If you’re tired of booze overwhelming the queer dining scene, we’ve got good news! When it comes to , the lion’s share lives in Shinjuku Ni-chome. While Ni-chome’s well-known nightlife is great for the right mood, it’s hard to capture the tenderness of gazing into each other’s eyes over a drink when the soundtrack is bass music and shouting. We sniffed out six queer-positive eateries in Tokyo that don’t limit the fun to bar time.
While you’ll certainly be able to get a beer at most featured establishments, we’ve picked spots where alcohol isn’t the main focus. Conveniently, many of the locations we scouted are located around tour hubs and areas with solid support for foreigners, guests and tourists alike. The menu at leans tex-mex with its focus on loaded street-style tacos and nachos.
Though the name Alamas comes from the Thai language, Christian iconography and Mexican fiesta energy inspire much of the decor at this Ni-chome eatery. Looking at the venue’s X (formally Twitter) page would give the impression that this is just another theme-y bar, but you can pop in confident that you’re going to find some real food. It’s a good Uber-eats option too if you’re hungry and still want to support the community.
The cafe is operated by Aliving, a company that also runs , (not a cafe, for the record, but an English-friendly bar and LGBQ+ life resource) and . In many ways, is an izakaya like any other. Homey Japanese dishes fill patrons up after a long work.