Ramen & Bar Abri Kanazawa The Bottom Line It may have been the last bar on the first night of our run in Kanazawa, but Ramen & Bar Abri Kanazawa should definitely have been earlier. With its decent selection of beers that come in three (reasonably) priced sizes, Ramen & Bar Abri Kanazawa also scores highly on both the atmosphere and food …
101 Tokyo in Ebisu, Tokyo
101 Tokyo The Bottom Line I really wanted to be able to recommend 101 Tokyo, but the prices for beers and the food push it into the realm of needing a second mortgage to be able to have more than four or five beers with some food. Moreover, the peculiar table charge system ticked me off as well – sit at a …
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Barley Wheat in Kamata, Tokyo
Barley Wheat The Bottom Line If you’re in the area, then Barley Wheat is the best choice in the wilderness that is Kamata – just. It doesn’t differ much from the Barley Wheat Hamamatsucho branch, though personally I found the beer menu to be rather narrow in terms of variety of beer styles on tap – the IPA craze is still strong here. …
Fukuoka Kitchen in Matsumoto, Nagano
Fukuoka Kitchen The Bottom Line If it wasn’t for the table charge and lack of tax included in the price, then Fukuoka Kitchen would be the craft beer bar to go to in Matsumoto. Right now, it’s just a recommended place but don’t let that get you down too much. Fukuoka-san is a great host – even on a Monday night – …
Craft Beer Market Kanda in Kanda, Tokyo
Craft Beer Market Kanda The Bottom Line Out of the plethora of choices in the Craft Beer Market range, Craft Beer Market Kanda has some great food but can’t beat out the Craft Beer Market Jimbocho Terrace or Craft Beer Market Otemachi locations for atmosphere. Like the other ones in the range, Craft Beer Market Kanda is non-smoking, has a table charge, but includes tax in their …
Gora Brewery & Grill in Hakone, Kanagawa
Gora Brewery & Grill The Bottom Line Perhaps Gora Brewery & Grill should be renamed Gora Grill & Brewery because I’m sure the grilled food is miles better than the beer produced. The setting for Gora Brewery & Grill is second to none – beautiful views over the valley, Japanese zen garden, a foot bath for you to rest your weary feet. But …
Swan Lake Pub Edo Roppongi in Roppongi, Tokyo
Swan Lake Pub Edo Roppongi The Bottom Line I so wanted to like Swan Lake Pub Edo Roppongi but I left feeling cold and done over. Having visited two of their other branches in Tokyo – the Kyobashi branch and also the Tamachi branch – this one just pales in comparison. The beers are some of the most expensive in the area and the dreaded …
Barley Wheat Hamamatsucho in Daimon, Tokyo
Barley Wheat Hamamatsucho The Bottom Line It’s really not worth trekking out to Barley Wheat Hamamatsucho considering what is in the area. While it does have a nice chilled out atmosphere, especially at the weekend where it seems the whole area is cleared out due to the lack of office workers, the prices and servings just do not justify going there. …
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Minami Yokohama Beer Labo in Kanazawa Bunko, Kanagawa
Minami Yokohama Beer Labo The Bottom Line While the beers at Minami Yokohama Beer Labo were drinkable (more on that later), it’s the cosy atmosphere that I liked more than anything else. It felt like I was sitting in someone’s living room drinking their beer. There was a real mix of clientele – families with young kids, families with teenagers, your …
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Brasserie Beer Boulevard in Shimbashi, Tokyo
Brasserie Beer Boulevard The Bottom Line BBB was alright, they had a good selection and weren’t terribly expensive but it felt more like a date spot than an actual craft beer bar. The seats for lonely loners are all directly in front of the door which really made me feel like they just wanted us out of there as quickly …