Neighbour Roast & Brew : The Bottom Line
Neighbour Roast & Brew is a great little spot near the station for those who want an early beer with some friends in a chilled location, and it’s even better if you’re staying in the attached hotel upstairs too. The place is light and airy, and it would be very easy to sit back, relax, and while away the hours here if you’re not careful. The whole place is non-smoking and family friendly, with no table charge and also some free wifi, with the details around. Finally, all of the menus are available in English.
Neighbour Roast & Brew : Background
Neighbour Roast & Brew opened in April 2023, and is located in the lobby to ANA Grand Plaza hotel – so if you’re staying upstairs, then you’ve got no excuse but to pop in. The theme behind the shop is that everyone is a neighbour, from local business people to tourists. It’s located about a five minute walk from the underground Sapporo station, though you can reach it from the JR Sapporo station too.
It’s owned by the same company behind Abashiri Beer, though this place does have its own brewery attached next door, run by Masayuki Hatakeyama, a brewer who honed his skills at Abashiri Beer. There are four fermentation tanks capable of brewing 250 liters per batch. Finally, the person in charge of supervising the coffee menu is Yamada Takayuki, who is a Q Arabica Grader, an internationally qualified coffee appraiser, and also has a wealth of experience as a roaster.
Neighbour Roast & Brew : Atmosphere & Interior
As mentioned, Neighbour Roast & Brew is located in the foyer of the ANA Grand Plaza hotel, yet it’s a very spacious location. With the big bay windows at the front, it’s also got a very light and airy feeling to the location, even when the skies are grey and snowing is coming down at a rate of knots.
In terms of seating, there is space for around 40 people inside, though that is at a various combination of sofas, tables, and counter seats in the middle of the bar. There is no table charge at Neighbour Roast & Brew, and the whole place is non-smoking too. For those wanting some wifi, there are some details dotted around the bar, so you can connect and read more about Sapporo and where to drink.
Finally, there was some chilled and gentle background music playing throughout our time here – not enough to drown out the conversation, but just enough to be heard. For those that want some quiet time, there is also a dedicated library with books available to read in-store.
Neighbour Roast & Brew : Beer & Tap Information
Neighbour Roast & Brew has nine taps of craft beer and it’s split into three groups: Home, which has beers from Abashiri beer; Journey, which has beers from across Japan, and Play, which has beers from the in-house brewery. The beers come in two sizes : regular (300 ml) from ¥600 and pint (500 ml) from ¥900, with the “Home” category being the cheapest. There is also a beer flight that gets you any three 150 ml beers on the menu for ¥1,300.
However, there isn’t an option for any takeaway beers, so those in-house beers are only available at this branch. Moreover, there is no happy hour nor an option for all you can drink.
Neighbour Roast & Brew : Food & Menu Information
On the day, all I had to eat was a Haskap tart – I love Hop Kotan Haskap so wanted to try a tart – however, there is an extensive menu at Neighbour Roast & Brew. The menus are available in English and in Japanese, with prices inclusive of tax. The food menu at Neighbour Roast & Brew is set around local food from Hokkaido, with local ingredients used, and it’s also vegetarian friendly.
Neighbour Roast & Brew : Bar Details
- Open : Monday to Thursday 9:00 – 22:00 Fridays 9:00 – 23:00 Satursdays 10:00 – 23:00 Sundays 10:00-22:00 (L.O Food 1 hour before closing / Drinks 30 minutes before closing)
- Closed : –
- Happy Hour : –
- Phone : 011-212-1688
- Homepage (in Japanese) : https://www.neigh-bour.jp/
- Social Media : Instagram
