An Evening of Grilled Skewers and Draft Beer at Aqua City Odaiba Floor 5, with Rainbow Bridge in View

Aqua City Odaiba in Tokyo is just a big shopping mall during the day. People posing for photos in front of a Statue of Liberty replica, Uniqlo, food court. But after the sun sets a…

Tokyo · Aqua City Odaiba

Aqua City Odaiba in Tokyo is just a big shopping mall during the day. People posing for photos in front of a Statue of Liberty replica, Uniqlo, food court. But after the sun sets and you head up to the upper floors, things change entirely. Restaurants with windows facing the bay line the entire floor, and beyond those windows the Rainbow Bridge comes into full view. You can't tell if you came to eat or to see the bridge.

A Seat with a Bridge Hanging Outside the Window

I was shown to a sunken seating area. It was a horigotatsu-style setup with a recessed footwell that was comfortable to sit in, and the interior, decorated with wooden pillars and bamboo railings, was dimly lit. With low lighting, the interior lights reflected directly onto the window glass, and through those reflected lights, the Rainbow Bridge glowed in blue, suspended in the view. I tried pressing my lens right against the glass to photograph it, but couldn't completely eliminate the reflection. When I touched the glass, it still held the warmth of the day and felt lukewarm.

Here's what I want to highlight: There are not just one or two, but multiple restaurants clustered in this building where you can dine and enjoy a beer while gazing at the Rainbow Bridge. Izakaya, conveyor sushi, meat restaurants, ramen—they're all lined up on one floor, so if one has a long wait, you can simply try the next one. But they don't all offer the same view. Some have floor-to-ceiling window counter seating, while others, like where we sat, have sunken dining tables facing outward. Window seats are mostly gone by around 7 p.m. without a reservation. We waited about 20 minutes and were seated in the second row.

Skewers by Type, Beer on Repeat

We ordered an assorted yakitori platter to start. Skin grilled with skin wrapped around it, plain skin, heart, and asparagus wrapped in bacon all came on one plate. The salt seasoning wasn't heavy, so it wasn't salty at all. The heart was only lightly charred on the outside while the inside stayed pink, and when you bite into it, the juices burst. The asparagus wrap catches your eye first with its pretty green cross-section, but the one that actually tasted best was the skin skewer in the second row. All the fat had rendered out making it crispy, yet the inside remained tender and chewy.

The king trumpet mushroom bacon wrap we ordered separately came as two skewers on one plate. The mushroom was thick enough that it wouldn't fit in a single bite, with brown char marks from grilling visible on the outside. The wooden table had deep grain patterns carved into it, so placing the plate made a heavy, dull sound.

I ordered beer in a large tankard. The glass was thick, so condensation beaded up on your hands quickly. I also added one plate of tempura—a shrimp, lotus root, and eggplant arrived on paper. Grated daikon and matcha salt came alongside, so I tried the salt first and found the lotus root particularly good. The tempura batter is thin, so it gets soggy if you don't eat it quickly. We were delayed by taking photos, and the last eggplant was already drooping. If you're in no rush, it's better to order tempura last.

Roast Beef Bowl from a Daytime Visit

I'll also note what I ate at lunch in the same building on another day. It was a roast beef bowl. Thin slices of pink beef layered over rice, a soft-boiled egg in the center, coarse black pepper and onion-based soy sauce on top. Since the meat is sliced thin, it's less about the chewing and more about mixing the sauce and yolk together and stirring it into the rice. Once you break the yolk and mix it around, the color changes dramatically. It's not salty, with a strong pepper aroma, making it perfect as a daytime meal without alcohol. The one drawback is that the vegetables are just a few lettuce leaves, so by the end you're ready for something different. If you're going with someone, I'd recommend ordering one to share and getting something else instead.

How to Get There and Tips for Securing a Seat

Take the Yurikamome Line and get off at Daiba Station, which connects directly to the deck. It's less than a 3-minute walk. If you took the Rinkai Line instead, get off at Teleport Station and walk about 10 minutes. Even on a summer evening, there's a sea breeze, so the walk wasn't particularly difficult.

Tips based on actual experience.

• You need to time your visit with when the bridge lights come on. Since sunset varies by season, aim for after 7 p.m. in summer and around 5:30 p.m. in winter.
• Many restaurants offer window seats on a first-come, first-served basis. Some do take phone reservations, so if you've decided on a specific place, it's worth calling ahead.
• If you want to take good photos, I recommend stepping out to the seaside deck outside the building before eating. Clear photos of the bridge without window reflections are best taken from there.
• Prices vary considerably from restaurant to restaurant and may have changed since our visit, so I won't list specific amounts. The floor directory has sample menus and price ranges posted, so you can walk around and choose. Operating hours also differ by restaurant, so checking in person is recommended.

After finishing, I stood out on the deck for a while. I could hear ships passing below, and the bridge lights shifted through colors. There are many ways to enjoy Tokyo's night view, but sitting down with a drink and watching for an extended time is most pleasant here.