Bar Martha

It’s simple: don’t be loud/inconsiderate to other patrons + don’t take photos or videos. If you struggle with these simple rules - solo or as a group - this is not the venue for you. I don’t speak Japanese but I was made to feel welcome the whole time. The audio setup here is another level! Tanoy loudspeakers from the 1970s (!!!!) that fill the whole venue - powered by McIntosh & tube-amps playing some finely selected vinyl. Had a conversation at the bar with a local who is there twice a week and has a bottle bank - gave me some great tips for Tokyo. A delightful venue if you’re an audiophile and can be present/in the moment.

I went in very excited for a pure listening experience. I love stuff like this. My wife and I were very clear on the rules. No pictures, minimal/ no talking. Got it. Then three of the bartenders proceeded to continuously chop ice blocks the whole time we sat there... like what?? Figure it out y'all. Is it a minimal noise environment or not. We were really looking forward to this experience but left after about 30 minutes. Aside from the continuous chopping the bartenders were very nice.

I love this place, but I can imagine it’s not for everyone. It’s a listening bar… so don’t go there if you are more the talking type of person, or go there to meet people you have not seen for a long time and need to catch up the last couple of years. Definitely go there if you want to listen to great music, on a fantastic vintage sound system, while enjoying nice drinks with one or two good friends, or even by yourself. Will come back next time, when I am in Tokyo.

We loved our time at Bar Martha. The music and listening bar atmosphere were perfect, clearly created with great care. The staff recommended a great whisky for me, and we met Chaco, the popular miniature poodle bar regular. There is a cover charge of 900 yen which felt very fair to us, given the high quality listening experience. Thank you for your hospitality!

Great jazz bar. Quiet ambience, great music selection by the resident DJs, very good cocktails and great (free) snacks. Randomly stumbled into Bar Martha one evening and came back a few days later. Great spot to be, if you love listening to music and are able to talk in a quiet voice. =D

Horrible experience. I’ve lived in Japan since 2011. I run a few SNS accounts about drinks/drinking in Japan. I speak Japanese. I sat down with my friend and after a few seconds we were told, in a rude-ish manner, to lower our voice. We were deciding what to order…. I turn my head to my other side, and the customer to my left said “it’s like this in this bar”. The staff told him to lower his voice. So annoying. He was being careful to not be loud. The staff member doesn’t speak English (which is not a problem) but insisted to not speak Japanese to me. So I would ask in Japanese and he would answer in broken English or stay silent. There’s a seat charge which I don’t mind, but as they wouldn’t let me talk to my friend I decided to leave after half a drink (basic highball). Paid ¥3,400 for two very normal drinks and left. They have this lame gimmick of “no picture-video” in the bar which is ridiculous in 2025. I’ve been to at least 100 bars in the last few years and this has been my worst experience. Thankfully there are so many better options everywhere!! Save yourself from the ordeal and go somewhere else.

I’m quite disappointed because I came here hoping to enjoy good music, as I’m a music lover. There was a no-photo sign at the door, but it was very small and I didn’t notice it. I raised my phone to take a picture, and a staff member stopped me — which I understand — but then he asked me to leave, which felt a bit strange. It would have been fine just to tell me not to take pictures, but asking me to leave even though I hadn’t actually taken one felt a bit excessive.

This bar was highly recommended by a friend, but sadly my experience was pretty bad overall. My partner and i were told to keep it down a few times despite us both being actively quieter each time, and the wait staff muscled in to our table to move drinks around and replace coasters out of the blue which was strange. Its a beautiful space and the music was lovely but the staff were really quite rude, unfortunately wont be coming back again.

Incredible. One of the greatest bar experiences I've ever had anywhere. Cannot miss. Respect the rules, have an experience that cannot be replicated.

Every one of the negative reviews are from the type of people you are glad would hate this place. Greatest bar in the world? Probably. You can't take pictures or talk like an obnoxious person, no loss there. I did take a picture of the front of the building and its framed in my office. Dream. Glad I've been able to go twice, 5 years apart.

The bar of my dreams! Excellent music curated by thoughtful deejays, top notch cocktails, and tasty snacks. Yes, they have rules (no loud talking, no photos, and no requests), but given the world we live in, these all seemed necessary to maintain a lovely atmosphere for serious listening. If you want to let loose, this isn't the place for you, but if you want to relax, enjoy your drink and take a musical journey, come on down!

Bar Martha is amazing! I highly recommend. My boyfriend and I happened to find this looking on yelp for bars near the place we had dinner, and I'm so happy we found Bar Martha. As a New Orleanians, I really appreciate good music, good atmosphere, and good drinks. Bar Martha had all three. Our waitress spoke excellent English and we had some really good sazeracs which was very exciting since sazeracs are pretty tough to find Japan. they also have Cuban cigars! The drinks are fabulous, but it's worth going for the ambiance alone! The space is really cool with the long bar and a corner full of old American records. They have a DJ who pulls records down and plays them for you, and you can make requests! Some of the seating is really cool - there are little walled-in nooks which make it feel like you're in a private room. Cozy and romantic! There's a small cover fee, but it was well worth it. I think 800¥. I don't believe they serve food, but there was a selection of nuts and other nibbles on the tables.

