In the entranceway to Gucci Giardino Osaka, a massive woven bamboo sculpture by artist Chikuunsai Tanabe IV anchors the staircase landing—a visual overture to the drama above. Inside the fashion house’s cocktail den, walls glow in Rosso Ancora, a deep shade of red that nods to founder Guccio Gucci’s early days as an elevator operator at London’s Savoy Hotel. Leather seats and backlit panels complete a seductive setting where intrigue feels inevitable.
The bar arrives at a moment when Osaka’s cocktail culture is hitting a new stride. Openings like Bar Bota at the Four Seasons and Canes & Tales at the Waldorf Astoria signal a serious investment in the city’s after-dark ambitions, and Gucci Giardino—now a year into its run inside the Herbis Plaza ENT complex—has quickly established itself as one of the scene’s most inventive players.
Gucci Giardino in Osaka.
Gucci Giardino
At the helm is bar manager Sebastian Viguera, a Chilean-born sommelier and whisky expert who cut his teeth in Tokyo’s cocktail world. His latest menu, framed as “a journey from Italy to Japan,” unfolds across 16 cocktails. Firenze Through Seb’s Eyes riffs on the pisco sour, blending Peruvian Mosto Verde pisco with a syrup made from traditional Tuscan saltless bread and a slick of extra virgin olive oil—a drink that references both Gucci’s birthplace and Viguera’s Latin American roots. Serenade to a Stranger reimagines the espresso martini with jasmine-infused whisky, Italian and Colombian coffee liqueurs, and a whisper of cacao butter; it arrives crowned with a cloud of coffee foam so airy it seems to hover above the glass.
Non-drinkers are given equal consideration. Viguera evaporates the alcohol from spirits to create mocktails that retain the complexity of their originals. His non-alcoholic dirty martini, for example, is built on evaporated mezcal and white miso for body—and it tastes remarkably like the real thing.
The bar’s true revelation; however, is the Mixology Laboratory, a reservations-only experience limited to eight guests per evening. Here, chef Alessio Valle crafts multi-course menus designed to pair with Viguera’s cocktails: think chocolate takoyaki (a sweet and octopus-free take on the popular street food) and gyoza alla Bolognese made with wagyu beef.
In January, the Philosopher’s Stone menu launched, leaning fully into the idea of alchemy. Across five courses, each cocktail is a Negroni variation transformed through techniques such as evaporation, infusion, and reconstruction.
In a city increasingly serious about its cocktails, Gucci Giardino has earned its seat at the bar, blending style and substance in equal measure.
AloJapan.com