Craft Beer Market Penny Lane : The Bottom Line
Of the two Craft Beer Market locations in Kichijoji, I much preferred this branch over Craft Beer Market Kichijoji and for good reason. It felt much lighter in terms of atmosphere and the food is more suited to my liking, with gyoza similar to the Craft Beer Market Tokyo Torch branch. Craft Beer Market Penny Lane also seemed more suited to families as on the day I went, there were a couple of housewives with their kids, eating lunch and knocking back a beer – more power to them! The whole place is non-smoking, no table charge before 2pm but after 2pm it is 300 yen, though there is some free wifi.
Craft Beer Market Penny Lane : The Full Review
After sitting in Yona Yona Beer Works Kichijoji for a single beer – the dirty glass really didn’t appeal to me to order anymore – taking a quick glance at my watch, I saw that Craft Beer Market Penny Lane was open, so off I went. Craft Beer Market Penny Lane is the 13th location in the chain from Craft Beer Market, so they know what they’re doing now in terms of a business, with relative low cost beers, and decently priced food.
Craft Beer Market Penny Lane opened in December 2020 and is located north of Kichijoji station, about a 3 minute walk from the JR line in the busy shopping area of the town. It’s hidden off the main streets, but it’s quite easy to spot with its massive windows from pretty much floor to ceiling.
Craft Beer Market Penny Lane : Atmosphere & Interior
As mentioned previously, it’s hard not to feel cosy in Craft Beer Market Penny Lane, the chairs, though they seem a bit weird with very low backs, are surprisingly comfy, and the light and airy feeling inside, due to the large windows, makes you feel relaxed. There’s space inside for around 35 people or so – with counter seats, wall seats, and also tables for groups of 4 dotted around the bar. During the day, there isn’t a table charge, well we weren’t charged anything, but like other places in the Craft Beer Market chain, there is apparently a table charge from 2pm of 300 yen for people ordering alcohol, and then from 4pm for everyone. A shame so if you want to escape the dreaded table charge, go early during the day.
In spite of being named after The Beatles song “Penny Lane” we escaped having to sit through the albums on repeat – good if you don’t like The Beatles. There was some music playing in the background; however, it was at a level that meant conversations could be held and heard at a normal level. There is also some free wifi for those wanting to keep up with the latest beer news.
Craft Beer Market Penny Lane : Beer & Tap Information
Without wanting to simply copy and paste other beer details from Craft Beer Market bars we’ve been to, Craft Beer Market Penny Lane offers up an equally as extensive lineup of both domestic beers, alongside some in-house beers brewed at Craftrock Brewpub and a few imports with a couple of macros on tap, so there is bound to be something for everyone on the menu here. I counted 25 taps though on the day we went, there were 23 on, with 3 of those for macro lagers. The beers come in two sizes: glass (250 ml) at 600 yen, and pints (470 ml) at 900 yen, though some of the special and limited editions beers were priced a bit higher. The beers were generally well served, with not too much of a head on top, though the staff were willing to top up the beers. I didn’t notice any happy hour, but there is an all-you-can-drink-plan that costs 4,000 yen for 2 hours of drinking and is limited to weekdays only.
Craft Beer Market Penny Lane : Food Information
Apparently, the food at Craft Beer Market Torch has been so well reserved – gyoza and spicy good – that they have decided to do something similar at Craft Beer Market Penny Lane, and I was well happy. Having seen the mistakenly made spicy chicken at the Torch branch, I opted for the gyoza once again, but this time, the lamb mint had sold out – boo!!! We had three kinds of gyoza: the regular pork, the beni-shoga (sliced pickled ginger), and the prawn + perilla leaf, with the last being the best – an interesting texture and flavour that shouldn’t work, but it did. The menus were in Japanese; however, a member of staff did offer some English menus for both the drinks and the food. All the prices also included tax and while vegetarians may find it hard to get some food, there are some choices for vegetarians on the menu.
Craft Beer Market Penny Lane : Bar Details
- Open : Weekdays 12:00 – 14:00 (L.O Food 13:00 Drinks 13:30) 16:00 – 23:00 (L.O Food 22:00 Drinks 22:30) Weekends + Holidays 11:00 – 23:00 (L.O Food 22:00 Drinks 22:30)
- Closed : –
- Happy Hour : –
- Phone : 0422-27-6543
- Homepage (in Japanese) : https://www.craftbeermarket.jp/cbm-pennylane/
- Social Media : Facebook / Instagram
