Viva Okei : The Bottom Line
Viva Okei is a welcome addition to the Shimbashi area, and while it’s not open at the weekends, it would combine well with a small hashigozake with other places in the area. Though there isn’t a large number of taps available, the beers from Okei Brewery are very good, and there is some tasty food available as well. The whole place is non-smoking and has no table charge; however, it does get full up quickly after offices in the area close.
Viva Okei : Background
Viva Okei was a random find in a small drinking session at Craft Beer Bar iBrew Shimbashi as I went to the wrong toilets. No, I didn’t go the female toilets by accident, but the toilets at the opposite end of the building to the bar. I recoginsed the glasses sign immediately and thought about popping in for a few beers. Viva Okei, or to give it its full name of Viva Okei Wine Shop and Italian, opened in July 2020, via a crowdfunding project after a planned closure due to COVID-19.
The bar is less than a two-minute walk from Shimbashi station, either on the JR lines or the Yurakamome Line, and is part of the Okei group along with Okei Brewery Nippori and Okei Tap Room Oketapu.
Viva Okei : Atmosphere & Interior
Viva Okei is located inside the same building as Shinshu Osake Mura as well, so it has a run-down / dive-bar feel to it, a vibe I very much enjoy. There’s space for around 20 people inside, though be warned, you’re going to be very close to the people next to you, so be prepared to listen to other people’s conversations. On the day we went, there was only one unreserved table and before long, Viva Okei had filled up and at 18:00, people were being turned away. That just goes to show how popular this place is, and how the crowdfunding was used to support the bar.
There is a small standing area to the bar, so you might get away with that though likewise, the bar was turning customers away. There is no table charge here, as well as the whole place being non-smoking. The building the bar is located in has some free WiFi for you to connect to.
Viva Okei : Beer & Tap Information
Thougjh Viva Okei specialises in natural wine, there are three taps of craft beer on from Okei Brewery, with the beers coming in two sizes: small (170 ml) from ¥600 and medium (420 ml) from ¥1,200. There’s no beer flight option; however, if you do like what you’re drinking, then they do have some bottled beers that can be bought to takeaway.
Along with some in-house beers for sale, there are also some other breweries on sale at the fridges to the side of the store, but these beers are strictly for takeaway consumption only.
Viva Okei : Food & Menu Information
There’s a lot of food on offer at the bar, with a strong leaning towards Italian food and also smaller dishes. Though the menu has a heavy meat leaning to it, there are plenty of vegetarian options besides chips, with some salads and smaller dishes on offer. The menus though are all in Japanese, with no English option available, so you’re going to need to go with someone who can read and speak Japanese. All of the prices do include tax so there’s no suprises at the end of drinking.
Viva Okei : Bar Details
- Open : Weekdays 17:00 – 23:30 (L.O Food 22:30 Drink 23:00)
- Closed : Weekends
- Happy Hour : –
- Phone : 03-6263-8928
- Homepage (in Japanese) :
- Social Media : Instagram
