1-2-32 Dojima, Kita-ku
Beso Isla
It takes something special to stand out in Kita Shinchi, the elite drinking turf that’s half the size of New York’s Grand Central Terminal but is home to around 3,000 bars. But bartender Shoki Sato is one of the best, with a trophy haul that includes the huge-in-Japan Suntory Cocktail Award, though it’s his charisma as much as his drinks that make Bar Beso famous. In November 2021, after 20 years, he left Beso in the hands of veteran protégés and decamped to his new cocktail lounge, Isla, nearby. Regulars now hop between the two, which both excel in precisely executed classics, fruit-forward cocktails and lots of banter.
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