Albatross Omoide Yokocho
ALBATROSS 思い出横丁店 · Albatross Omoide Yokocho
- Ward
- Shinjuku
- Price
- ¥1,500~2,500
- Hours
- 17:00-next day 02:00 (Fri·Sat
- Closed
- irregular
- Getting there
- 2 min walk from Shinjuku Stn (west exit)
- Founded
- 2000
- In the middle of Shinjuku's Memory Lane, an absurdly narrow three-storey building
- The house infusion regulars always order
- Until 2am on weekdays, 5am Friday and Saturday
We do not republish copyrighted photographs. Use the links below to see the actual venue.
Obvious to locals, invisible to visitors
There is a simple reason guidebooks leave this out: to the people who live here it is too obvious to be worth explaining.
In the middle of Shinjuku's Memory Lane, an absurdly narrow three-storey building. Climbing its tight staircase is part of the experience — you reach it through a corridor of yakitori smoke.
The house infusion regulars always order. Tourists reach for the mojito; the Japanese drinker beside you is probably having this.
Until 2am on weekdays, 5am Friday and Saturday. The whole lane keeps this rhythm — walking it after midnight is the experience itself.
What it is
Shinjuku is a ward where a mega-terminal abuts narrow alleys. Seven counter seats, that is all. Arrive late and you either stand or move on to the next place. Start with a draft or a highball, then ask the owner where to go next. A rainy weekday is the sweet spot — the crowd thins dramatically. There are a few similar places nearby — do not give up if the first one is full. It would be a waste to stop at just this one — there is more of the same density within five hundred metres.
What to order
Why locals keep coming
Drink prices are transparent — no surprises at the till, which is what brings people back. Similar bars cluster nearby, so there is no need to settle in — the hopping itself becomes the point.