Hop Stand Sannomiya : The Bottom Line
Hop Stand Sannomiya is a nice little back alley craft beer bar that has a decent selection of beers on tap, though I doubt they will blow you away really. That’s not to say it isn’t worth coming to Hop Stand Sannomiya but just don’t get your hopes up too much. However, the prices are some of the best in Kobe, and the cheesy chips will be devoured quickly, so make sure you order a couple of portions of them.
Hop Stand Sannomiya : Background
Hop Stand has two branches in Kobe – one on Harborland in the port area of Kobe, and this branch in Sannomiya, which also happens to be its first branch. The Hop Stand Sannomiya branch opened February 2015 and is located about a 5 minute walk from the Sannomiya station building in the centre of Kobe. The main theme behind this branch is craft beer and yakitori, but more about that later.
Hop Stand Sannomiya : Atmosphere & Interior
As you walk down the street that Hop Stand Sannomiya is on, you’re greeted by a large window and a door that is sometimes push to open, yet sometimes pull. Perhaps it was just me and my inaibility to open doors, but at least there was a good laugh from people watching me attempt to get in. It’s a pretty small place inside, with some sites saying that there is space for over 20 people inside, but I counted 10 seats at the bar counter, and then another 8 around the bar, so perhaps there was some secret seating space that I couldn’t see around the corner.
Hop Stand Sannomiya is rather light and airy inside, in spite of being down some back alley in Kobe, and the colour of the walls – white with lots of light brown wood dotted around – helping to make the place seem brighter than it was. The whole place is non-smoking and also has no table charge. There is also some free wifi available with the details available inside the bar.
Hop Stand Sannomiya : Beer & Tap Information
Hop Stand Sannomiya has seven taps of craft beer on at all times, and all of them are related to Rokko Beer. There are 4 regular beers on and then the other 3 are seasonal beers that vary throughout the year. The beers come in three sizes: small (285ml) at ¥759, regular (385ml) at ¥979, and then large (545ml) at ¥1,320. There is also a three beer flight that gets you any three 180ml beers for ¥1,540 – not a bad deal if you’re looking to try everything on the menu. I didn’t notice any takeaway beer options, nor any happy hour deals either.
Hop Stand Sannomiya : Food & Menu Information
The main food at Hop Stand Sannomiya is yakitori, with all the meats sourced from the local area. I wasn’t feeling very hungry on the day I went here so it was just some chips and cheese for me but let me tell you this, they were covered in parmesan cheese, and had some paprika spice on top and they were delicious! So good that they were gone in a matter of minutes and made me want to order some more. There were very few options for vegetarians, besides a few pickles here and there, so you may need to go somewhere else to fill up on food. Moreover, the menus were mostly in Japanese, so you will need to go with someone who can read or speak Japanese.
Hop Stand Sannomiya : Bar Details
- Open : Weekdays 17:00 – 0:00 Saturdays 14:00 – 0:00 (L.O Food 23:00 Drinks 23:30) Sundays and Holidays 14:00 – 23:00 (L.O Food 22:00 Drinks 22:30)
- Closed : –
- Happy Hour : –
- Phone : 050-5457-7054
- Homepage (in Japanese) : http://hopstand.com/
- Social Media : Instagram
