Kumazawa : The Bottom Line
Kumazawa doesn’t have the wide range of beers found in other places – such as Hare to Ke or Valle Sagrado, both of which are in the local area – but it does have lots of character and a friendly atmosphere. It means it’s easy to pop in here for a quick beer while you are shopping and then head on out without worrying about the dreaded FOMO when you’re drinking craft beer. I’ll definitely be back here for a beer or sake next time I’m in Kobe.
Kumazawa : Background
Kumazawa is a small standing bar that opened in February 2012, located in the Chuo are of Kobe city, right between three stations: Kobe-Sannomiya, Kencho-mae, and Motomachi. It’s pretty easy to find from the outside, with its old hanging banner stretching down the door frame. The standing bar originally started out as a sake bar, and that is clearly evident as there are fridges of the drink, along with hot water baths for warming up the sake.
Kumazawa : Atmosphere & Interior
As you step into Kumazawa, make sure you use the right door – not that one! The left one! I made that mistake upon entering and found myself in the serving are behind the bar. Or I think I did as the woman behind the counter pointed to me to use the other door that was conveniently hiding away in the opposite corner.
Kumazawa is a standing bar, so it lends itself perfectly to having a couple of beers or drinks and then shooting off. It’s a pretty small standing area, with room for about 6 – 10 people inside, depending on how close you like to stand to one another. Seeing as Kumazawa is a standing bar, there is no table charge, and the whole place is non-smoking. The atmosphere is very relaxed, and in spite of me going through the wrong door, I found the woman behind the counter to be super friendly, and we were even joking about my misfortune and how often it happens.
Kumazawa : Beer & Tap Information
Kumazawa is a funny one as there are three taps of beer, but they don’t always have all three taps for craft beer. On the day I went, one tap was for a macro lager (I forgot!), a second tap was for Nara Brewing Company exclusively, and another tap was being cleaned. The beer on the day was Nara Function, one that I’ve enjoyed numerous times and continue to do so, especially when it’s on tap. The beers come in one size of 350 ml from ¥900, not cheap, but it does include tax so that’s not such a bad price.
Kumazawa also has some bottle beers from Nara Brewing Company that can be bought to be drunk in the bar, and also taken away, with the takeaway price being about ¥300 cheaper. There’s no beer flights on offer and nor is there a happy hour at all.
Kumazawa : Food & Menu Information
Kumazawa has some food on but I’ll be honest, I didn’t stick around long enough to check as I was only popping in for a quick beer. The food is mostly smaller finger food, with a few larger pieces to share, but vegetarians do have some choices available. The menus though were mostly in Japanese with just the essential information in English.
Kumazawa : Bar Details
- Open : Weekdays 15:00 – 21:00 Saturday 13:00 – 21:00 (L.O Drinks 20:30) Sunday 13:00 – 20:00 (L.O Drinks 19:30)
- Closed : Tuesdays / Wednesdays
- Happy Hour : –
- Phone : 078-977-7155
- Homepage (in Japanese) : http://kumazawa-kobe.jp/
- Social Media : Instagram
