Magnetico The Bottom Line
Magnetico was never going to live up to the expectation that I had for it – but I did really like this place and its break from the bustling tourist areas in Kamakura. Its chilled out atmosphere was a perfect relaxant after a busy day of walking and if I am in the area again, I will definitely head back to Magnetico – if it’s open. The whole place is non-smoking, has no table charge, and all the prices include tax too. The food is a little pricey for what you get, but it is delicious and there are also some vegetarian options as well. There is just enough English on the menu to order as well but it would help to have a working knowledge of some basic katakana for the daily specials.
Magnetico The Full Review
Magnetico opened in 2015 right in the northern part of the main tourist area of Kamakura and since then, has been a mythical bar for us. If you’ve been following BeerTengoku’s adventures with Magnetico, you will have come to learn that we hated it. How could we hate somewhere that we’ve never been to? Aha – we have! Four times… And every single time, either at lunch or in the evening, we’ve gotten to the bar only to find out that it’s closed (with a hand-written sign on the door) or from a message on their social media that was about 4 hours late. And every single time, we’ve promised ourselves not to come back. Yet we do. And we did. And now we’re glad we did.
Magnetico is located about a fifteen minute walk from Kamakura station – which sounds like a long way, but if you’re in the area of Hachimangu shrine, then you’re only about a 2 or 3 minute walk from the bar itself. There is space for about 15 people inside – with 5 people at the counter and 10 dotted around the tables against the back way. The inside reminded me of an old ramen shop, with the high counters, big open kitchen space, and low ceilings. Magnetico is completely non-smoking and also does not have a table charge.
There are five taps of craft beer on at Magnetico with all five taps being for domestic beers. Perennial favourites at Magnetico tend to be from Yorocco Beer, Barbaric Works, Shiga Kogen, and also Kyoto Brewing Company. The beers come in two sizes: small (200ml) from ¥600, and regular (400ml) from ¥900. All the prices include tax, but there is no happy hour nor are there beer flights. The tap lists do get updated on their Instagram account daily so make sure you check them out.
All of the food at Magnetico is made in-house and I recommend the coriander shumai (steamed pork dumplings) if you can eat meat. Delicious! There are also plenty of choices for vegetarians as well so everyone can eat together. The main downside is that the daily specials aren’t in English but if you make an effort with some Japanese, the owners will go out of their way to help you. The portions food is also a little bit small for the price you get too.
Magnetico Details
Open: Monday & Friday 11:30 – 15:00 (L.O Food 14:00 Drink 14:30) 18:00 – 22:00 (L.O Food 21:00 Drink 21:30) Tuesday & Thursday 11:30 – 15:00 (L.O Food 14:00 Drink 14:30) 17:30 – 22:00 (L.O Food 21:00 Drink 21:30) Saturday 11:30 – 23:00 (L.O Food 22:00 Drink 22:30) Sunday 11:30 – 22:00 (L.O Food 21:00 Drink 21:30)
Closed: Wednesdays and random days (check Facebook)
Happy Hour: None
Phone: 0467-33-5952
Homepage: N/A
Social Media: Facebook / Instagram
How to Get to Magnetico
The closest station to Magnetico is Kamakura on the JR Yokosuka and Shonan-Shinjuku Line, and also the Enoden Line.
