JANAI COFFEE — Restaurant in Tokyo

This is one of my favorite speakeasy bars to visit when I am in the Tokyo area, so I had to make a small update and add some verbiage. If you are looking for a real experience in what a speakeasy should be, you know a true hidden bar during the 1920's prohibition era, then look no further as Janai Coffee hits it on all levels. Starting with it's name Janai which means "Not" so the play on words says it all... Janai Coffee = Not Coffee. To the secret way on how to make a reservation to the secret door to get into the bar area is on another level (see my previous post below on the lowdown on how to make a reservation, to getting into the bar itself).

I recently took my friend here and he said the coffee drinks is the best he has ever had and trust me, he's been drinking all over the world.

Located within walking distance from Ebisu station this speakeasy is amazing. They really do hide the fact they are a speakeasy as they really do serve coffee and many locals come here for their coffees. If you come and ask to go into the bar they will look at you confused and say they only serve coffee and what would you like to order.

Here is the skinny on how to get in.

1. Go to their website: janaicoffee.tokyo on your smart phone
2. with your finger or stylus move it around the logo in a clockwise motion and it will turn into a new screen. From there you will choose day, time and how many people.
3. The day and time of your reservation, you walk down the stairs to Janai Coffee. Go their homepage on your smart phone make the motion like you did when you made the reservation and show the "barista"
4. Once your code is verified, he or she will say ok you can go in but how do you go in?
5. To go inside the speakeasy, look at the bookshelf which is on your left. Press on the bookshelf on the right side and the door will push inwards.

Ok so that's how this speakeasy works. When we came we were greeted by our "barista " Haruka and she totally made us feel as if we were in a coffee shop until i opened up my phone and showed it to her. Once inside we were greeted by Andy our waiter (he spoke English). He explained the menu and gave some suggestions which we said lets do it. The mixologist is Kento and he is amazing. He actually came to our table to explain the drinks we ordered.

They specialize in coffee liquor which Kento infuses coffee with liquor himself. They have their other mixed fruity drinks and of course their hard to find whiskeys. The drinks were all good. The atmosphere was low light but not so low that you cant see.

I would request to sit at the bar if possible to see all the action and to talk to Kento himself and maybe he will make you some off the menu drinks however I heard they mostly stick the menu drinks.

You will have to pay 500 yen per person which seems to be the normal for lots of bars.

What's awesome and to make it even more realistic that's its only a coffee shop is they send you off with a cup of coffee when you're done at the bar side.

Another amazing experience and opportunity we had in Japan and hopefully we will get a chance to bring some friends to enjoy this very cool and hip speakeasy oh I mean "coffee shop,"

If you need some land markers, it's right across the street from Toraji, and next door to a place called Madison.

P.S. Did you know there is another secret within this secret bar? HINT: Turn over the...

A special experience at Janai Coffee which I encourage you to try for yourself ;-) there are a number of social media posts speaking about how to make reservations and such so I won't go into those. I would just say that the hype is real, and though I knew what to expect, it was still fun to experience it for myself.

I came alone and the staff generally looked out for me. I had the set menu A which consisted three coffee related drinks.

The first - Yellow Heart - was a small shot glass sized cocktail of shochu, orange, mango and milk brew coffee. A little underwhelmed to be honest, but perhaps a teaser of what was to come.

The second drink - Coffee Lemon Sour - the bartender's professed fav, was a concoction of gin, lemon syrup, coffee, and yes, red vinegar. Somehow it works and though I wasn't wowed, it was a tasty cocktail.

The third was probably the best of the 3 for me - espresso martini! Vodka based with crème de Noyaux and unrefined cane sugar. This was a rich and satisfying cocktail that left me wanting more!

But I ended off with the secret cocktail (if you know, you know ;) and I'm glad I did. It was not only visually stunning but had a flavour profile that was to me, mind-blowing. The flaming tomatina promised "the sweetness of yellow tomatoes, the richness of bonito and the aroma of jalapeno" and boy did it deliver! It played tricks on my mind and I certainly thought I was drinking a soup, even with that kick of heat from the jalapenos in the finish - exquisite!

It was a fitting end to a wonderful experience. Although service did feel a bit rushed at first as I was asked if the next drink could be served while still drinking one, the co-founders and I warmed up to each other, and at the end even had a small shot of a non-descript liquor at the end.

Not sure if I got his name right but Kenko probably saw my genuine reaction to his creation and my compliments warmed his heart.

Janai coffee here (although they give you a small cup at the end), but certainly an experience to behold. Just a note that they charge a table charge which was a surprise as none was mentioned beforehand. But still, highly recommended if...

This coffee speakeasy was pretty cool. There is a secret password to access the speakeasy. Like any place in japan, you must visit the website and reserve a date and time. It gets crowded...as a tourist in japan make your reservation a week or so in advance. The website also explains how to get into the speakeasy. Located in ebisu, it took me awhile to find, down the stairs and into a small little coffee shop. Show them the password and entry through the hidden bookcase. The speakeasy, although gimmicky was pretty cool to be in. Since my friend couldn't attend. I sat near the restrooms. Wasn't the best place to be. I like the atmosphere and the cocktails were all coffee theme. I thought that was pretty cool. All that i order was delicious. After I paid the bill and left, the coffee shop would give you a nice cup of regular or decaf coffee as a parting gift. That was nice. The decaf coffee was pretty good.

All in all a good experience. Must try at least once in tokyo. Best with a friend or in a small group. If you solo this place, you end up in the corner of the...