It is hard not to love Tokyo Noir, let alone easily dismiss its growing accolades. The Los Angeles Times had them on a succinct list of just seven bars they recognized as among the best, while also asking them to attend this year’s 101 reveal event. A spot at their counter is still a hard grab. And with it, the space has evolved, hosting bartender collaborations with other bars while also being invited to spaces beyond Long Beach.
Head barman Kevin Lee continues the space’s evolution with his latest menu, evoking a love of the esoteric unapologetically while remaining firmly accessible.
From savory-tinged wonders, like the “It G Ma,” a cocktail where Kevin is at his finest: the fragrance of radish and Asian pear on the immediate nose, followed by the intensity of kimchi and Lillet Blanc. It is, simply put, a wondrous cocktail.
Or—showcasing a constant lack of hesitation to explore the limits of umami—his “Yari Mango” creation. Acids abound—mango, fermented tomato, peppery sudachi—make this refreshingly bright cocktail a sister of one of my favorite creations of Kevin’s, his still-on-the-menu “Juice Theory” cocktail. Or “Kyoto Drip,” a riff on the classic Irish coffee gone iced…
The making of Tokyo Noir: Hospitality veterans taking on a concept all their own.
Tokyo Noir is far more than a speakeasy concept tucked behind El Barrio. Entered through an alley off 4th Street, the space represents a return—almost a reckoning—for Kevin Lee, one of Southern California’s most influential cocktail figures. And, on the other hand, a chance for Chef Ulises Pineda-Alfaro and hospitality leader Jesse Duron to explore an entirely new concept—restraint for Chef Uli and hyper-details for Jesse—in a way that feels deeply intentional rather than diminished.
Calling Tokyo Noir “Japanese-inspired” is the laziest possible way to describe it. The aesthetic cues matter, sure. But the soul of the space is rooted in people who are still figuring out how to exist in an industry that is perpetually shifting since the pandemic. What Tokyo Noir actually documents is a moment of recalibration: hospitality veterans chasing the version of the industry they believed was coming just before everything stopped.
Kevin knows that future well. Before Tokyo Noir, he helped redefine Los Angeles cocktail culture through The Wolves in DTLA, a bar that stood toe-to-toe with institutions like The Varnish and reframed downtown as a cocktail destination. Even earlier, his Puzzle Bar in La Mirada quietly challenged expectations of what a “cocktail town” could be by treating drinks with the same rigor as cuisine. But that rigor came at a cost.
“This industry is tough,” Kevin said. “Monetarily? Tough. Energy balancing? Tough.” When he stepped away, he found success elsewhere—but the pull of the bar world never fully released him.
cocktail. Photo by Brian Addison.
Tokyo Noirs beautiful, ballet-like obsession with ice.
At Puzzle, ice wasn’t a commodity; it was a discipline. Clear ice was cut by hand, nightly. Hundreds of spheres went out every service. This was before large-scale delivery made perfection purchasable. Ice, like recipes, demanded respect. Seasonality dictated everything—from garnishes to housemade amaros and vermouths.
“I thought that was the future of this industry,” Kevin said, the weight of that unrealized vision still audible.
That future lives again at Tokyo Noir. Kevin’s housemade amaros rival the best Italian imports; his blanc vermouth is so balanced it begs to be sipped alone over a single cube. His interpretation of the Japanese hard shake—rooted in Kazuo Uyeda’s philosophy but unmistakably his own—coaxes sweetness from Campari and texture from spirits in a way few American bartenders attempt. The space reflects patience, focus, and a belief that bars can be as singular as great restaurants.
Tokyo Noir is, quite literally, built on obsession.
Why Tokyo Noir matters to Long Beach’s growing cocktail scene
Tokyo Noir didn’t emerge in a vacuum. When Chef Ulises and his team opened El Barrio, there was always talk of “the back space”—something quieter, something omakase-like. That vision made sense for a chef whose cooking has long been shaped by his work alongside Kyoto-born sushi master Yoya Takahashi (who just opened the understated, underrated gem that is Homareya). Tokyo Noir is the realization of that idea, refined through Kevin’s worldview and executed with discipline.
Though not a strict omakase—at least not yet, with plans to have Kevin host omakase cocktail nights—the bar operates with that mindset. It prioritizes experience over volume, education over speed, and subtlety over spectacle. In a city where bold flavors often dominate, Tokyo Noir dares to slow things down.
“I come from a Mexican household—my flavors are bold, bold, bold,” Chef Ulises says. “With this, I had to be definitively more subtle—like Kevin’s cocktails. And I’m proud of what we’ve created together.”
That restraint is the point. The food is pared back but precise, designed to support—not compete with—the drinks. Everything works in service of the bar program, which is unequivocally the star. And that’s why Tokyo Noir matters.
The blessing of Long Beach’s contemporary bar scene…
Long Beach has seen excellent cocktail bars, but moments of true inflection are rare. Tokyo Noir is one of them—the most exciting cocktail concept to land in the city since Baby Gee helped reset expectations just down the street. Like Baby Gee before it, Tokyo Noir pushes the city forward by insisting that cocktails here can be thoughtful, idiosyncratic, and deeply personal.
Its inaugural menu was a masterclass in restraint and innovation: succulent without excess. Balanced without dullness. And executed with unwavering care. With this updated menu, Kevin and his team are a reminder that bars, like great restaurants, don’t have to be replicable to be successful. They just have to be honest and, something I am personally looking to examine further, understanding “their why.” Why they approach cocktails the way they do. Why they present the way they do. And why they are who they are—beyond profits, awards, and popularity.
Tokyo Noir is located at 1731 E. 4th St. Reservations are required for entry.
