Grandfather's — Restaurant in Tokyo

Rather than ripping on this place, I’ll try to accurately describe it to help people decide if it’s right for them.

(Some context: I lived in Japan for two years and know the bar scene well.)

Grandfather’s is a music bar. That means you go to listen to music and chat with friends. It’s not the kind of place you go to meet people or strike up random conversations. So it’s not a good choice for solo travelers. There ARE music bars where the owners and clientele are more social. But this isn’t one of them.

The place is dark and very, very smoky. There is poor ventilation, so you will basically be smoking even if you don’t smoke.

The drinks are fine. This is not a fancy cocktail bar. They’ll make a decent gin and tonic, but you don’t go here for an amazing and unique drink.

As many have described, the staff is not friendly. They’re not rude, but you get the distinct impression they don’t want to be there or talk to you. Some people seem to think this is cool. Someone referred to it as “poker face”. Having spent years here, I personally think it is just pretentiousness.

The music is very very very esoteric. You will recognize 80% of it. You will like 20%. I say that assuming that you don’t like George Benson, Nirvana, Tears for Fears, DeBarge, Coldplay, and Chicago in equal parts. Those were the artists they played while I was there. They take requests, so you can ask for whatever you like (and they will probably have it unless you like anything really indie). But expect that the other 5 songs played in the half hour period will not be ones you particularly wanted to hear. In other words, there is not set genre here except “rock,” and I would argue that even that is not broad enough. So... if you are like me and you like more alternative music, or if you like metal, or punk, or blues, or disco, you probably want to go to a more specific genre bar. They exist. You just...

My friends and I were in Shibuya and wanted to go to a vinyl bar. Went to Google Maps and found this recommendation, which had great reviews so we decided to randomly check it out and fortunately had a table perfect for us open.

Food and drinks: Barely any food, mostly basic bar chow and wasn't anything great but did the job. Cocktails were pretty good but wouldn't say it's the main reason for visiting. Got a cocktail and couple of beers.

Vibe: If there's any reason to visit, it's this. Small, vibey speakeasy with GREAT quality music. Huge collection of vinyls and they took requests. Artists they played during our stay: Hall & Oats, Rita Coolidge, John Mayer, Doobie Brothers (my personal request), and more. Was hoping they'd play more old Japanese music to discover some new stuff but most requests were English - still great tho

Cons: If you're not a smoker, be mindful that this is a smoking bar. Didn't bother me tho - added to the vibe lol. Note that you're also not allowed to take photos of the other patrons (which was hard because I couldn't take pictures of the place without other guests in it somehow) but managed to get a couple shots without getting their faces.

Would highly recommend to anyone passing by Shibuya. My friends and I had to leave because we had a schedule somewhere else but would've stayed much longer...

I loved this place so much, I think it was my favorite bar in Tokyo. I have to admit I was a skeptic at first - it's sort of dimly lit and smells a bit of smoke but the atmosphere was so spot on. The owner is such a sweet man and him and the staff play such good records - everything from Yacht Rock to the Cranberries to Bruno Mars. Such a quintessential old school Tokyo Record Bar.

They also seemingly have this cool system where regulars can get a bottle of alcohol and every time they come back, they get the same bottle back. It's such a unique system that my boyfriend and I were mesmerized by.

Anyway, great drinks, great vibes, great bar....