This place has a great vinyl collection and a great sound system but the people that run this place are horrible. When I first came here 4 years ago it was very cool. But NOW the vibe is terrible. They gave us a table close to were one of the staff was chipping ice. Totally disturbing the music. We asked for another table. They put us near a couple that was talking loud and smoking these stinky cigars. I asked for a Moscow Mule and it was shitty, flat, no alcohol. I asked for a better drink. The second one was worse then the first. Then the bitch with the dyed blond short hair that is the so called DJ came to our table very aggressively, she is psycho!!! Out of her mind!!!! And screamed at my wife calling her terrible things in Japanese. She played the worst music from the great collection they have. We were shocked. That place is an insult to all the great music and artists that recorded that music. And I'm one of the musicians on a lot of there albums.The staff is useless. They have no clue. Please don't go there. Don't waste your money on this joint. If you do, watch out for the psycho bitch spinning vinyl. Fuck this place.....I will tell every musician I know to stay away from here!!!!!!!!!

This place. This place needs to get over itself. I've been to hipster bars all over the world and this one is no more special than any of them. I can't believe that you can't take pictures or laugh loudly at a friend's joke. I also can't believe they charge a cover. Positives: The snacks are nice and they make decent drinks.

This bar definitely gets award for coolest atmosphere. It's a dark smokey brick room with by vinyl records playing in the background. They don't allow pictures to be taken nor do they allow sandals. Also, the hand cut each ice cube before it goes in a drink....it's pretty cool.

Previous reviewers get it spot on; the rules are the rules here. Cover charge, no pictures, do as they say and put your stuff where indicated or you get chastised. The music was pretty great the first hour after they opened and then the dour dude DJ arrived and we got the Sound of Music soundtrack and endless Carpenters. I got shushed and that was that for me. No english drink menu, so I got a gin and tonic which, well, pretty much anyone could have made. Oh, and smoking allowed so be prepared to stink like hell when you leave. Man, I do NOT miss smoking in indoor venues. If you are an introvert with a taste for bad 70s music and are gunning for lung cancer, this is your spot.

This is a tight bar. Yes, you can't take pictures. Yes, they give you the third degree when you walk in about it. But hey, it's good to get off your phone! Amazing music all night long. You'll know what they are playing based on the record that is sitting out (it changes with every song). Lots of drinks to choose from. Great bar snack variety. Like I seriously couldn't stop eating them. It's just a great spot to chill out, listen to some great music and really get to know whomever you're there with. My husband and I got to celebrate his birthday at midnight with a bunch of cool local people. It's awesome, go.

It's too bad I couldn't take more photos. Apparently you're not allowed to take photos. Don't let the brick exterior fool you. The interior is pretty cool. They play jazz music in a hipster, intimate setting. There is an assortment of bar snacks located at each table. Banana chips, corn nuts, chocolate, peas, and nuts. Note that you'll have to order a drink - minimum order of one drink per person, so there's no tagging along for fun. The mango mojito is recommended!

Oh My God. Greatest bar in the world. I was so fortunate to be seated right in front of the DJ. He was so friendly. Played an unbelievable mix of jazz, rock, pop, blues and R&b. Drinks were phenomenal. I love that you can buy an entire bottle and have it at your table. If you are anywhere close to this bar you should make time to go.

Relaxing spot with cool music, you'll have a nice time with friends just drinking and jamming away. The place has a cool vibe that makes intimate conversations possible, they actually discourage any sort of loud speaking or yelling. Come here if you have a group or just a handful of friends. They have a seating are that work for all. Secondly, they offer a nice variety of snack right at the table.

I really like the ambiance of the bar, dim lit, industrial feel of the exposed brick walls and massive wall of vinyl records most of all. They don't blast the music like other places. They resist playing the music obnoxiously loud so everyone can talk. Music is excellent. Great mix of all genres that fit the tone of the bar. They also have a wide selection of drinks and the nuts on the table are free!

Good atmosphere but owner is a pain in the ass. He will be pity on you just because you are shaking the pack of matches you just got in the bar - not to mention if you get a louder giggle just because your friend told you a nice joke. It kills the whole experience.

If you're a pretentious hipster who likes to sit silently and listen to music then come to this bar. Good cocktails and good music but the staff are so stuck up they make the place almost in enjoyable.

TERRIBLE SERVICE. The waitress/hostess was so mean, she chewed our heads off for giggling and almost killed me for not knowing where the restroom was. RUDE. Drinks were ok. Records were cool.

Gem of a place! All ice is hand carved from blocks. Drinks were fantastic and the music selection was incredible. Highly recommended but so glad it wasn't that crowded.

This is not a good place for foreigners. You will be required to pay 800 Yen per person as cover charge, to enjoy the quiet ambiance and American jazz music. However, if you are ordering a bottle, the cover charge increases to almost double per head. They explained that this was a standard for Japanese bars where Japanese customers leave their unfinished bottles for safekeeping; and we explained that we are foreigners who don't plan on leaving any bottle that night so the charge shouldn't apply to us. Unfortunately, the owner did not agree and so we left after the first round of drinks and went to the bar next door where the owner was more accommodating. The drinks here are good though, and the cover charge includes some snacks such as chocolate and peanuts. The atmosphere is also very cozy if you don't mind following their strict rules.

Maybe great. They refused us entry. We were quiet...yes a group of 6. We said we would split into two groups or even three. Nope.

If you're looking for a bar where you cannot talk, laugh, take pictures and have fun then this is for you. Too bad because the place has a good atmosphere and good selection of alcoholic drinks, but the staff is so strict that they make it impossible for customers to enjoy the atmosphere. It's like you're constantly being watched until they find something you're doing "wrong". I was even told off because I put my bag on the chair next to me, even though there was no one sitting there and the bar was half empty. Take it easy guys

Good music and cool ambiance. However, there is a cover charge and it is super pretentious - no photos allowed. And make sure you don't talk too loud or their hipster bartenders will shush you.