Star Bar Ginza

Came here when the place was closing but they still charged admission to enter. Said we will need to hurry and finish our drinks in the next 15 minutes. :) Other than that they were pretty good but I do like the High Five Bar more.

Loved the place except that last night I took my husband there for a birthday drink. We had one drink each (2 vodka martinis with Ketel One), and the bill came to 6000 yen! This was our first night in Tokyo, so I thought perhaps drinks just cost this much as crazy as that seemed. I figured out that a 1000 yen each cover charge was required in addition to the cost of the drinks. Just a bit more than I was willing to spend.

Craftsmanship, balance, and style. Three words that come to mind when I recollect my visit to Star Bar Ginza. I’d been researching the best bars in Ginza for my recent trip to Tokyo and Star Bar was always on many «top lists,» including being on a few, «Top 50 Bars in the World» Lists. It did not disappoint.
I visited Star Bar Ginza with two friends on a Sunday night. Upon navigating our way down the steep stairs to the basement level of a small building in Ginza, it truly reminded me of an American speakeasy with it’s classic wooden décor and dim lighting.
There is no menu at Star Bar. You can either order any cocktail or the server will ask your preferences and suggest a drink for you. For example, my friend wasn’t sure what she wanted, so the bartender made a Japanese Grape and Brandy cocktail and a Japanese Pear and Gin drink. Both were well-​balanced with just the right amount of sweetness and simply delicious.
I went for the classics: an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan, and their version of a Whiskey Sour. All three were excellent in taste and balance.
The bar is cozy and can only hold about two dozen, so probably best not to visit this place during peak hours. The drinks are about $ 23 US each, so if you don’t have an appreciation for well-​crafted cocktails and fine whiskeys, this may not be the place for you.
5-​Stars for Star Bar and I’ll be back on my next visit to Ginza.

We set out for Star Bar in Ginza where we had some pre-​dinner cocktails and enjoyed watching the bartenders expertly craft a High Ball and Manhattan for Greg, and a Negroni for myself. We were two of three people in the bar that night, so it was nice to sit down and chill out without having to fight for anyone’s attention to get a drink. Star Bar was sort of a hole in the wall place where it was located in the basement of a big retail building, and sat maybe 10 people at the most. Dimly lit and bartenders outfitted in suspenders and bow ties, the experience was reminiscent of some of the speakeasy bars we’ve been to in both SF and New York. If it’s one thing I always appreciate with cocktail making here in Tokyo, it’s that they truly put 100% of their efforts and skill in making the perfect drink, no matter what it is. Definitely an awesome find and a must-​stop place for cocktail enthusiasts alike!

Let me start this review by saying I am not a «cocktail snob». I know a lot about cocktails, but I try to not have any ego about it and I’m more than happy to drink cheap canned beer with good company. Also, I am from the States so I don’t know what the customs are here very well.
We stopped I’m at Star Bar a little after they opened as a party of three and got seated at a table right away. They didn’t have a cocktail menu (or if they did they didn’t offer us one), so we ordered a negroni, a French 75 and a sidecar, which I read was one of their best focusses. The cocktails were good, and I love the pressed ice balls so up to there we were good.
At this point another group was seated next to us and one of the members of the group was asking for a recommendation for a whiskey cocktail from the bartender, which was not going very well. I stepped in and suggested he try a Toronto. Now, a Toronto is an IBA standard cocktail, so ordering one at a cocktail bar with no menu shouldn’t be an issue as far as I’m concerned, but I didn’t have any problem with the bartender not knowing it. The cocktail is essentially just a rye old fashioned with an added ¼ of fernet. Trying to explain it as such wasn’t working out so I went through the whole recipe for him.
Again, at this point, from my end of the experience, everything was fine and as it should be. I don’t know if I offended the man (I don’t think any way I acted was offensive) but from that point forward things went drastically down hill. We finished our cocktails and attempted for nearly an hour to attract the bartenders attention as he served the table next to us. When we finally got up to bring him over for a drink order he said he would be right there before we waited for another 10 minutes before coming over. At that point I ordered a Pegu Club, which is both about as standard as it gets for a cocktail and also one of the easiest to explain cocktails. When he didn’t know it I told him the recipe and he informed me they couldn’t make it because they didn’t have the ingredients. The ingredients being gin, triple sec, lime juice and angostura bitters.
Since the guy clearly just didn’t want us to be there we paid the (what seemed extremely expensive for craft cocktails in NY) bill and left. Aside from not being a cocktail bar in any functioning way, the service and attitude were abysmal. Poor show indeed.

