It’s not often we’re on the “wrong” side of Shibuya station, what with The Aldgate, Good Beer Faucets, and a plethora of other craft beer bars to go to but a friend told us of iBeer LE SUN PALM whilst visiting Hikarie with his family and said it was “easy to get to”. Make sure though you know where you are going else you may got lost or end up going to one of those previous bars. I’m not the best at navigating Shibuya station during “quiet” times but when the hustle and bustle is about, all bets are off as I’m getting lost.
Spacious and airy though the high chairs feel weird.
Located on the 7th floor of Hikarie, iBeer LE SUN PALM is an open plan craft beer bar that specialises in Japanese craft beer with around twelve taps as well as some bottles. When I went up there to meet a friend, the first thing I noticed was the clientele, I shouldn’t have really but when 90% of the clientele were female and drinking craft beer, I wondered why so many were frequenting here and not other bars. The lack of walls allowed light to enter from Hikarie’s big open windows though the high tables were a little nerve-wracking after four beers and would have preferred some of those comfortable seats much lower to the ground.
The menu at iBeer LE SUN PALM is well laid out, with the beers laid out on a table that shows their bitterness to sweetness and refreshingness with everything placed somewhere. The beers on tap on the day we went were mainly from the big craft beer breweries, such as Shiga Kogen, Coedo, Minoh and Baird Beer, but it was good to see some Doppo Beer, Johana Beer, and Harvestmoon on the menu as well. Beers are ¥980 (¥1,059 including tax) for a US pint at 470ml and ¥580 (¥626 including tax) for a glass at 240ml. Neither price includes the mandatory 8% tax so there was a surprise for us when we paid up though the lack of table charge made the tax pill a bit easier to swallow.
Choose chips, get dips.
Foodwise, well, iBeer LE SUN PALM didn’t have an extensive menu as I got there at about 4:30pm so the only real option was chips with a variety of dips or some steak. The chips came with a choice of six different dips but went pretty quickly thanks to the friend’s son demolishing them once they had cooled down. I guess next time I go, I will have the steak but it would have been nice to have had some other finger foods or snacks to have chosen from rather than a full-blown meal.
iBeer LE SUN PALM One Paragraph Review
iBeer LE SUN PALM is worth a visit to try some of the special beers that they have on tap but the majority of the beers can be found elsewhere for cheaper. It’s certainly got a nice, chilled out atmosphere so if you’re in the area and want some early beers, pop along and grab a few but in the evenings, it’s best to try somewhere else in Shibuya. The Hikarie building also has free wi-fi so you can comment on this article or other BeerTengoku articles too and is also non-smoking too.
iBeer LE SUN PALM Details
Open: Monday to Saturday 11:00 to 23:30 (L.O 23:00) Sunday 11:00 to 23:00 (L.O. 22:30)
Phone: 03-6419-7496
Homepage (in Japanese): LE SUN PALM FaceBook page.
How to Get to iBeer LE SUN PALM
The Hikarie building is attached to JR Shibuya on the east side so it’s best to walk through there from the central exit and across the bridge.
1 comment
One time I was in Japan, there was a craft beer festival at Shibuya Hikarie (which itself had been a wrap for a Tokyo Metro Ginza Line train) to which I managed to buy a ticket. The closest train station to it is via Tokyo Metro – either the Ginza or Fukutoshin Lines, not J.R.. I recall there was an exit from Tokyo Metro which was labelled Hikarie. However, the current yardmap of Shibuya station {from January} does not specifically indicate that exit. It may be the wickets shown on level 2F pointing off to the right. Arriving at Hikarie is definitely easier from Tokyo Metro v. J.R., and since the Fukutoshin line through runs to both Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures, should be both accomplishable and more accessible.