Golden Gate Hamburger and Craft Beer The Bottom Line
Golden Gate is a peculiar place and I don’t know whether to recommend it or not. It’s got a quaint little atmosphere going on, with reasonably well-priced beers that have tax included and there is also no table charge either. However, it’s the unusual smoking rules that get my goat – at lunch time, when they serve food, it’s non-smoking. At other times, when they serve food, it’s smoking – why not have done with smoking and then let people smoke out on the streets? It was only after going to Golden Gate that I found out about this strange setup. So if you want a decent burger and craft beer, then pop along to Golden Gate at lunchtime to ensure you don’t get caught out by smoking. There is also some free Wifi going on and all the menus are in English too.
Golden Gate Hamburger and Craft Beer The Full Review
In searching out for some of Kanto’s best burger and craft beer joints, we came across Golden Gate Hamburger and Craft Beer, or to give it its shortened and more manageable name Golden Gate, in Okachimachi. Okachimachi isn’t a place that I’ve been to, or had any desire to really go to, but I heard some good things about this place and was hungry. Golden Gate opened in February 2018 and since then, they have been serving up hamburgers using 100% Australian beef – a change from most places in Japan that either use domestic or imported American beef.
Golden Gate is located in the vicinity of Okachimachi station though there are a plethora of other stations in the area that you could use on your way here. Inside, there is space for 22 people, with 6 seats at the counter and then another 16 seats at various tables around the bar. There is no table charge at all during the day at Golden Gate; however, the smoking rules do really need some working out. While the bar is open throughout the day at the weekend, to encourage families, Golden Gate is non-smoking at lunchtimes or when food is being served. However, outside of those hours, then the whole place is smoking. Seems a shame really to suddenly become a smoking bar when customers are still present – maybe just scrap the smoking part and let people stand out in the street instead. There is also some free wifi available in the bar too.
There are four taps of craft beer on at Golden Gate, with the variety changing throughout the week as kegs run out – sometimes it’s all domestic, at times a mix between domestic and imports, while at other times it’s all imports so make sure you check their social media before going. There are two sizes of beer on: glass (about 240ml) from ¥750, and regular (473ml) from ¥1200. Prices include tax and the servings are pretty good – none of the beers had large amounts of head and the glasses were clean. However, perhaps due to the size of the bar, there are no beer flights, nor any happy hour beers either on the go.
If you’ve managed to get this far, it’s burger time! The whole reason for BeerTengoku coming here – of course besides the beer – is for the burgers. And they do not disappoint. They are pretty good – not the best we’ve had but they are juicy and come in a burger bun that gets slathered in butter / oil which is then in turn grilled. The downside is the chips – they’re wedges and the extra ¥150 that a large portion is supposed to cost isn’t worth it – and considering the wedges come from Niku no Hanamasa, it does seem a bit cheap.
Golden Gate Hamburger and Craft Beer Details
Open: Monday to Thursday 15:00 – 01:00 (L.O Food 00:00 Drink 00:30) Friday and Saturday 12:00 – 01:00 (L.O Food 00:00 Drink 00:30)
Closed: Sundays
Happy Hour: None
Phone: 03-6806-0980
Homepage (in Japanese): N/A
Social Media: Facebook / Instagram
How to Get to Golden Gate Hamburger and Craft Beer
The closest stations to Golden Gate Hamburger and Craft Beer are JR Okachimachi and Ueno-Hirokoji / Ueno-Okachimachi station.
[ezcol_1half]Directions from JR Okachimachi Station
[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]Directions from Ueno-Okachimachi / Ueno-Hirokoji[/ezcol_1half_end]
