Tatami Bar & Gallery

Maoming Road creates a T with Yongjia Road, a quiet tree lined street that offers bars with a different flavor than that of Maoming Road.  Tatami Bar & Gallery is a low key, ’Japanese-cool’ , bar that offers a quiet and nearby alternative to Judy’s or Windows.  Easily recognizable from the exterior, the bar’s door is lined with bamboo and hardly inviting.  The door is generally closed and there are no windows on the façade, making the interior something of a mystery. Still, the name of the bar tells a lot about what is going on inside.

 

The décor is “Japanese garden” with an outdoor feel due to the terraced ceiling and foot massaging stone floor. Flanking the stone floor are about 10 Japanese tatami rooms (no shoes allowed). The separated spaces are perfect for groups of 2 to 8 people to relax and enjoy a space that provides a seemingly faraway refuge from the pace of busy Shanghai. Drinks are around 45-50RMB and average. I suggest choosing drinks that do not take a lot of work, such as beer.  The ambiance here is definitely the draw.

 

How to get there: Take Metro Line 1 to Shanxi Rd. station. Head south on Shanxi Road for three blocks. Then take a right on Yongjia Road. Tatami Bar & Gallery is on the right side of the street before Yongjia Road ends at Ruijin Road.