How does the cocktail tasting experience work?

At Gen Yamamoto, customers choose between a four or six-course cocktail tasting menu. Each course features a different cocktail made from fresh, local ingredients, and the bartender provides explanations about the inspiration and the sourcing of the ingredients used in each drink.

Do I need a reservation to visit Gen Yamamoto?

Yes, reservations are highly recommended due to the limited seating available. The bar only accommodates eight guests at a time, ensuring a personalized experience for each visitor.

How long does the tasting experience last?

The cocktail tasting experience at Gen Yamamoto typically lasts about 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the number of courses and the pacing of the drinks.

Gen Yamamoto

4.5 (360)Cocktail BarBarPoint Of InterestEstablishment

Last updated May 24, 2026

Gen Yamamoto is a well-known bar in Tokyo, offering an intimate, seasonal cocktail experience crafted by bartender Gen Yamamoto himself. The bar, located in Azabu-Juban, only has eight seats, which creates a personal, close-up setting for guests.

Yamamoto’s approach to cocktails emphasizes fresh, local ingredients, using fruits and vegetables sourced directly from Japanese farms. He carefully selects and prepares each ingredient to create drinks that reflect Japan's changing seasons.

Each drink in the tasting menu is paired with stories about the ingredients, giving guests a sense of the culture and regions from which the products come. The cocktails have a natural taste, avoiding heavy alcohol flavors and allowing the fresh ingredients to shine. Gen Yamamoto’s skill lies in his ability to balance subtle flavors, offering a refreshing alternative to the usual cocktail scene.

Traveler reviews

Love the zen vibe in this place. Feels very different from other cocktail places, Gen Yamamoto places emphasis on using fresh ingredients and mixes with the liquor of his choice. He is friendly and able to converse in English. I was very glad to experience this cocktail Omakase. His drinks are one of its kind. I had 7 unique drinks last night. Thank you and keep making lovely drinks!

Peiyan Lee

Jun 6, 2026

I’m not really a big drinker, but the cocktails here totally surprised me — no harsh alcohol taste, no bitterness. Just smooth, flavorful, and so creative! The bartender blends the fruit flavors perfectly with the liquor, and each drink has its own unique twist. My favorites were the fruity ones — super refreshing and balanced. It was such a fun experience, and I’ll definitely come back next time

Exceptional experience before a nice meal. Low alcohol cocktails served with unique and seasonal ingredients with precision and purpose. Every detail down to the glassware used for each cocktail has been carefully planned. Do yourself a favor and make and go!

This place might not be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. And reservation was easy, even though I live in Europe. If you want traditional cocktails - this isn't a place for you. But if you are looking for something new and special - you should definitely visit Gen Yamamoto. The cocktails were great, albeit unorthodox, and the barman was nice and professional. At first, I wanted to try 4-5 cocktails. But every drink was something special and every time I heard the ingredients I couldn't believe that this drink would taste good. But every time I was proven wrong. So I decided to go until the end - to the 7th cocktail. And it was the best of them all. Just some of the ingredients that were used: mashed potatoes, wasabi with pineapple, garlic brandy. One of the best drinking experiences in my life.

Gen Yamamoto was a very unique cocktail experience. You have the option of choosing 4, 5 or 7 courses. 7 is a cool 10,000 yen. Yamamoto-san speaks English quite well and provides a course by course description similar to dishes being brought out from the kitchen at a Michelin restaurant. Every cocktail is prepared in plain sight as you would see at an omakase sushi restaurant. Nearly every cocktail is a blend of fruit or vegetables and one spirit. Yamamoto-san used Finnish whiskey in two of the cocktails, as well as sochu and brandy. My favorite was the tomato, lemon juice and whiskey blend. The smoky whiskey and fresh tomato juice complimented each other harmoniously. I’m trying to recreate it at home and the tomato jam seems to be the one missing element. You need to make a reservation over the phone starting from a week out. I asked my hotel concierge to call but Yamamoto-san requested to speak with my directly since he speaks English. There were two tourists from China and one from New York. Neither party stayed for all 7 courses, so I was the last one there. I will say that some of the reviews complaining about the lack of spirits used are valid. Yamamoto-san uses less than a shot of alcohol per cocktail so you end up getting more fruit and vegetable juice than a bonafide cocktail. That said, I still enjoyed the creativity behind each cocktail and left inspired but still needing more drinks. So I wandered into the neighborhood to find Bar Melt, which is a new bar with patrons smoking houkas but quality cocktails that have considerably more alcohol in them. Bar Centifolia is less than a block away from Bar Yamamoto but was closed that night. Tokyo Confidential is also very close by. Here are my tasting notes in the order that they were served: 1 - Yuzu and Sochu 2 - Strawberries and Daikon / Sochu 3 - Kiwi/Marc Grappier Brandy made from Pinot noir 4 - Soy Milk / Fava Beans / Palo Single Malt Whiskey from Finland 5 - Pineapple / Japanese Whiskey 6 - 🍅 Tomato/Lemon/Tomato Jam/ Benromach Whiskey 7 - Quince / Wasabi / Kyro Finnish whiskey