Out of all the cocktail bars I visited during my stay in Japan, Star Bar in Ginza has to be my favorite establishment.
Ranked 40 out of 50 in the world, I was very excited to visit Star Bar. The GF and I had visited Bar High Five the night before and we wanted to go check out Ueno-san’s old stomping grounds as a comparison. Not only was I pleased with the experience, but I thought Star Bar was actually better than High Five.
We came here on a quiet Sunday evening after a day of shopping in Ginza. Luckily for us, we were the only people in the bar for quite some time. Upon sitting down, we were greeted with warm towels and a cream cheese spread. Our bartender, Tatsuya-​san, proceeded to ask us what our tastes in cocktails was. I stated I wanted an Old Fashioned to start while my GF wanted an egg white based cocktail with a sweet finish.
Out of all the cocktail bars we’ve been in Japan (High Five, Bar K, etc) Star Bar has been my personal favorite. I sampled a few other classic cocktails such as their Manhattan and Rob Roy, and I was impressed at how balanced each drink was. Needless to say, Star Bar is one of many reasons why I want to move to Japan.

Star Bar has been on my list for a while and it was referred to me by many who love their drinks. It’s home to a number of bartending stars like Ueno-​san of the much lauded High Five. After a late dinner we decided to get a drink before the last trains would force us home. As we went down one of the staff asked us to patiently wait upstairs for a minute while other patrons paid and left. As we were standing there a guy in. Vancouver Canucks jersey comes walking out for a smoke. As we entered we get a small corner and realize we’re surrounded by Canadians but theyre flipping back and forth between English and Cantonese. Guess they call it Hongcouver for a reason! Totally unexpected though.
So our man Tatsuya is awesome. He asks what type of drinks we want and since im in Town a Japanese Whiskey is in order. So they make me one of the bes whiskey sodas iver ever had. Hakushu kept in their freezer with ice that is clear as crystal. Apparently it takes 3 days of slow freeze to get the cubes to not carry any impurities. It’s then cut to be the exact width of the glass and with the perfect amount of soda, you dint see the ice at all! Until you tilt it and the cube comes bobbing up. Masterful both aesthetically and in taste. My friend had some manner of gin drink that was also super tasty. Tatsuya also gave us some recommendations where the locals like to eat which was just above and beyond. Great place all around.

This tiny bar in Tokyo was an instant hit for us!
We arrived before dinner around 8pm for drinks and it was already quite busy. We sat at a little table in the back and the waiter came over and asked for our order. No menus, no suggestions, just what would we like?! I wanted something unique knowing that I was in one of the best bars in the world!
He asked (in rather broken English) what type of alcohol I liked. I said I wanted something refreshing and that I liked gin. A few minutes later, out came a gimlet. At which point I discovered, I am not a gimlet drinker. He came back and asked if it was too strong. My grin was a giveaway and he said he’d get me something a little fruitier.
He came back with some fig and cream cheese spread on crackers (they were divine) and the most delicious grape-​vodka cocktail! It was made with fresh gape purée and so, so good! I could have had 3 of them! I was blown away by the service and loved the intimate vibe of the place.
The neighborhood of Ginza is great for shopping and has tons of restaurants for dinner too, so this bar is a nice break before or after the above!