371 (san-nana-ichi) Bar Shinjukusanchome

Nice array of both Japanese and western breakfast items, delicious coffee and in a comfortable setting with a good street view, along with top-notch service.

Visited September 2019

Big bustling place, and seems kind of related to Tokyu Stay Hotel (or maybe not, but they do offer breakfast for hotel guests). Always busy, modern and cosmopolitan-looking. Went in... as a solo diner, expecting from previous posts to be refused entry. But not so. Got a seat at the counter. Ordered ...a penne with spicy sauce and crab and glass of white wine. Wine was OK (for UK readers... this was what you would call a (very) small glass, for 800 JPY); penne with crab was OK (albeit a very tiny portion -and I am not really a big eater- for 1700 JPY). So, food and drink were OK-ish, but way too expensive for what it really was. I guess this is Tokyo Shinjuku San-Chome... Oh... service was correct. English was spoken (or at least understood). And I did not feel treated tourist-unfriendly.

Visited December 2019

Polite, helpful and welcoming staff. I had several afternoon sit down bar sessions of Japanese Whiskey. They have an English menu and are happy to help with questions about the Shinjuku night scene. Slightly more expensive but I felt welcome and they kept pouring me great whiskey.

Visited September 2018

This bar/restaurant is actually attached to the Tokyo Stay hotel where we were guests. (Breakfast is actually served there in the mornings) The "bouncer" refused us at the door telling us we needed a reservation, in an extremely rough and unfriendly way. We went back to the hotel desk, someone went... to talk to the attender, and we were allowed in. I am still not sure exactly why we were refused. The bar was not at all full. We were not dressed up but as 65 year olds, we were certainly dressed correctly. I think frankly that they only want younger wealthy chic Japanese people. In any case, we were the only foreigners there. I asked the waiter why we were refused and he simply said "you are right...you should not have been refused". The wine was excellent and the food was good enough. However, I never got over being refused at the door as "rif-raf". Perhaps they are just simply racist snobs. It haunted me into the night.....

Visited March 2018

Travelling alone for a medical meeting, was refused to seat by the attender. "Only 2 persons" he said, in not very polite way. Even being a guest of the Tokyu Stay, if you are alone...Get out!DO NOT RECOMMEND. There is a lot of good restaurants around.

Visited September 2016