Boathouse Bar: Trader Vic’s
Beneath hanging blowfish and lacquered turtle shells, mai tais arrive in pufferfish-shaped glasses alongside crab rangoon and spareribs at this tropical tiki bar. Pucker-lipped blowfish hang from the ceiling above the Boathouse Bar inside Trader Vic’s.
Woven palm and bamboo frame the room, while a lacquered turtle shell sits above a mirrored shelf lined with bottles of rum. At the bar, a man finishes the last of a prawn cocktail beside a half-empty Tokyo Sour. My own arrives moments later in a pufferfish-shaped glass with a straw, bright with pineapple and citrus, softened by almond, with an edge of overproof rum.
A ring of condensation forms beneath the glass. Crisp crab rangoon filled with cream cheese and sticky barbecue spareribs land on the table as the room begins to crowd.
Mai tais in several variations, along with a long list of tropical cocktails, set the tone for the menu. Voices rise around the high tables beneath colored glass floats. Laughter spills across the room.
As the evening deepens, the noise softens and another round of beer appears at the table behind you. Address: Hotel New Otani Garden Tower 4F
2-minute walk from Akasaka-Mitsuke Station
Instagram: @tradervicstokyo
- Who: Boathouse Bar · Trader Vic · Tokyo Sour