Caghiya Taproom : The Bottom Line
I’ve been to a few places from Caghiya now, and none of them come as any surprise anymore – one of the cheapest nomihodais (all-you-can-drink plans) for beers that are ok, but not mind-blowing, with some decent food available for a reasonable price. Pay for two hours, and you’ll end up a very squiffy person. And at this location, it’s no different, except somehow, this is actually my favourite out of the few that I’ve been to. It’s local, family friendly, chilled out atmosphere is welcoming to all, and with the brewery viewable through the backwall, actually feels like a taproom.
Caghiya Taproom : Background
The taproom opened as Kagiya Brewery’s second directly operated location, following its original operation in Kashimada. It pre-opened in February 2023 on the site of the former Horumon Center Dogen on Nakahara Kaido, about six minutes from Musashi-Nakahara Station, located on the JR Nambu line – one of the worst train lines to be found in Kanto and noone can change my mind about it, with the bar itself having a full open much later in August 2023.
What makes the location particularly interesting is that Kagiya didn’t intend it to be simply a bar selling beer made elsewhere. The plan was to install a small brewery inside the premises, allowing customers to see the brewing operation. Kagiya launched a crowdfunding campaign in March 2023 specifically to help create this visitor-accessible brewery. The campaign raised ¥403,000 from 41 supporters
Caghiya Taproom : Atmosphere & Interior
Unlike other locations – the Caghiya Jiyugaoka branch being located inside some old shipping containers and the Caghiya Pizza and Tap branch being located inside of an renovated snack bar – this branch was fully designed to be part of the brewery and building itself. The bright, white interior with large glass windows, so it feels much more like a casual, modern neighbourhood café / restaurant than the darker image of the Caghiya Pizza and Tap branch. The brewery itself is visible from the customer area, which gives the space a genuine brewery taproom feel rather than simply being a bar serving beer made elsewhere.
On the day that I Caghiya Taproom, there were two families – separately – eating and drinking beer, which really emphasised the relaxed, family vibe present as you walk. There’s space for around 25 people inside, at some tables in the middle of the bar, and also some counter seats at the bar. It’s quite close inside, so conversations can easily be heard if you’re being anything above a usual conversation level. There’s unfortunately no outside drinking, though the whole place is non-smoking and has no table charge. In addition, I did notice some free WiFi in the bar but wasn’t sure if it was from the bar, or from the building itself.
Caghiya Taproom : Beer & Tap Information
The beers here come from Caghiya Brewery, and with up to 10 taps of their beer, there’s also a decent selection of beers on tap. The beers come in two sizes : small (250 ml) from ¥770 and regular (470 ml) at ¥1,210. However, the selling point is the nomihodai – all you can drink plan – that represents great value for money. There are two options for this plan : 90 mins at ¥3,850, and 120 mins at ¥4,400. You can choose the glass size but rather than serving yourself, the bar staff will pour the beers for you, and they pour them well. Finally, there is a beer flight option too, but there was nothing on the menu about the price.
Unfortunately, the beer vending machine outside the front of Caghiya Taproom was not working / had run out of beer on the day that I went, so I was unable to get any beers to take away – I had a longish walk back to Musashi-Kosugi station and wanted something to tide me over.
Caghiya Taproom : Food & Menu Information
The concept for Caghiya Taproom was also distinctive for its food. From the beginning, the menu was built around freshly brewed beer and fish burgers, with the fish coated using batter made with stout and carbonated water. The brewery describes the resulting combination as being designed specifically to work with its beer. On the day I went, I plumped for the fish and chips – and I will tell you now, that fish was PERFECT. Soft and flakey, with a crunchy outer batter, with only the chips being the let down.
In terms of menus, they are mostly in Japanese, with just enough English to order the beers, though the food menus were in Japanese only, so you may need some help with all of that. Finally, the prices included tax so there’s no surprises at the end.
Caghiya Taproom : Bar Details
- Open : Wednesday to Friday 17:00 – 22:00 / Weekends & Holidays 11:00 – 22:00 (L.O Food 21:00 Drinks 21:30)
- Closed : Mondays & Tuesdays
- Happy Hour : –
- Phone : 04-4223-8061
- Homepage (in Japanese) : https://www.keycorporation.co.jp/taproom.html
- Social Media : Facebook / Instagram
