Tokyo's 5 best pubs for great beer

They say hops is the spice of life. So, while we love Japan’s handful of ubiquitous Big Beer Brands that are served in almost every bar, restaurant, izakaya and convenience store in the land, we’re always on the lookout for something different.

Here are five Tokyo boozers where the beer is handcrafted domestically, imported or homemade -- and where flavor is always the main attraction.

 

1. Popeye

With over 70 beers on tap (that’s the largest selection in Japan), Popeye in Ryogoku, Sumida Ward, is the obvious first port of call for the serious beer lush.

Most of these are micro-brewed by tiny producers around Japan, though some are imported from Europe and the United States. There are usually three real ales, plus Popeye’s own-brand brews.

Before you get too smashed to appreciate it, dig in to the food. The menu describes one snack as “Japanese pickles with a twist: They’re pickled with beer!”

Many of Popeye’s meat dishes have also been simmered in suds; you’ll also fine grilled Camembert, sashimi, sausages, pizzas, pastas and more, all aimed at the gourmet drinker.

2-18-7 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, Tokyo; +81 (0) 3 3663 2120. Open Monday-Saturday  5 p.m.- 11:30 p.m. (closed Sunday). Station: Ryogoku. www.40beersontap.com

2. Ushi Tora

Shimokitazawa in Setagaya Ward has its fair share of trendy bars aimed at the bohemian shopping district’s wasted youths.

But it’s also kind of an old-money town, and Ushi Tora is one boozer that caters to the more refined drinker.

Split into two branches just a couple of doors apart, Ushi Tora I and II offer around 30 draught beers between them (the menu is different at each branch), the vast majority of which are brewed in Japan. 

The food’s worth a look, too: diners can tuck into more than 60 dishes, and specials on a recent visit included some fancy ribs in black beer sauce.

At Ushi Tora I, a soundtrack of 1980s pop could be a downer for some, and the mute screen showing sci-fi anime can be a bit distracting if you happen to be facing it.

If this is the case, head to the tiny Ushi Tora II for a no-smoking, all-standing bar and focus solely on your gourmet grog.

Sankyu Bldg 2F, 2-9-3 Shimokitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo; +81 (0) 3 3485 9090. Ushi Tora I open daily 5 p.m. – 2 a.m. ; Ushi Tora II open Tuesday - Friday 5 - 11:30 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m.-11:30 p.m. (closed Monday). Station: Shimokitazawa. blog.ushitora.jp

3. The Aldgate

Most British-style pubs in Tokyo seem to be modeled on the sort of soulless chain taverns this London-born writer would steadfastly avoid back home.

However, The Aldgate on Shibuya’s Center-Gai is one that actually gets it right.

With around 20 beers imported from mostly England and Europe, there’s plenty to sip on. 

More than that, the Anglophile Japanese owner has gone to great lengths to set the right tone.

Prices are written both yen and pounds sterling (the latter just for fun), the menu includes proper British grub such as toad-in-the-hole and, just like all the pubs in Blighty, it’s also non-smoking. 

The one authentic detail we could do without: the big screen that sometimes shows live football.

There’s a friendly vibe too. Customers can make requests from the 6,000 vinyl and CD albums behind the counter (including plenty of Smiths, Beatles and Oasis), and if you suggest alternative labels for the “ladies” and “gentlemen” signs on the restrooms (Morrisseys and Marrs, for example) you might win a prize.

Shin-Iwasaki Bldg 3F, 30-4 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; +81 (0) 3 3462 2983. Open Monday-Friday 6 p.m.–2 a.m., Saturday-Sunday and holidays 5 p.m.–2 a.m. Station: Shibuya. www.the-aldgate.com

4. Ongaku No Jikan

In case its name didn’t give it away, Ongaku No Jikan ("Music Time") in Mitaka is a bar where music takes pride of place.

This small establishment features a tiny stage, with live music and DJ events most nights of the week, many of which are free. It also doubles as a CD store for niche releases.

The menu is geared towards the connoisseur, with a whiskey list that spans several pages; there are only a few beers, but most are imported and made from all-natural ingredients, with organic German ale Pinkus Mueller a particular standout at ¥850 a bottle. There’s no food, but you can bring your own.

Ongaku No Jikan is such a friendly place that the owner personally sees every customer out the door when they're done.

It’s also smoke-free (there’s a small covered patch outside for desperate nicotine junkies), and has an extensive collection of books on art and travel.

B1 Green Parco, 3-32-4 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka City, Tokyo; 0422 43 5172. Open daily 1 p.m.-12 a.m. (irregular holidays). Station: Mitaka. bar.towntone.com

5. Taproom

With four pubs around Japan, Baird Beer’s Taproom chain is going from strength to strength.

Starting out in Numazu, Shizuoka -– where all of the chain’s own-brand beer is still brewed -- it now also runs two Tokyo branches (in Nakameguro and Harajuku) and a brand new one in Bashamichi, Yokohama.

These Taprooms serve Baird’s line of around 20 homemade beers, plus a few guest ales.

The Bashamichi Taproom also boasts an impressively authentic Texas-style barbecue, whose delicately cooked ribs, beef and chicken will have you refilling your empty pint glass with drool.

Baird Beers are also available by mail order within Japan, at shops and bars around the country (including Popeye, Ushi Tora and The Aldgate) and even abroad.

Various locations. www.bairdbeer.com