Okei Tap Room Oketapu : The Bottom Line
I really liked the atmosphere at Okei Tap Room Oketapu – it came across as a warm and inviting little bar that offers up something for everyone with its tap list of beers from Okei Brewery Nippori. I can imagine starting off a bar crawl in the area here or popping in for a couple of cold beers after a day at work, or even just escaping the crowds of Shinjuku and Harajuku on the weekend. The whole place is non-smoking, has no table charge, and some of the staff speak English too.
Okei Tap Room Oketapu : Background
Okei Tap Room Oketapu is the second in the Okei Brewery’s offerings, with this shop opening in the middle of October 2024. The original bar, listed here, was very much liked by all who we’ve recommended to go there. After much mirth with a friend about this place being located in Odawara, and then finding out I had read the kanji wrong and it said Odakyu, I went on over with a friend to check the place out.
Okei Tap Room Oketapu is located about three minutes from Minami-Shinjuku station on the Odakyu Main Line, and is about a five minute walk from JR Yoyogi station. You could even walk to the bar from Shinjuku station if you’ve got a weird fetish for getting lost in one of Tokyo’s worst stations.
Okei Tap Room Oketapu : Atmosphere & Interior
Okei Tap Room Oketapu is located in the basement floor of what appears to be a residential block – lucky residents to have a bar downstairs from them. Outside, there is space for about 8 people to sit on the deck – definitely will be visiting here in the warmer months to enjoy some beers and sun, while inside, there is space for about 35 people, with 10 seats at the counter, and various table and seating arrangements against the wall. The whole bar is non-smoking, has no table charge, and there is also some free wifi too for those travelling.
The atmosphere in the bar was very relaxed and the staff were kind and friendly – chatty but also not pushy. Some of the staff were more than willing to speak English as well, until I spoke Japanese then the usual “nihongo wa jozu” came out – not an issue at all before you read into that too much.
Okei Tap Room Oketapu : Beer & Tap Information
Okei Tap Room Oketapu has 16 taps of beer on, with all but one being dedicated to craft beer, so you can bring your non-craft beer drinking friends along here too. The majority of the taps were for Okei Brewery’s offerings, with some guest beers on as well.
The beers came in two sizes : half (240 ml) from ¥650 and then pint (473 ml) from ¥1150 with prices including tax. The pours were very much to my liking with just a little bit of head on top, and the staff did take good care in pouring and serving the beers; not serving them until the head had settled and the beer topped off where necessary. I didn’t see any happy hour offerings. nor was there a beer flight with that being a shame as I would have liked to have tried some more of their beers.
Okei Tap Room Oketapu : Food & Menu Information
I admit I didn’t get any food here as I had just eaten before coming out. However, there was plenty of offerings on the menu and as you can see above, the menus are both in Japanese and in English. There are enough offerings for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, and if you’re not sure, then you can ask the staff.
Okei Tap Room Oketapu : Bar Details
- Open : Wednesday to Friday 15:00 – 23:00 Saturday and Sunday 12:00 – 23:00 (L.O Food 22:00 Drink 22:30)
- Closed : Mondays / Tuesdays
- Happy Hour : –
- Phone : 03-5309-2346
- Homepage (in Japanese) : –
- Social Media : Instagram
