Pepown : The Bottom Line
Pepown isn’t the best place in Chigasaki to get craft beer – that honour still lies with Beer Cafe Hopman – but this place is the best place to be with the hip and trendy. More importantly, it’s got a decent enough selection of beers in the fridges and on tap to choose from. Finally, there is some decent outside drinking for those sunny and warmer times – just get there early as the spaces do fill up quickly. The whole place is non-smoking and has no table charge. Moreover, there is some free wifi in the area too.
Pepown : Background
Pepown is the latest, at the time of writing, bar to open in Chigasaki, and did so back in April 2024. Chigasaki seems to be the new upcoming area for craft beer in Kanagawa, and with this place, the triangle of Barbaric Works, Yorocco, and Passific Brewing seems to be stretching out. It’s not rare to see the owners of those places at each other’s bars, and that was the case on the day we went to the bar.
Pepown is located about a five minute walk from JR Chigasaki station. It’s also worth noting that it’s the supposed taproom for Passific Brewing who, in the past, used to operate open brewery days, where people would go along and drink at the brewery, though it’s been a while since we’ve been to those events.
Pepown : Atmosphere & Interior
The first thing you’re greeted by at Pepown is the huge wreath that hangs above the door frame. This area also incorporates as small outside drinking area, with space for six, maybe eight if you’re really close, people, and then a small standing drinking station on the other side. As you enter into the bar, for some reason, someone had the silly idea of putting the ordering counter right by the doorway – so be careful as you may bump into someone with their drink.
Inside is a large standing area, situated around one large table, with lots of vegetation deftly placed on the table. It does feel quite spacious inside considering how much space is taken up by the fridges and the table. Moreover, it does have a very hip and trendy feel to it – I felt almost out of place being here as I am neither hip, nor by any means trendy. The whole place is non-smoking and has no table charge, purely because there’s pretty much nowhere to sit!
Pepown : Beer & Tap Information
I apologise now for not having taken a photo of the taplist! I forgot! There are nine taps though at Pepown, and while there is a strong leaning towards Passific Brewing’s efforts, there are beers from Japan and also imports on tap. The beers come in one size, which seemed to be around 350 ml from ¥900, with prices including tax. There is no option for a beer flight, nor is there a happy hour on offer.
Interestingly enough, there are two large fridges of craft beer that can be drunk in-store or for takeaway. Even more interestingly, there is no corkage fee, nor is there one advertised anywhere in the bar. Perhaps I missed it completely but prices are the same for bottles and cans if you drink in, or get the beers to takeaway. Finally, if you do happen to get too many beers, you can have them shipped to your house from the bar.
Pepown : Food & Menu Information
It just happened on the day I went to Pepown that they were hosting an event with burgers from the now closed Mikkeller Kanda branch! I went for the single smash and it hit the spot! But then the burgers at Mikkeller Kanda were always top notch. However, on most days, the food at Pepown is some simple Japanese snacks instead of larger meals, so you may want to eat before coming here.
The menus have enough English on them to order beers, though the food menus were mostly in katakana and Kanji so you may need someone who can read Japanese to help out.
Pepown : Bar Details
- Open : Weekdays 15:00 – 24:00 (L.O Food 23:00 Drinks 23:30) Weekends + Holidays 12:00 – 23:00 (L.O Food 22:00 Drinks 22:30)
- Closed : –
- Happy Hour : –
- Phone : 0467-37-6513
- Homepage (in Japanese) : –
- Social Media : Instagram
