ginza 7-9-20 Website |
|---|
Pilsen Alley
The aptly named Pilsen Alley is one of Ginza’s more slender bars, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in character. The bar promises a ‘taste of real Japanese lager’ and more than delivers, its range of domestically brewed lagers promising to titillate the snobbiest of beer nerds. Big groups are better off avoiding this place given its size, but be sure to pop in when drinking in a more pared down crowd.
|
16.00 – 23.00 (Mon – Fri) 14.00 – 22.00 (Sat/Sun) 03-3572-1655 |
|---|
Belgian Beer Pub Favori
Within stumbling distance of the station, Belgian Beer Pub Favori is one of Ginza’s finest pub-like drinking spots. Although a little pricey, the impressively extensive beer list will keep you entertained for as long as you can stand, and the good selection of light meals and snacks fit the bill when hunger strikes.
|
17:30 – 24:00 (Mon – Thu), 17:30 – 26:00 (Fri) 15:00 – 24:00 (Sat), 15:00 – 23:00 (holidays) closed Sundays |
104-0061 Tokyo Prefecture, Chuo, Ginza 2-10-5 03-6226-6117 |
|---|
Tokyo Travel
Want more from Tokyo? What to see, what to do, what to eat and all the vital info? Compathy Magazine has everything you need and more:
More on Tokyo from Compathy Magazine.
Share Your Experiences
Tokyo Travel Experiences
Travelers love Tokyo! How about you? Let’s share our experiences with people around the world.
