Mille Wine Bar

Mostly standing wine bar secluded just off Takeshita-dori on Brahm's Alley in Omote-sando.

Mille Wine Bar is a recent addition to the Tokyo wine landscape and the brainchild of Tokyo-based wine importer Adam Schneider. A bakery by day and wine bar by night, Mille is an epicurean oasis of quiet a mere stone's throw from the sailor-suited, loose socks bustle of Harajuku's Takeshita-dori. If you don't know Brahm's Alley already then a visit to Mille will acquaint you with one of Tokyo's more charming and lesser-known sidestreets.

Mille's lineup of wines is heavy on Californai and Australia, but includes a wide range of Old World wines--mostly French--as well. Expect 3-4 each of red and white wines by the glass and very reasonably-priced wines by the bottle (2800 to 12000 yen). The food menu is limited to Tapas-style dishes, pizza and light snacks, but the quality overall quite good.

Owner Adam describes his thinking behind behind Mille this way:

The concept for Mille Wine Bar begins with a question, "What does wine mean to you"?  For some people it is a very serious pursuit worthy of long, debated discussion, but for others drinking wine is simply a better way to spend an evening with friends.

Mille is the type of place I have been trying to find in Tokyo, but simply could not locate. A place where you can find interesting, reasonably-priced wines without being intimidated by a highbrowed sommelier or assaulted with cheap plonk.

After twelve years in the wine business, I have learned each of us has different preferences and even perceives the taste of the exact same wine in different ways.  In the end, the only question that remains is, "Do you like it?". With that in mind, we have used our extensive contacts to create an interesting list from which there will be many selections that you will find exciting.

So our goal at Mille was to create a bar not only for wine lovers, but also for anyone who wants to enjoy a glass of wine in a friendly, non-intimidating atmosphere with character.  Cheers!

A lack of pretentiousness, the charming and quiet setting, and reasonable prices left a positive impression on your reviewer, and have found him returning regularly. Finally, a place in Harajuku where we grownups can chill.