Exceptional ‘ajillo’ at a Spanish bar tucked into a shopping street.

Bar Haruya

With his afro hairstyle and rugged beard, it’s hard to imagine that Yumi Nonaka, who runs this shop, once worked as a hard-charging salesman at a telecommunications company. Determined to ‘create a place where people could enjoy great food and drink at an approachable price,’ he left the corporate world behind and opened the bar of his dreams. As a backpacker, he traveled across mainland Spain — Madrid, Barcelona, and beyond — picking up knowledge of wine and spirits and tapas recipes along the way.

Bubbling olive oil and the drifting scent of garlic — this is the ‘ajillo’ that has so many customers under its spell. Even guests familiar with bars in Spain itself call it ‘just like the real thing.’ Big shrimp are best eaten whole, head and all, while still piping hot, and the oil, rich with the flavor of the ingredients, is perfect soaked up with the house baguette. ‘There’s no special recipe. I just keep it simple, without overdoing anything,’ he says, in a gentle, easygoing tone.

An assortment of jamón serrano, white-mold salami, chorizo, and smoked Hokkai shrimp — authentic tapas, all at approachable prices. Both the daily recommended wine and the sparkling wine are 500 yen a glass. Alongside Nonaka’s carefully chosen whiskies, the bar carries a wide selection of rare Western spirits. Why not climb the stairs of this unassuming mixed-use building and discover this hidden gem of a Spanish bar for yourself?