Flippers

Flippers, Tokyo: The Verdict

Flippers is a Pearl Recommended izakaya in Shimokitazawa, Setagaya; a neighbourhood known for its independent spirit and density of good, affordable eating. Without a listed price range in our database, exact spend is hard to pin down, but izakayas in this part of Tokyo typically run ¥2,000–¥5,000 per person with drinks, Flippers fits that pattern. If your budget is tighter, this is the format that rewards you. If you are planning a high-spend evening, look at RyuGin (Kaiseki, Japanese) or Harutaka (Sushi) instead.

What to Expect at Flippers

The address places Flippers on the ground floor of a building in Kitazawa 2-chome; the denser, more walkable half of Shimokitazawa. Izakayas at this scale typically run compact: a bar counter, a handful of tables, low ceilings, the kind of room where you are aware of every other table. That spatial intimacy is the format's strength. It is not a venue for a private business dinner, but it is well-suited to a pair or a small group who want to settle in, order in rounds, stay longer than they planned.

If you have been once and are thinking about coming back, the izakaya format rewards return visits more than most. The menu structure, small plates, grilled skewers, cold dishes alongside hot ones, is designed to be worked through over time. A second visit is when the ordering gets easier and the experience gets better. Chef Juan Cruz is named in our database, which is unusual for this category; it suggests the kitchen has a defined point of view rather than relying purely on formula.

It earned Pearl Recommended status in 2025, which confirms the overall experience clears a threshold worth booking for.

The Morning and Weekend Angle

The editorial angle here is worth addressing directly: izakayas are an evening format by design, Flippers is listed as a Japanese izakaya with no confirmed brunch or breakfast service in our database. Hours are not available in our data. If weekend daytime dining is your specific need, verify directly before planning around it. Tokyo's Shimokitazawa neighbourhood has strong daytime café culture, the area rewards a wander, see our full Tokyo experiences guide for context. For evening use, Flippers is the easier recommendation to make.

Booking and Logistics

Booking difficulty is rated Easy. Shimokitazawa is accessible from central Tokyo, the area is served by the Odakyu and Keio Inoshikara lines, making it direct to reach from Shinjuku or Shibuya. No phone number or website is available in our current database; walk-in is likely viable given the booking difficulty rating, but for weekend evenings, arriving early in the session reduces the risk of a wait. It is not the right call if you are in Tokyo for one meal and want to spend it at a Michelin-level table, for that, Sézanne (French) or L'Effervescence (French) are better choices. But if your trip includes multiple meals and you want at least one evening that feels genuinely local rather than curated for visitors, an izakaya in Shimokitazawa is exactly the format for it, Flippers' sustained rating suggests it is one of the better ones in the area.

For broader planning, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide, Tokyo hotels guide, Tokyo bars guide, and Tokyo wineries guide. If you are travelling beyond Tokyo, our guides for HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa cover the broader Japan market. For the izakaya format in other cities, see Touhichi in Osaka and Budonoki in Los Angeles.