Bar TipTop at Ikebukuro, Tokyo

A 35-year-old Ikebukuro shot bar with 600 spirits, fresh-fruit cocktails and house smoked bites for late nights.

Bar TipTop is one of Ikebukuro's longest-running authentic shot bars, with more than 35 years behind it on the west side of the station. The room is small and chic - real-leather seats, a single-slab counter and a back bar of more than 600 bottles - and it is known as a dependable spot for a quiet drink, a date or a second-round stop. The drinks list runs to some 600 Western spirits, with fresh-fruit cocktails made with seasonal fruit a house speciality, alongside a crisp mojito and the bar's own smoked snacks such as smoked salmon, cheese and thick-cut bacon. Opening hours run from 18:00 to 05:00 with last orders at 04:30, the bar keeps no regular holidays aside from the year-end break, and the budget sits comfortably around 3,000 to 5,000 yen for around 23 seats. For an unhurried cocktail, a proper conversation with the bartender or a late-night nightcap, TipTop's red neon is a reliable signal in the theatre district. Settle in, watch the bartender work and savour one of those seasonal fruit cocktails that only appears for a few weeks - it is a little slice of old Ikebukuro that still does things the proper way.