Bar Flamingo
バー フラミンゴ
Asakusa & Kuramae · Jazz Kissa
A listening cafe for records and serious sound.
Bar Flamingo has poured cocktails to jazz records in Asakusa since 1962. Up a red-carpeted staircase, McIntosh amps and Altec speakers play piano trios and vocals at conversation-friendly volume under a Milky Way ceiling. The ¥1,000 cover includes fruit and cheese. Smoking allowed; closed Sunday.
⚠️ Note: Smoking is allowed at every seat — a dealbreaker for some. ¥1,000 table charge; closed Sundays.
How to visit
- Address
- 2-1-11 Nishi-Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Hours
- Mon–Sat 5pm–midnight; closed Sun
- Price
- $$
- English (?)
- Limited
- Reservations
- Not required
First-timer tips
- Best for
- A slow Asakusa nightcap — piano trios and vocals on McIntosh gear, cocktails in antique glasses, talk allowed.
- Avoid if
- Non-smokers — smoking is allowed throughout. Sunday visits; the ¥1,000 cover surprises budget planners.
What makes it special
Flamingo opened in September 1962 as a classic jazz kissa and settled into its current shape — a second-floor bar up a red-carpeted staircase — with a 1993 renovation. The shop describes itself as a hideaway: an authentic old bar where the ceiling is lit like the Milky Way, cocktails arrive in antique glasses, and more than 3,000 jazz records line the walls. The audio chain is full McIntosh into Altec 802 and TAD drivers, but the volume stays sociable — piano trios and vocal records rather than wall-of-sound hard bop. It is the jazz bar to end an Asakusa evening, not a silence-enforced listening room.
How to visit
Five minutes on foot from Tawaramachi Station (Ginza line) toward the Asakusa View Hotel, or about 230m from the Tsukuba Express Asakusa Station: the bar is on the second floor at 2-1-11 Nishi-Asakusa. Open Mon–Sat 5pm to around midnight, closed Sundays. ¥1,000 cover with fruit and cheese; VISA and Mastercard accepted. Phone: +81 3-3843-8853.
FAQ
Is there a cover charge?
Yes, ¥1,000 per person, which comes with fruit and cheese. VISA and Mastercard are accepted; e-money is not.
Can I smoke?
Yes — smoking is allowed at every seat, which cuts both ways: fine for smokers, a real caveat for everyone else.
Is it a loud listening bar?
No — the records (piano trios and vocals, over 3,000 of them) play at a volume that leaves room for conversation. It is a cocktail bar with a jazz kissa's record shelf and audio.