Mikkeller Tokyo The Bottom Line
Right in the thick of Shibuya but tucked away in a secluded back street the beers here are an experience; not many do them like Mikkeller. Serving Mikkeller beers alongside a range of domestic beers this venue has great decor and plenty of room to move around. You are going to want to catch a bite to eat on the way here as the Danish establishment only serves light snacks and smorrebrod which might not fill the average hungry beer enthusiast. Just watch your budget as it can be relatively expensive.
Mikkeller Tokyo Full Review
For those of you who haven’t heard of Mikkel Borg Bjergsø this bar is the Tokyo venue serving his beer brand, Mikkeller. To properly cover this venue, you must first cover a little of Bjergsø himself. Having had a very non-traditional start to his brewing escapades Bjergsø didn’t brew from a single location for a very long time. Instead he travelled the world making beer where he could, along the way developing a unique philosophy surrounding beer that is reflected in the beer you will find at this venue. This is the main draw of Mikkeller Tokyo, that every beer here is brewed to be unique from all others of its style.
Nestled among a shrine and a love hotel in Shibuya’s Dogenzaka nightclub district the bar is pretty out of place. It would be easy for the average drinker to miss is completely on their stroll to Love Hotel Hill but the odd environment and placing of the venue works in it’s favour in a strange way. As a Danish brewery Mikkeller has fitted out the venue in the crisp Scandinavian style. Mid coloured woods and cement dominate here. In the evening I was there the bar wasn’t unreasonably busy with a seat being easy to find on its second floor. The bar probably has room for around 40 to 50 people. Non-smokers will rejoice to hear that the venue is completely non-smoking. The staff speak English, the crowd was a good mix of foreigner and local and the environment was pleasant and chilled out.
With 20 taps the bar serves a good range of styles in small and large sizes. Depending on the style the price can range from ¥600 for a small to ¥1600 for a large. Some of the heavier and darker beer styles, such as stouts, are only served in small sizes. Tax is included in the price and there is no table charge. Overall it can be rather expensive but to me the cost was commensurate with the quality. There are a few sessionable selections on tap like pilsner, hefeweizen and pale ale but I went right for the kill shot with the full on stuff. I really enjoyed having a Stout and an IPA when I was here, they were interesting and very flavoursome but at the same time might be a bit much for more than one or two.
Mikkeller Tokyo serves a range of snacks and the Danish specialty smorrebrod, which is kind of like a charcuterie topped bread. I saw a one come out while I was there and it looked great but for the most part people come to Mikkeller for the beer experience. There are plenty of great places to eat close by and I would recommend eating elsewhere.
Mikkeller Tokyo Details
Open: Weekdays 15:00 – 0:30 Friday 15:00 – 01:30 Saturday 12:00 – 01:30 Sunday 12:00 – 0:30
Happy Hour: None
Phone: 03-6427-0793
How to Get to Mikkeller Tokyo
The closest station to Mikkeller Tokyo is Shibuya or Shinsen station.
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