Have you ever wandered around trying to find a place to have a friendly beer? The flashing lights of Tokyo’s cavernous clubs give you a headache and izakaya are just filled with drunk salarymen. Sounds like you need to know about Cafe Ole Bar, the coziest little drinking establishment this side of Barcelona.
Conveniently located about a minute from the Koma Gekijo Square in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, this welcoming little place features no cover charge, cheap drinks and free first drinks for ladies on many nights. Started by Spaniard and long-time Tokyo resident Miguel, the bar captures an international atmosphere while preserving the Latin warmth that Spain is so well known for. Any given night will see numerous conversations raging in Spanish, English, Japanese and a host of other European languages. Further, all the weary strangers who sidle up to the bar are bound to be engaged by the outgoing Miguel and his congenial gang of cohorts. One can always pick up a game of darts, chess or backgammon with these local hackers. Tables and benches in the back of the snug room can accommodate larger parties.
Cafe Ole Bar specializes in Latin music with Miguel making selections from his homeland and the bounty of Latin America. Still, in an effort to please other customers Miguel recently hooked up a music television system. In typical wild fashion he tells the installation story. "It was crazy" he says, "I was on the roof, way up on this skinny pole, holding on for my life. I had to position the dish and pin my mobile phone against my ear so I could find out if the signal was reaching the TV." Apparently Miguel survived his satellite connection and customers occasionally get some grooving rock chords in addition to the Spanish, foot-stomping tunes.
For a friendly, funny and down-to-earth (hopefully!) night out,
visit Miguel at his cozy Cafe Ole Bar.
Open Mon-Sat 8pm-5am
- Dai 2 Metro Bldg.
- 2-38-2 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku
Tel: 3200-2249 |
