Juicy Things Yokohama : The Bottom Line
Juicy Things Yokohama suffers from Sakura Taps syndrome – fantastic food, a good selection of beer but at prices that will make you gawk for the portions that you get. And that’s a shame because Juicy Things Yokohama is in prime location right by the station to pick up some passers by for a few beers and some food. The whole place is non-smoking, has no table charge, and the menus are in English and in Japanese.
Juicy Things Yokohama : The Full Story
I had heard about the owner from Sakura Taps wanting to expand – they have a fantastic little bar there that is often busy and have a reliable community there. The bar has a great reputation for putting on very good beers, and keeping them in an excellent condition, letting customers know when the keg was opened as well. Over time, the bar has evolved too, with them dropping the price for sitting down and making it a flat rate across the bar. Moreover, the staff are friendly and chatty, and know a lot about the beers.
So when Juicy Things Yokohama was announced, I wanted to get over there. It opened in March 2022, but I was in Hokkaido for the opening but openings are never a good time to go to a bar. So I waited a few weeks and headed over to Ishikawacho – the shop is right next to the south exit of the JR station for some burgers and spicy chicken.
Juicy Things Yokohama : Atmosphere & Interior
Juicy Things Yokohama is split into two parts – one area is the seated area which is decorated in bright red leather seats – and then the standing area that is next to the kitchen. It’s a pretty small place to be honest so you can be sure that when its busy, you’re going to be rubbing shoulders with people next to you. There was also some gentle background music that seemed to follow the same chilled out genre that is played at Sakura Taps – no surprise there.
There is space for about 8 people at the tables at the front of the store, and then another 6 to 10 people standing at the back walls, depending on how close together you are. The whole place is non-smoking and has no table charge, but offers up some free wifi as well.
Juicy Things Yokohama : Approach to Covid-19
Well it’s pretty basic at Juicy Things Yokohama – there are some plastic dividers between the tables, and the staff were wearing masks but that was it.
Juicy Things Yokohama : Beer & Tap Information
Juicy Things Yokohama has four taps of craft beer on at the time of writing, but there appeared to be space for a few extra taps, which I guess is for when the place really gets going. When I went, all the beers were domestic and came in two sizes: 260 ml from 770 yen and 420 ml from 1,120 – as I said, it suffers from Sakura Taps syndrome. Those prices do include tax but the pours were pretty bad to be honest. There isn’t any happy hour nor any takeaway beers so make of that what you will but I am loathed to pay those prices for some domestic beers that are not full of hops.
Juicy Things Yokohama : Food Information
Juicy Things Yokohama primarily sells two things – sliders, which are bite sized hamburgers, and fried chicken. Both of which are very tasty. I did order a lamb slider – expecting it to be about half the size of a McDonald’s burger, but it was about one quarter the size and three times the price of one. The fried chicken was a bit better value, with it being the size of some FamiChika but not that more expensive and it was made from chicken breast – you could see the fibres of the meat as you bit into it. The prices did include tax though and the menus are in both English and in Japanese on the TV above the seating area. But like the beers, it suffers from Sakura Taps syndrome – tasty but overpriced. There are also some smoked nuts but vegetarians are out of luck here.
Juicy Things Yokohama : Information
- Open : Daily 12:00 – 20:00 (L.O Food 19:00 Drink 19:30)
- Closed : N/A
- Happy Hour : N/A
- Phone : N/A
- Homepage (in Japanese) : https://sakurasmoke.raku-uru.jp/
- Social Media : Facebook / Instagram
