Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill in Hanno, Saitama

Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill The Bottom Line

If the main Carvaan up the road is too far for you, or you’re feeling like a quick beer before the train, then popping into Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill is a good choice. It doesn’t have the atmosphere, variety of food on offer, or the views though – and also the capacity as we found out on the day we popped in. The whole place was full up and we had to wait a bit for a seat, but the staff were kind enough to let us order a beer while waiting. The whole place is non-smoking, has no table charge, and all the prices include tax. While Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill does have some beers to takeaway, it doesn’t have a beer flight like the main store up the road. There is also a far more eclectic mix of food, though the vegetarian choices are not as wide or varied as the main store. For those wondering, there is some free WiFi and all of the menus are both in English and Japanese.

Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill The Full Review

Getting to a station in the middle of nowhere – apologise Saitamites but there really isn’t much in the area – or at the terminus of a train line is often fraught with difficult choices. Chu-hi or beer? Dried squid or fish paste? But at Hanno, you’ve not got one, but TWO choices for some locally brewed beers – how many other stations can say that in Japan? It’s a bit surprising to see something like Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill as you come out of the station but a taproom at a station is a welcome site to see.

Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill is located right outside the north exit to Hanno Station, which is located at the terminus of both the Seibu Ikebukuro and Seibu Chichibu lines. Admittedly I got a bit lost on the way there as I thought the bar would actually be in the station building, but it is conveniently located right at where the buses and taxis drop passengers off, so you can’t really miss it now.

Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill Atmosphere & Interior

The first thing about Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill you notice is the facade – it sticks out like a sore thumb in the area. It’s dark and brooding exterior contrasts against the garish orange of Yoshinoya and the royal blue of QB house. Thankfully the queues are separate for all three places but the open air front gives the bar some people watching appeal as they wait for the buses and taxis.

Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill is primarily centred around the semi-horseshoe shaped bar, with around 15 bar stools around it, and then space for another 15 people at various high tables both inside and outside of the bar. The whole place is non-smoking and also has no table charge. For those wanting it, there is also some free WiFi in the area, but I suspect it could have been from the local department store.

Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill Approach to Covid-19

Like other bars in Saitama, Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill isn’t facing the same measures and seriousness as in Tokyo; however, the staff do wear masks and only groups of people can sit at the same table. I would have preferred for the tables and seating to be farther apart; on the other hand, we were outside and there was a strong breeze – don’t know if that will deter the virus though.

Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill Taps & Beer Information

All of the beers at Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill are brewed in-house up at the brewery. In terms of taps, there are 8 taps of in-house brewed beer, with 4 regular beers on throughout the year, and seasonal beers that take in local ingredients and an occasional overseas influence. The beers come in two sizes: small (220ml) from ¥580 and large (385ml) from ¥1,000, with the seasonal and limited edition beers costing a little bit more. There is no beer flight nor a craft beer drink plan unlike the main brewery location, but I’m guessing because this place is supposed to be a place for a quick beer or two. The beers were well served, though the head was a little on the large side. While the beers are not that exciting, they are solid representations of the styles and are drinkable. I didn’t notice any happy hour, but you can get some bottled beers to take away of the four regular beers on the menu.

Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill Food

Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill’s menu is geared around grilled food and a some spicy and exotic food – though I suspect the food would be considered to be normal in Tokyo. There are a variety of cuisines on offer, with Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Spanish, Mexican, and German food. A lot going on but the flammekueche, also known as tarte flambee in French, is well worthy of a purchase. There are plenty of vegetarian options on the menu, with some vegan choices too. All of the menus are in English, with some of the menu having both names and descriptions in English. All of the prices include tax as well.

Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill Details

• Open: Daily 11:30 – 21:30 (L.O Food 20:30 Drink 21:00)
• Closed: N/A
• Happy Hour: N/A
• Phone: 042-978-7907
• Homepage (in Japanese): https://craft-beer-and-grill.carvaan.jp/food/
• Social Media: Facebook / Instagram

How to Get to Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill.

Carvaan Craft Beer & Grill is located right outside the north exit to Hanno Station, which is located at the terminus of both the Seibu Ikebukuro and Seibu Chichibu lines.