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Tokyo mixologists, bartenders and owners have a few surprises up their sleeves

By on January 22, 2016

Did you know that there are about 69 restaurants and bars in Tokyo for every person?  That’s a lot even in today’s economy.  Every bartender or restaurateur in Tokyo, one of the major cities in the world with a high dining density, is a clock watcher.  Each one checks out what the other is doing to stay ahead of the competition.

You know the pressure is on when customers visit a place not only for the  the food, price and quality service but also for the x factor.  Feeling adventurous? Drink up at any of these bars for a unique TGIF experience.

Hilton

Cocktail kingpins at Zatta, the bar/lounge on the second floor of the Tokyo Hilton Hotel, has an interesting cocktail drink disguised as an innocent-looking popcorn. All we can tell you is that it’s packed with the usual suspects except for a dash of barbecue sauce.  Yes, barbecue sauce. Save your hissing for last.  Try it first!
http://tsunohazu-hilton.jp/en/zatta-bar-lounge/

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The after-work drinking culture in Japan gave birth to ‘Izakayas’ or Japanese style noisy pubs where one can drink and eat with work colleagues for less money than at western style restaurant bars. At Chikuzenya’s 31 branches all over Tokyo, a standard dish plate ranges from ¥180 to ¥680. But that’s not to say the portions are small. The salad plate called “bakamori” (loosely translates to ‘crazily mixed’) is unusually huge, it takes a whole bottle of salad dressing to coat it.
http://www.cs-delight.co.jp/business/chikuzenya.html

AriapitaramuandopanchiAriapitaramuandopanchi, the name of a Shibuya pub, is a mouthful. We’re pretty sure you will have a tough time remembering it even before having drinks! But what makes this drinking joint one of a kind is its strong focus on Carribean rum and Trinidad and Tobago cuisine.  There’s no place else in Tokyo that dishes out as much Carribean style rum-based drinks than this place does. If you haven’t tried one yourself, schedule a visit. Drinks are at ¥500.
http://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1303/A130301/13184792/

Ninja Akasaka ChampagneNinja AkasakaDon’t imagine that it is easy to find Ninja Akasaka restaurant or that once you do, it will be easy to get to your table for that matter. The former can easily be resolved by a bit of research on Google Maps; the latter will involve your ninja-waiter or waitress guiding you along the dark corridors, across a trap bridge or two, whilst all the while helping to defend you from enemy ninjas along the way. Quite an exhilarating start! Throughout the meal, your very own ninja will provide you with mind-boggling magic tricks as you await the next course. Perfect entertainment to go with drinks and food.
http://www.ninjaakasaka.com/

Locked up463866c62c36-93d6-41ad-8474-82d91e5c9dbb_mTucked along the narrow dark alleys of Shibuya’s Dogenzaka district is Lock Up, a watering hole usually packed with salary men unwinding after a hard day’s work.

Lock Up is a deliriously odd themed bar and restaurant. Think haunted house, cobwebs, skulls, and monsters. You get the idea.  Scare yourself crazy with help from its different kinds of spooky drinks such as Pink Vaccine, Medusa’s Eyeball and ghastly cocktails in test tubes guaranteed to give you a Friday night kick.

Lock Up has branches in Shibuya, Ueno, Omiya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro.
http://www.lock-up.jp/

Alcatraz

 A hospital themed bar-restaurant named after America’s famous jailhouse, the Alcatraz ER Shibuya is nothing short of mad.  From its fake blood-splattered walls at the entrance and creepy prison cell-ish seating  to the gruesome drinks and food, the whole Alcatraz ER setting could freak anyone out but it’s all part of the plan.  Flip the menu pages on the site to check out more hideous food and drink arrangements.

alcatraz e

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As you pay the bill on the way out, you automatically receive a doctor’s prescription with a funny message that reads: ‘Prescription drugs to make you want to get married.’  The dosage instruction reads: ‘Drink this only after you’ve found a mate.’   And just to make sure that you visit again, a reminder reads: ‘You are on parole ;  You need to check-in again within 72 hours.’
http://alcatraz-er.net/

 

About Michael Sig