A Little Hidden, Worth Finding: Inside the Secret Japanese Speakeasy on Upper Street
so, you’re wandering down Upper Street. you’ve passed the third sourdough pizza joint, a suspiciously expensive candle shop, and about fourteen people in gilets who definitely work in fintech. your feet are tired, your soul is slightly withered from the Northern Line, and you’re thinking: "surely, surely there is a place where the lights are low, the drinks are sharp enough to cut glass, and i don't have to listen to a corporate playlist."
welcome to the hunt. if you’ve been googling best hidden bars london, cocktail bar upper street, or some suspiciously specific variation of japanese speakeasy, hi. hello. you’ve found us. tucked behind a modest door at 205 Upper Street is Kūhaku, our little hidden corner of Islington where Japanese nostalgia, London nights, and slightly unhinged hospitality all collide in a very nice glass.
we didn’t exactly "plan" this in a boardroom with powerpoint slides and synergy. it was more like an ancient spell gone slightly wrong, or very right, mixing a deep, bottomless pit of homesickness with the energy of a cocktail bar north london actually wants to come back to. the result? a personal, story-led japanese bar london locals can claim as theirs, and visitors can smugly tell their friends they discovered first.
here are 5 things you absolutely need to know before you come find us (and yes, we want you to find us).
1. the great izakaya disguise (come for the gyoza, stay for the secrets)
first things first: we lead a double life. during the early evening, we are a very respectable, very delicious Japanese izakaya. we’re talking crispy karaage, pan-seared gyoza that will make you question every life choice you’ve made up to this point, and enough goma wakame to make you feel like you’ve actually eaten something healthy before the gin kicks in.
but here’s the trick: the restaurant is just the gateway. it’s the "front." while everyone else is happily munching on tonkatsu, there’s a portal waiting to be stepped through. we’ve been called a "hidden gem" so many times we’re starting to feel like a shiny pokemon, but the truth is, we just like the mystery. as the sun goes down, the vibe shifts. the kitchen keeps humming (until around 9pm–11pm, depending on how much chaos is happening), but the bar starts calling your name like a siren in a haori.
2. what the hell does "kūhaku" actually mean?
the name (空白) translates to "blank space" or "the void." no, we didn’t just name it after a Taylor Swift song (although, respectfully, absolute banger). in Japanese culture, the concept of Ma is the space between things — the pause, the breath, the tiny bit of stillness that makes the rest of it hit harder.
for us, that blank space isn’t empty in a sad, abandoned-office sort of way. it’s the room where memory, homesickness, comfort food, and excellent bad decisions all get to sit together. our GM, Nico Ratanavong, basically summoned this place out of nostalgia, a bit of emotional chaos, and a stubborn desire to build something personal on Upper Street that didn’t feel copy-pasted from a hospitality template.
and then there’s the tanuki energy floating around the whole thing. in Japanese folklore, tanukis are mischievous little shape-shifters: playful, lucky, a bit absurd, and impossible not to love. that’s kind of our blueprint. Kūhaku lives in that sweet spot between precision and mischief — a japanese speakeasy with real feeling behind it, not just a cool font and a dim lamp.
it’s a place to linger. to get lost in the minimalism, the music, and the weird little magic of finding a spot that feels like it was made by actual humans. not just a bar; more like a well-dressed void in the middle of N1.
3. our cocktails are basically liquid precision (with a side of ferments)
we don’t just throw some sake and lemon juice in a tin and hope for the best. no, our bar team treats drinks like tiny, delicious engineering projects. if you’re hunting for japanese inspired cocktails, this is where we start getting a bit smug.
we’re talking in-house ferments, seasonal ingredients, and Japanese bartending techniques that would make a samurai weep with joy. have you tried the Matcha Tai? it’s like a classic Mai Tai went on a spiritual retreat to Kyoto and came back enlightened, moisturised, and somehow better at conversation.
or maybe the Dirty Sage Martini, which is so crisp and refined it probably corrects people’s grammar in its spare time.
we also do a Sakura 75 and a White Grape Gimlet that are basically liquid art. every drink is served with the kind of precision-led approach that DesignMyNight keeps raving about. so yes, we’re a cocktail bar upper street people come for on purpose, but also a cocktail bar north london worth wandering off-route for. we aren’t just serving drinks; we’re serving "how did they do that?" in a glass.
