NQ JPN has opened on Berwick Street in Soho, bringing together a late-night cocktail bar, electronic music and a specialist Japanese arcade.
The new concept has been created by the team behind arcade bar NQ64 and occupies its former site at 53–54 Berwick Street following NQ64’s move to a larger Soho venue at Orange Yard.
NQ JPN has been developed as a separate concept from NQ64, combining two contrasting spaces within one venue.
The main bar features black, red and chrome interiors, saturated lighting and street-art influences, with a late-night music programme centred around tech house and related electronic sounds.
On Fridays and Saturdays, DJs take over the space, with the venue operating until 3am from Monday to Saturday.
The drinks menu features 12 signature cocktails using flavours and ingredients including dragon fruit, matcha and cherry blossom.
Serves include a Melon and Cucumber Daiquiri, Frozen Dragon Fruit Colada and Chilli Pepper Margarita alongside alcoholic bubble teas, Japanese highballs, whisky and alcohol-free drinks.
Beyond the main bar, a separate arcade houses specialist gaming machines imported directly from Japan.
The collection spans rhythm, action, driving and candy-cabinet games, including maimai, jubeat, Wacca and Dancerush.
The arcade draws on late-1990s and early-2000s Japanese gaming, manga and anime influences, reinterpreted through NQ64’s established visual style.
The space also includes NQ Mart, a brightly designed drinks counter inspired by Asian convenience stores.
Guests can create drinks from combinations of spirits, soft drinks and flavoured syrups or foams, with more than 2,000 possible variations.
The offer also includes alcoholic bubble teas and more than 20 soft drinks sourced from Japan, America, Thailand and other international markets.
Matt Robson and Andy Haygarth, Co-Founders of NQ JPN, said: “While NQ JPN comes from the same team as NQ64, we wanted to create something that feels completely different.
“The starting point was the games. We’ve brought over an incredible collection of arcade machines from Japan that you just don’t normally get to play here and built a whole new world around them.
“From there we’ve taken influences from Japanese drinks and gaming culture and mixed them with everything we love about late-night bars, electronic music, street art and arcade culture. The result isn’t supposed to recreate somewhere that already exists – it’s our own version of what a futuristic arcade bar can be.
“There are loads of details to discover, from cocktails made with Japanese ingredients, Purikura inspired photo booths to NQ Mart and an arcade that feels and sounds completely different from the room you’ve just left. We can’t wait for people to see it.”
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