Okei Brewery Nippori : The Bottom Line
I had heard mixed things about Okei Brewery Nippori but I am pleased to say that I enjoyed my time there with some decent beers at reasonable prices, but the best thing about the place were the chips – more about that later. Okei Brewery Nippori is a nice, friendly little place that is worth a visit when you’re in the area – there’s something for everyone on the beer menu. The whole place is non-smoking, has no table charge, and also some free wifi.
Okei Brewery Nippori : The Full Review
After spending some time in Yanaka Beer Hall, I eventually made my way over to Okei Brewery Nippori. I say eventually as I ended walking around Yanaka Cemetary for a while, trying to find the overpass that gets your across the plethora of train tracks on that side of the city. Why Okei Brewery Nippori? Well that side of Tokyo – the stretch between Ueno and Ikebukuro – is rather spartan in terms of craft beer – and probably for good reason as most commuters go up towards Saitama to get home.
Okei Brewery Nippori is the first brewery in the Arakawa area of Tokyo and it opened in December 2021, though didn’t start brewing until January 2022. Okei Brewery Nippori is owned by the company behind Shinbashi Italian wine bar Viva Okei and Pizzeria Terzo Okei, which therefore explains its name. Okei Brewery Nippori is located behind the famous Nippori Fabric Town district, so it’s ideal after a long day of shopping for fabrics and garments.
Okei Brewery Nippori : Atmosphere & Interior
Okei Brewery Nippori is a deceptive place because as you walk in, it appears that there are only enough seats for around 15 people – stretched along the counter and at some of the tables along the windows. However, there is space for around another 15 people though it’s more for private parties as on the day we went along to Okei Brewery Nippori, it was full with a crowd of drinkers. It’s quite a light and airy place though so in spite of everyone being rather close to one another, there is a feeling of having more space than there really is. There is also some space for outside drinking but during the warmer months of the year.
There was some light music being played – enough that you could hear it but not enough that it drowns out the conversation of the people you’re with. Okei Brewery Nippori is non-smoking and has no table charge. As for wifi, there was a connection available.
Okei Brewery Nippori : Beer & Tap Information
Okei Brewery Nippori has 10 taps of beer on, with one of those taps dedicated to a macro lager, which on the day we went was the Kirin Braumeister effort – nice to see some other macro lagers being offered than just the regulars. That means you can bring your non-craft beer drinking friends along with you. The other 9 beers on offer are mostly beers from Okei Brewery Nippori, though there are, on occasion, some guest beers from breweries across Japan.
The beers come in three sizes: small (180 ml) from 600 yen, mediurm (270 ml) from 800 yen, and then large (470 ml) from 1,310 yen with the guest beers being a bit more expensive. That does put Okei Brewery Nippori at above the average price for beers in Tokyo, though the prices do include tax. Unfortunately, there were no beer flights or happy hour offers, nor did there appear to be a drink plan either.
As for the beers themselves, 5 out of the 7 we had on the day were pretty damned good and were to style, with highlight being the Arakawa Juicy Under the Bridge IPA being fruity and tropical with some bitterness, and the kolsch being light and refreshing – two beers that I would definitely order again when I am at Okei Brewery Nippori in the near future.
Okei Brewery Nippori : Food Information
The menu at Okei Brewery Nippori was rather impressive considering the amout of space available in the kitchen. However, I went straight for the chips. They were so damned good that I went back for seconds – crunchy on the outside, yet smooth and fluffy inside – absolutely perfect! There were some choices for vegetarians besides chips. Moreover, the staff kindly offered us an English menu as well.
Okei Brewery Nippori : Bar Information
- Open : Weekdays 15:00 – 23:00 (L.O Food 22:00 Drink 22:30) Weekends / Holidays 12:00 – 23:00 (L.O Food 22:00 Drink 22:30)
- Closed : Wednesdays
- Happy Hour : –
- Phone : 03-5615-2080
- Homepage (in Japanese) : –
- Social Media : Facebook / Instagram
