Reviews - J's
Reviews summary
Was Anonym at J's a mag?
Amazing hospitality of J. Great drinks and prices. J ensures that everything is done carefully to perfection and offers epic bar nibbles. J gave us all a gift to take home to remember him. Such a joy! View all feedback.
What Anonym dislikes about J's:
I was really hoping for a great experience after reading the stellar reviews. Unfortunately the owner made my experience horrible. I ordered my drink and after 5 minutes he kept persisting on me ordering more drinks. I decided to just leave but he surprised me with an additional $2 charge for “eating his snacks” which he put on my table without explaining anything. I decided to just pay the extra fee to not make any... View all feedback.
Reviews from various users
Last update : 28.10.2025
Watch out, the owner of this place is shady and made my friends and I very uncomfortable. His prices are different from the prices on the menu and he will try to upsell you on every drink.When we tried to leave the bar, he pushed more drinks on us and tried to guilt us into staying longer. After telling him we were leaving multiple times, he said “how much do you think I am going to charge you.”After some clarification, we realized he wanted us to guess how much he would charge us for a bowl of crackers that he placed on the table with our drinks. He wanted to charge us $8 for this small bowl of snacks and we had to argue with him to avoid the extra fee. He then proceeded to let us go reluctantly, saying it was because he was a “good man.”This place is a tourist trap, avoid at all costs.
I was really hoping for a great experience after reading the stellar reviews. Unfortunately the owner made my experience horrible. I ordered my drink and after 5 minutes he kept persisting on me ordering more drinks.I decided to just leave but he surprised me with an additional $2 charge for “eating his snacks” which he put on my table without explaining anything.I decided to just pay the extra fee to not make any commotion but was taken aback by how he sprung extra charges on me and how pushy he was.Overall, I would exercise caution if going to this bar. Just be sure to clarify how much you would be spending before ordering anything.
Fantastic bar with the absolute greatest host J, would highly recommend to anyone looking for a local drink!
Last update : 06.06.2023
Amazing hospitality of J. Great drinks and prices. J ensures that everything is done carefully to perfection and offers epic bar nibbles. J gave us all a gift to take home to remember him. Such a joy!
An absolute legend! This is a great bar, very cozy and J's very friendly. Go here to plan your trip, J will give you excellent advice in very good English. He even turned us into a nearby restaurant for excellent ramens. Beer and Sake are very good and the best value in the city.
An absolute jewel! Very recommended for all travellers. Jay's English is wonderful and he is super friendly. With a great atmosphere, great drinks and delicious snacks you cannot say no! You need to visit Jay and say hello.
J is a fantastic host. I was really happy that we stumbled over this place! Great value drinks and good chat. If you want a quiet drink to yourself, this is probably not the place for you.
J is the friendliest bartender in Kyoto. Great person, great conversation, great drinks. He also speaks english very well so if you're new to Japanese and find yourself a bit intimidated by the language barrier, you will feel at home and welcome here! I'm very thankful to have met him! A must-go.
Last update : 22.06.2022
Great spot to enjoy some drinks without dealing with the tourist crowds, located away from the main road!
This place is stunning, incredibly welcoming, and with a friendly host. I highly recommend it.
