Beer Bar Ushitora

Located in the back streets of Shimokitazawa, Ushitora is the Tokyo tap room for the Ushitora Brewery in Tochigi Prefecture.

There are 35 beers on tap including at least seven from Ushitora – ranging from IPAs to oatmeal stouts and everything in between. The other beers on tap are a mix of local and international craft beer brewers. An American sized pint (470ml) will set you back ¥1,080 while a 260ml glass will cost ¥680. The non Ushitora beers are available from ¥1,300 for the large size or ¥850 for the smaller size. Luckily, the house brews are very good so there’s no great need to splash out on the guest beers. If you’ve decided to take the afternoon off work, pints of the house brews at lunch time (until 4pm) are only ¥800. Soft drinks are available for ¥500.

The menu is varied and reasonably priced with french fries for ¥450, (small) fish and chips for ¥780 along with lots of izakaya type options such as sausages, chicken karaage and pickles.

The entrance is easy to spot with the empty beer kegs stacked high at the entrance.

by Greg Lane