No Room For Squares
You have to know the password, or figure it out
Jazz and music venue with a hipster vibe (one that works)
Kitazawa Building II 4F, Kitazawa 2-1-7, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo-to, 155-0031
〒155-0031東京都世田谷区北沢2-1-7ハウジング北沢ビルⅡ 4F
Monday to Friday 16:00 to 26:00
noroomforsquares.bar@gmail.com
A short walk from Shimo-Kitazawa Station (Odakyu Line, Inokashira Line). Head out the South West Exit into the busy, crowded shopping street that leads south from the station. At the bottom of the slope, turn left (or maybe use your GPS), and it’s on the fourth floor of a building on the corner, entrance off the main street.
https://www.facebook.com/nrfsbar/
https://www.instagram.com/no_room_forsquares/
No Room For Squares takes its name from a classic Blue Note Hank Mobley album and song title, and the space replicates that retro-cool vibe. The bar is long and crammed with top-shelf alcohol, available as is or in crafted cocktails. The speakers alone are worth the journey: massive, wall-mounted monsters with remarkable clarity and no echo in such a small-ish space. The selection of vinyl is also impressive, and before and after live shows and during the breaktime, you can be assured of being surrounded by great music.
Jazz, and occasionally other music, is played live every weekend. Some Sunday shows start early or run in the afternoon, so check the schedule carefully. Live music also happens on irregular nights, so check closely to see who’s playing when. But the club’s manager has excellent taste in booking bands, so if whatever group might not be to your taste, you can rest assured it’s still a top-notch band.
No Room For Squares definitely leans on a hipster vibe in a hipster part of town. The door opens like a speakeasy, but I can’t imagine many people drink what the door offers as a kind of architectural gag. The interior and good drinks are too inviting. The band’s sound is also acoustically sharp, with the stage at the end of the room, and everyone else aligned along the bar or in the sofas and seats. Be sure to get there early for a good seat. You can see and hear from everywhere, but the room is long, and it’s nice to sit closer.
After the live music, the bar stays open with a great sound system and excellent drinks until two in the room, which is as it should be.
