Rogerio Igarashi Vaz, a Brazilian-Japanese bartender with an absinthe obsession and a speakeasy sensibility, built Bar Trench in a quiet Ebisu backstreet as a love letter to the pre-Prohibition cocktail era. The room is narrow and candlelit, with brick walls and the atmosphere of a bar that has existed for a century even though it opened in 2009. The absinthe collection lines the back bar — over fifty bottles, including vintage pours and house blends — and the cocktails draw on forgotten recipes, unusual bitters, and a willingness to use ingredients that most bartenders have never heard of. The door is unmarked, because in Tokyo the best bars announce themselves quietly or not at all.
Location
Shibuya, Tokyo
Map
Insider Intel
Start with an absinthe service — the traditional drip over a sugar cube, performed with precision and reverence. The Corpse Reviver No. 2 is the house benchmark for classic cocktails. Anything involving absinthe or unusual bitters will showcase the bar's particular strengths. If you describe what you like, Vaz or his bartenders will build something from the deep back bar. The Sazerac here is definitive.
Weekday evenings from 7pm to 10pm for the calmest atmosphere and the most bartender attention. The bar is small enough that four extra people change the energy entirely. Friday and Saturday after 9pm fill quickly.
On a quiet residential street in Ebisu-Minami — no sign, look for the heavy wooden door. The bar seats roughly 15 between the counter and a few tables. Cocktails 1,500-2,200 yen. Table charge applies. Cash preferred. Vaz speaks English, Portuguese, and Japanese. The connected bar, Bar Tram (next door), is the casual sibling — same quality, more relaxed format. Ebisu Station is a 5-minute walk. The neighborhood around it is residential and quiet, making the bar feel discovered rather than destination.