Hug Hop The Bottom Line
Hug Hop has pretty much everything I look for in a craft beer bar – lots of taps with a good variety of beers on tap and also no table charge but unfortunately the prices do not include tax. Thethe friendly, chilled out atmosphere and tasty food (the gapao was amazing) should be the effort that gets you over the edge. I never knew that people in Shizuoka were so friendly and welcoming, and Hug Hop exemplifies that perfectly in a bar. The menus are in English and the staff are more than happy to help out with any questions that you may have. The whole place is also non-smoking too.
Hug Hop The Full Review
After a busy morning at West Coast Brewing Taproom in Mochimune, I was looking for somewhere to eat and get some more beers in me – I guess that’s what happens if you start drinking early in the morning. Hug Hop had come highly recommended to me and I was planning on going much later in the day, but seeing as I was in the area, off I went. Koyamachi seems to be the area for craft beer in Shizuoka so there’s plenty of choices but Hug Hop, also having coffee too, won out for me.
Located about 10 minutes from JR Shizuoka station, Hug Hop is on the southern cusp of the Koyamachi area, immediately opposite Craft Beer Station. The bar opened up in December 2016 and has quickly garnered a reputation for both its food and also the wide variety of beers on tap. Inside, the bar is split into two sections, with the left hand side having high tables and stools, while the right hand side has lower tables and is more suited to a quick beer or two. The whole bar is non-smoking, has no table charges, and there is also some free WiFi too.
Hug Hop has 10 taps of craft beer on throughout the day, with a split between both domestic and international. In the past, Hug Hop has focussed on Baird Beer, but on the day I went there were beers from Nara Brewing, Yorocco, and Hop Kotan. The beers come in two sizes: half US pint (240ml) from ¥650, and pints (480ml) from ¥1,200. There was no happy hour nor any beer flights available which is a shame with so many beers on the menu that I wanted to try. The main downside to the prices is that they do not include tax – a shame as if they had done, then Hug Hop would have come heartily recommended.
There is a variety of meals and smaller snacks on offer at Hug Hop, but being a big fan of gapao I knew I had to get this. And for the ¥1,000 set, it was great value for money and very very tasty. The smaller dishes include classic stalwarts of chips and also more Japanese snacks, such as edamame, though the menu is mostly meat based. There are some vegetarian options, and the staff were more than happy to try and accommodate me when I asked about them, but the lure of gapao was too strong.
Hug Hop Details
Open: Weekdays 12:00 – 01:00 (L.O Food 00:00 Drink 00:30) Weekends 12:00 – 02:00 (L.O Food 01:00 Drink 01:30)
Happy Hour: None
Phone: 054-221-7373
Homepage (in Japanese): N/A
Social Media: Facebook
How to Get to Hug Hop
Hug Hop is located between JR Shizuoka and Shin-Shizuoka
[ezcol_1half]Directions from JR Shizuoka Station[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]Directions from Shin-Shizuoka Station[/ezcol_1half_end]
