Depending on how long you’ve lived in Tokyo, your idea of a typical izakaya might involve a smoky room full of salarymen all yelling over each other. The smoking ban in restaurants has alleviated a part of this, making now a fantastic time to experience Tokyo’s colorful and energetic izakaya scene!
Tokyo’s traditional izakaya deserve a separate article all to themselves; navigating them can be very intimidating since these establishments (outside of chain restaurants) tend to only expect Japanese patrons. So, as a frequent flyer in the late night streets of Tokyo, let me introduce you a side of the izakaya scene which is easily accessible to all who are looking to enjoy a night of good food and good drink: Tokyo’s craft beer scene.
There are many other websites that can describe in detail what “craft beer” is, so I’ll keep it short and sweet with: beer brewed with a variety of ingredients to create a wide range of flavors. From the malty and deep tasting dunkel to the hoppy and aromatic IPA, you can enjoy a beer based on your mood. In addition, the craft beer scene in Tokyo is really starting to take off. Thanks in large part to chains like Craft Beer Market, iBrew, and Beer Kobo. The knowledgable staff at these locations all around Tokyo give visitors a warm welcome, even if it’s your first time trying craft beer!
A part of living in Tokyo is being able to get out and enjoy the different restaurants, bars, and cafes that it has to offer! It can be difficult to imagine the look and feel of a neighborhood if you’re just looking at things like supermarkets, parks, and libraries (which are all important in their own rights). So here’s an article focused on sharing another side of the neighborhoods of Tokyo! For those who don’t drink alcohol, this might not be a very relatable topic, so rest assured that I’ll come up with another way to help bring some depth to the variety of areas in Tokyo that you might consider living in.
Today I’m going to take you along a walk around Kanda to visit some of the wonderful spots in this area that you might not be aware of!
Craft Beer Market Kanda
Craft Beer Market is a mainstay chain of beer bars in Tokyo. With locations in Jimbocho, Otemachi, Toranomon, etc., these establishments offer great convenience for Tokyo beer lovers. Each location has a specialty menu that is unique to that location. For example, CBM Kanda offers lamb dishes – including a lamb pizza (which I can testify is a killer meal to go along with your beer)!
Devilcraft Kanda
An extremely common complaint from Americans residing in Japan is the contempt they have for the Japanese bastardization of American’s bastardization of pizza. Leaving fast-food pizza for a topic for another day, let me just say that if you’re jonesing for a Chicago-style pie, Devilcraft is the only place that comes to my mind that can serve up this traditional American culinary feat.
Devilcraft also brews its own beer, so you’ll see their beers on tap in addition to other guest beers.
Beer Ma Kanda
While the other bars in this list provide a great spot to enjoy a beer; they don’t answer the age old question of “How do I bring my beer home with me?” Enter Beer Ma Kanda. The second floor of this bottle shop is wall to wall with refrigerators keeping domestic and imported brews ready just for you. You can take your time to choose the perfect beer for your mood and enjoy it in the store (¥200 bottle fee), or purchase it and take it home for later!
Mikkeller Kanda
Newly opened Mikkeller Kanda is part hamburger joint and part craft beer bar; a marriage made in heaven if you ask me. Mikkeller is a Danish microbrewery that has found a home in Tokyo. The Mikkeller Shibuya location has been a hip and stylish watering hole (not to be confused with the aptly named Watering Hole beer bar in Yoyogi) serving the restless late night crowd of Shibuya for 5 years now (opened 2015).
If you read through our Kanda Area Guide, you’ll see that Kanda has a business district feel to it. And where there’s office workers, restaurants and bars are nearby. Even though this neighborhood might seem a bit docile during the day, just like an office worker letting their hair down after the work day, the evening really transforms the energy of the neighborhood – especially around the station. As we touched on in the Area Guide, it really depends on your personal preference to late nights as to whether this is a pro or a con. If you like the transportation convenience of Kanda, but aren’t much of a drinker, it’s completely possible to avoid these locations and the drunken revelry within.
I hope you enjoyed today’s look into a side of Tokyo that you might not have thought about before! Tokyo is filled with different communities, perspectives, and people. Use the resources on our website to help find a neighborhood where you can thrive in Japan!
Lead photo: Scott Kouchi