Beer Bar North Island : The Bottom Line
Along with Tap Room Beer Kotan, Beer Bar North Island shows how a tap room should be run – beers at decent prices, with a good atmosphere, and everything that people want in a bar. The whole place is non-smoking, has no table charge, and also free wifi. There are English speaking staff there but perhaps the only downside is that if you sit at the counter, you may just waste your time playing one of the most annoying bar games I’ve ever come across.
Beer Bar North Island : The Full Story
At my first bar of this trip, Moya Moya Base, I was told by the owner that it used to be the tap room for Beer Bar North Island but it had become too big for such a small place. I was interested to hear more about it and they said that a few years back, Beer Bar North Island decided to move to a much larger place due to demand. Always a good sign, especially when the brewery, out in Ebetsu city, doesn’t really have a tap room outside of the weekend. I have enjoyed North Island Beers in the past but found it hard to get any of their limited editions. The owner of Moya Moya Base insisted that I get along to Beer Bar North Island to try some as there are always some on tap.
This is the second beer bar for North Island Beer but it is the only one in Sapporo city. It moved from its original location in 2018, though exactly when is unsure at the time of writing. Beer Bar North Island is located just south of Odori station, and is right in middle of the Susukino drinking area. The main downside to this bar is the incredibly slow lift to the 10th floor – I could have walked up the stairs quicker, if I had been fully sober but I wasn’t going to risk it.
Beer Bar North Island : Atmosphere & Interior
Stepping into Beer Bar North Island, it kind of makes sense how they wanted a bigger space as the bar was already beginning to fill up when I got in. At 7pm, the bar was full up and ironically, I was sat next to someone who had been at Moya Moya Base a few hours earlier. It’s a very cosy little place, and being on the 10th floor means if you can, get some of the seats either by the counter or by the window for some fantastic night time views of the city.
Beer Bar North Island has space for around 40 people inside, with the majority of those at various seating arrangements inside. There is space for 9 people at the bar, though with Beer Bar North Island trying to implement social distancing where possible, I could imagine there being more seating when Covid-19 (eventually) blows over. The whole place is non-smoking, has no table charge, and also free Wifi.
Beer Bar North Island : Approach to Covid-19
In spite of what the picture shows above, there is a strict Covid-19 policy in Beer Bar North Island that follows the prefectural guidelines. So expect temperature checks when you go in, alcohol spray at the door, social distancing where possible, and a hotline for customers to contact the local government if there is something amiss. All of the staff were wearing masks as well as some of them wearing gloves too.
Beer Bar North Island : Beer & Tap Information
Beer Bar North Island has 12 taps of beer on, with 5 of those being dedicated to their regular beers, and the rest being limited editions and seasonals that perhaps can not be found in bottles. However, Beer Bar North Island has two sizes for beers: small (273ml) from 630 yen, and large (430ml) from 780 yen with those prices including tax. Yeah, now you can understand why things may have gone down hill. Beer Bar North Island. At this point of the evening, I am so glad that I took pictures though I didn’t get all of the beers because, well, I got busy talking with the staff and other customers and just kept on drinking. I didn’t notice any happy hour, or beer flights, but at these prices, it’s a pretty good deal for the beers.
Beer Bar North Island : Food Information
I honestly don’t remember getting any food here but apparently they do have some as there is a kitchen. The menus were mostly in English but there are staff there who do speak English, as I ended up talking with them for around 30 minutes or so and having a good laugh about my lack of ability to solve a puzzle – I had been drinking since 2pm so that’s my excuse for why I couldn’t do it. From what I gathered from their online website, they have a variety of dishes for both vegetarians and meat eaters alike.
Beer Bar North Island : Information
- Open : Monday to Saturday 17:30 – 23:30 (L.O Food 22:30 Drink 23:00) Sunday and Holidays 13:00 – 22:00 (L.O Food 21:00 Drink 21:30)
- Closed : N/A
- Happy Hour : N/A
- Phone : 011-251-8820
- Homepage (in Japanese) : https://northislandbeer.jp/beeabar/
- Social Media : Facebook / Instagram
