The Lockup, Shibuya ロックアップ、渋谷
Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 7:04PM | Dave 
This horror-jail themed chain-izakaya is exactly the kind of place I try to avoid like the plague. Cheap, tacky, noisy, overdone and big on time wasting.
However, a pair of visiting dignitaries from Blighty expressed a desire to try the place and, being persuaded by the promise of a generous nomihōdai plan, I acquiesced and, shame be upon me, thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Half the “fun” is the interior – dark, filled with fancy dress horror props such as zombies, skeletons, cages and spongy floors. Although not really scary I was truly terrified that I might be injured.
Once seated in our cell, we endured roughly half an hour of ear splitting Thriller-like “music,” screams, maniac laughter, squeals from neighbouring diners and voiceovers from the netherworld while all the time watching the clocking ticking on our two hours of nomihōdai plan – torturous.
The first five minutes were kind of funny, but after a while all too similar to listening to the majority of Japan’s “talent” infested TV. The cloven-hoofed hordes of freeters dressed as zombies, ghosts, demons and ghouls rattled our cages, but not in the way intended.
The entertainment dispensed with, at last we could hit the menu.
The nomihōdai plan offered lots of choice; the test tube cocktails proved popular as well as colourful. These aside, my dining partners and I got through a truly horrifying quantity of bottled Kirin beer, and so all was well with the world.
The food was, just about, at the higher end of the budget chain-izakaya spectrum.
Our course included Caesar salad, bacon and leak on a stick, salmon drenched in dressing and mayonnaise and shrimp and broccoli salad…
… and then some chicken karaage, French fries, pork, seafood spaghetti and a bit of cake for dessert.
Judging by other reviews of The Lockup from a few years ago it used to be a little more polished, probably somewhat more expensive and possibly scarier. Now it has the distinct feel of a themed chain-izakaya on its way out. Still, ¥2,500 for a mountain of gut-liner and access to endless drinks for a couple of hours isn’t all that bad. Even better if you want to show visitors some of “whacky Japan.”
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Reader Comments (1)
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