Gen Yamamoto

A fantastic sensory experience of not just nice cocktails. The room is very simple but has an heir of class. Lighting is well thought out to bring attention to the drinks as they are being prepared and the main alcohol (bottle placement). There is no music (very zen) and only the sound of a bamboo fountain trickling water and the white noise hum of the refrigerator.this allows you to experience at an auditory level, the creation of Gen's masterpiece drinks which are somehow complex (exploding with flavours) yet simple at the same time. The six drink taster set is equivalent to 2 glasses of wine so don't be shy even if you're not a strong drinker.

An exceptional experience.
Gen is a true master.
Once you enter his bar, the journey begins.
Beautiful place, very comfortable, and extra fine materials.
We chose the 6-coctail set which was a smart choice by us since you can't get enough of Gen's delicious and well thought drinks.
For each cocktail Gen is giving an explanation and descriptions of the ingredients.
The flavors were so special and unique. Balanced and very rich
We had an amazing and one of a kind experience.
Highly recommended!

(reservation is mendatory)

P. S.
The tableware is a work of art.

Really interesting cocktail tasting experience. Will say the pours are light, but beautiful
Presentation and flavors. Japanese in all the best ways.

If you are looking for your run-of-the-mill cocktail bar, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for loud music, look elsewhere.

Yamamoto-San makes drinks in an omakase style, with either 6 or 8 courses of well balanced drinks to enjoy. There is a reverential silence that hangs over the place, which is itself a nice change from the noise of Tokyo outside.

While his creations could, to my taste, have a little more alcohol in them to be properly called cocktails, the drinks themselves are unfailingly delicious and made with care that is sometimes lacking at much busier establishments.

Well crafted, amazing setting, very intimate, and Mr. Gen is a master at a truly unique cocktail experience.

Going to be quite frank. I have curated/ran a few bar programs in my tenure as a bartender and Gen’s margins are straight up fraudulent. I love Tokyo and I appreciate the local hyper-attention to detail even at a place like Suntory Eagle Lounge, which is a bit behind the times but at least they serve actual cocktails at a realistic point of value. However, my experience at Bar Gen Yamamoto put a sour taste in my mouth literally and figuratively. I don’t think anybody is going there to get drunk.but watching this dude inefficiently muddle fruit for an hour and half will inspire anyone to catch a quick black-out in Golden Gai shortly thereafter. Trust me there is a way to serve low ABV cocktails in a 6 pour tasting without causing a ruckus but these aren’t even cocktails and the so-local-it-hurts ingredient list is not worth the 2 month yakatori budget it elicits. The worst part is that Gen has the tools, ingredients and training to have the best cocktail experience/bar program in town but his Ego (which is even bigger than the NY bros who trained him) is getting in the way. I saw the con forming as soon he splashed a smidge of an unnamed wine in a Yarai (Japenese mixing glass/vessel) of OJ, which I hope was made on a blood moon eclipse from citrus picked by an acient clan of monks.because once again thats what the price tag entails. The “vibe” that all these positive ratings are portraying is laughable. If i wanted to reach a meditative state on a night out I would get drunk and go to yoga. I felt so bad for the poor soul who finally squeezed out a, “So where are you guys from? ”. Thats how akward this situation is! Everybody knows they’re getting robbed but can only stare it out in silence while this guy gets his daily wrist work out (from the eternity of muddling). I would honestly rather get pick pocketed on the subway (wouldn’t happen in Japan but you get the point).

Here is my solution:
Gen, get over yourself and start bartending (probably calls himself an urban bar-focused horticulturist). Run the same format but have your ingredients prepared, have at least. 5 oz or about 4 bar spoons of spirit in each tasting, have an element in each tasting other than juice, stop stirring citrus based cocktails.its wrong, make your drinks at very least slightly chilled (shaking would solve this) and straining would go a long way.and please play some sort of music or at the very least encourage some conversation between your excited patrons.

Other than your chakra-centering muddling I found the experience lazy and once again fraudulent. If you would like to show some actual bartending prowess I will put you up in a nice hotel in Portland and you can have a guest spot at my solid but non-pretentious bar for weekend because I know you’re better than this and I would like to see it.

Hopefully this daily fortune you’re receiving is helping you raise a family because that is the only thing that would slightly justify this juice den.

Good little Tonkatsu restaurant across Bic Camera in the basement. Fast service, just a few options on the menu and accepts credit cards!

Had a great experience here. Gen-san is very friendly and professional, all the cocktails seemed to be well thought out and tasted amazing. Need a reservation here don’t expect to walk in.

While i enjoyed with sweet anticipation the elixir of that was to be the first cocktail, I soon realized that I was at a juice bar and not a cocktail bar. When pressed if the host would consider making cocktails, he claimed to have no interest in such things. In summary this is a quality juice bar, however it is NOT a cocktail bar, as I would feel more than comfortable taking my 6 year old son here and filling his sippy cup with Gen’s fruit juice. If you do go, make sure to try the gold fish which pair nicely with the juices.

Mind opening experience.

I don't think any other great bar can get any simpler than this. Gen just mixes fruits and alcohol. No shaking. No measuring.
Most of the cocktails I had in the 6 course tasting only consisted of 2 ingredients (alcohol and fruit). That's the enlightening part for me. Greatly balanced drinks served in his curated glasses. The bar snacks are tasty also.

I will return here during a different season as his fruits as seasonal.

You have set proper expectations when you go here that you're not at a cocktail tasting to get drunk or even tipsy off of the drinks. This is a very small, intimate setting where you get to watch Yamamoto-san hand mash fresh fruit to mix into your cocktail. Each fruit is specially sourced directly from farms at the peak of ripeness. I've truly never had better tasting fruit juice in my cocktails. I also really appreciated the opportunity to ask questions as he was preparing each cocktail. The cherry on top was that each cocktail was served in a different glass. Each one was delicate and beautifully made.

Go here for the experience, but be prepared to pay ¥1,000 cover charge in addition to the tasting fee.

You must take this cocktail-bar for what it is. You pay for sampling 4 or 6 unique light alcoholic coktails.

If you expect to be intoxicated in a bar where you enjoy full-size regular cocktails with its standard predefined amounts of alcohol, then you should have done your homework.

Its one of the more intimate cocktail-bars Ive visited. Went for the 6 sample tasting menu. The combination of flavors were really good, and the cocktails were unique. I did have high expectations coming to this place and my expectations were somewhat satisfied. Definately worth going once, but not sure if its a place I would frequent.

My favorite bar in Tokyo. I’ve been here twice and was satisfied both times. The menu changes depending on the season and the freshness of the fruits. Everything is thought out and done to perfection. You come here to enjoy the drinks and not get wasted. If people want to get wasted then they should go elsewhere, this isn’t for them.

I ordered 6 drinks course. All the cocktails were attended in great detail. Nice bartender will explain all the contents. The portion is small and doesn't contain much alcohol, so 6 drinks is not too much. Better to book early.