Standing Bar Beer Boy The Bottom Line
Standing Bar Beer Boy tweaks the tried-and-tested idea of Craft Beer Market to create something different, and it works. The casual atmosphere of being able to pop in for a quick beer, without the hassle of waiting for a seat, or having even to book a table, is still welcome. The prices do vary wildly compared to the Craft Beer Market chain though, so that’s something that should be worked on – a difference of ¥500 was noted between the cheapest and most expensive pint on the menu. However, prices include tax and as it’s a standing bar, Standing Bar Beer Boy also has no table charge. The whole place is non-smoking though while some of the drink menu was in English, it was only for the beer name, and none of the food menus were English nor were any offered, so make sure you have a working knowledge of Japanese.
Standing Bar Beer Boy The Full Review
After its rapid expansion across Tokyo, the Craft Beer Market chain looked to doing something different – something that could promote BIG beers. Those high ABV, high IBUs, bold flavoured beers that separated the wheat from the chaff. With Standing Bar Beer Boy, the second in this chain of Beer Boys with the other being Izakaya Beer Boy in Kichijoji, they’re doing just that – but in a standing up style, which could only cause problems for those drinking the high ABV beers in pints.
Standing Bar Beer Boy opened in October 2018 in Naka-Meguro – just behind the Nakameguro Taproom. It’s ethos is to promote the rare and extreme beers where people can come in for a quick pint and snack, then sail off into the night. As such, the whole place is standing only, though there are some bar stools locked up under one of the shelves – not a bad idea if you’re drinking some of the higher ABV beers. There are 16 standing “spots” though I suspect that it is more for bill purposes, because as the night wore on, more and more people came in and got squished in between other groups – so make sure you’ve had a wash and don’t mind rubbing shoulders with others. The whole place is non-smoking and also doesn’t have a table charge – result!
There are 10 taps of craft beer on at Standing Bar Beer Boy, with this being split between domestic craft beer and imports. There are two sizes of beers for the beers: half pint (250ml) with prices from ¥480 to ¥880, and US pint (473ml) from ¥780 to ¥1280, with domestic beers being at the cheaper end of that price spectrum. The beers are served really well too – no massive amounts of head, but with life to them. There is no tasting set nor happy hour, but all the prices include tax.
If you’re looking for big meals at Standing Bar Beer Boy, then you’ve come to the wrong place. Besides the whole menu being in Japanese, with only rudimentary kanji used, it’s navigable but best bring someone along so you don’t end up with some cow’s guts for dinner. The dishes are small enough for you to order two or three of them for some variety and encompass a variety of Japanese cooking, from boiled to fried, grilled to steamed. There’s not much choice for vegetarians, though things like eda mame, potato salad, and some snacks may be ok.
Standing Bar Beer Boy Details
Open: Weekdays 11:30 – 14:00 (L.O 13:30) / 16:00 – 23:00 (L.O 22:30)
Happy Hour: None
Phone: 03-6451-0112
Homepage (in Japanese): http://www.craftbeermarket.jp/beerboy-nakameguro/
SNS: Facebook
How to Get to Standing Bar Beer Boy
The closest station to Standing Bar Beer Boy is Naka-Meguro on the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line and Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line.