4. meet the resident nutcases (the people make the place, sorry about it)
if you’re looking for polished, corporate service where everyone wears a matching vest and calls you "sir" with a dead-eyed stare... genuinely, bless you, but you’ve come to the wrong place. Kūhaku is personal. that’s the whole point. in an area full of big-name bars with slick reputations and very serious fonts, what makes us different is simple: we’re not trying to feel like a concept factory. we’re a real team, with real obsessions, weird jokes, and a dangerous amount of emotional investment in whether you enjoy your martini.
and yeah, faces change. that’s hospitality, babe. people move, life happens, the universe shuffles the deck. but the soul of the void? still here. still weird. still warm. still quietly judging any playlist that sounds like it was approved by a brand consultant.
Nico: our GM. think Kung-Fu-Panda-meets-emo. he’s the architect of the void, the accidental summoner of this whole blank-space fever dream, and the reason Kūhaku still feels like a place with an actual pulse rather than a polished hospitality clone grown in a lab.
Oliwia: our celestial little legend and unapologetic anime fan. if you want to talk visuals, flavour, or whether Jujutsu Kaisen deserves the hype while she’s making your drink, she is fully equipped for that side quest. she brings warmth, sharp taste, and the kind of personality that makes the whole room feel less like a venue and more like a friend’s excellent house party, if your friend happened to have very good ice.
we’re still a crew of mates running a venue we actually care about. we’re self-deprecating, slightly irreverent, and we will definitely remember your name if you come back more than once (or if you order something particularly weird). the big bars may have brand recognition. cute. we’ve got actual humans, actual hospitality, and zero interest in making you feel like table number 14. the cast may shift, but the feeling stays the same: come in, relax, get fed, get watered, and let the void do its thing. 😂
5. the tanuki is watching (and he's the real boss)
you might notice a playful little guy hanging around the bar. that’s our tanuki mascot. if you don’t know about Japanese folklore, tanukis are mischievous shape-shifting raccoon dogs known for being jolly, a bit belly-forward, and blessed with some famously ridiculous symbolism tied to luck and prosperity. basically: chaotic good.
he represents the soul of Kūhaku perfectly — playful, traditional but slightly sideways, and always up for a good time. he’s the thread that ties together the whole blank-space thing: leave the noise outside, step into somewhere stranger and warmer, and let the night become whatever it wants. because at the end of the day, we’re just a bunch of humans making very good drinks in a hidden room behind an izakaya, and somehow that still feels magic.
how to get in on the secret
if you’re ready to descend into the void, here’s the practical stuff:
we’re at 205 Upper Street, Islington.
we are closed on Mondays (because even chaos lovers need a nap).
we’re open Tue–Thu 4:30pm–midnight, Fri–Sat 4:30pm–1am, and Sun 4pm–10pm.
under-18s have to head home by 8pm so the adults can get properly weird.
pro tip: we’re on SevenRooms for bookings, and if you’re an early bird, you can snag 20% off food through The Fork. yes, actual 20% off food. a rare moment where the universe chooses generosity over character building. we’re also on TheFork and OpenTable, because we’re fancy like that.
so, stop wandering aimlessly past the chain bars and giant brand names. come find the door. step into the blank space. have a drink, eat something comforting, and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist for a while. and if you do find us, be a legend and tag #KuhakuBar and #UpperStreet so we can admire your excellent life choices. 😘
we can't wait to see you. come hang!
book your table now or just roll the dice and walk in. we’ll save a seat for you near the tanuki. 🍸✨
