Tokyo budget picks

Map of Tokyo beer bars and retailers

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Budget picks

Here are a few Tokyo-area craft beer bars that charge somewhat below-average prices for craft beers.

craft beer

Vector Beer - Izakaya: Shinjuku Gyoen-mae

It may look like just another Tokyo craft-beer bar, but Vector serves up an appealing menu of beef-tongue dishes and other solid izakaya fare, making it a popular dining destination as well as a bar. The charcoal-grilled sumibiyaki tongue...

craft beer

V.B. Factory - Beer bar: Shinjuku Gyoen-mae

This second outlet of Vector Beer specializes in IPAs - of their seventeen taps, twelve are devoted to various Japanese IPAs on any given day. Glasses are Y450, pints Y750, and three-glass tasting flights are Y1000, with a Y300 table charge that...

craft beer

Berg - Cafe: Shinjuku

More of a fast-food coffee shop (hot dogs are Y290) than a beer bar, Berg does offer a couple of Japanese craft beers on tap and maybe a dozen US imports by the bottle to go with your snack. It's worth noting because of its location - right in the...

craft beer

Craft Beer Market Toranomon - Beer bar: Toranomon

Craft Beer Market offers thirty different brews on draft, including a good number of seasonal specials. Prices are noticeably less expensive than the average Tokyo microbrew bar, with pints priced at just Y780 and glasses at Y480. (There's also a...

craft beer

Bono - Beer bar: Shimbashi

A tiny, half standing bar, Oyster Bar Bono is notable for their selection of eight Japanese craft beers on tap, priced at Y690 (+tax) for a medium-sized glass. The food menu is relatively inexpensive, and features small pizzas as well as oysters. ...

craft beer

Shinshu Osake Mura - Sake bar: Shimbashi

Once devoted almost entirely to sake from Nagano Prefecture, this hole-in-the-wall standing bar now offers an excellent selection of Nagano craft beer as well, all at close to retail prices. The bar serves more than a dozen Japanese craft beers in...

craft beer

Ibrew - Beer bar: Kyobashi

Good craft beers at very reasonable prices - that's the chief selling point for this cozy, unpretentious beer bar. Ten Japanese craft brews are served on tap, all priced at just Y690 for a large size (410 ml) and Y390 for a regular size (Y230 ml). ...

craft beer

Craft Beer Market - Beer bar: Otemachi

A wide selection of reasonably priced craft beers along with good food are the draws at this popular chain of bars. Each branch has its own distinctive menu, and Otemachi specializes in Mexican-inspired dishes. The thirty taps dispense mostly...

craft beer

Craft Beer Market Mitsukoshimae - Beer bar: Mitsukoshimae

CBM offers thirty beers on tap - mostly Japanese craft beers - priced at a very budget-friendly Y480/glass or Y780/pint. The food menu is also fairly impressive, with dishes like roast duck a l'orange, and they offer a small but interesting...

craft beer

Craft Beer Server Land - Beer bar: Iidabashi

A mid-sized basement bar with a big selection of 25 taps and good prices (Y480/glass, Y780/pint), although there's a Y380 cover charge. Not every beer is exciting, but you can usually find something good. Open noon-10:30pm on weekends.

craft beer

Craft Beer Market - Beer bar: Jimbocho

Somewhat less expensive than the average Tokyo microbrew bar, US pints here are priced at just Y780 and glasses at Y480. (There's also a Y300 table charge.) You can choose from thirty different mostly local brews on draft, including an exclusive...

craft beer

Craft Beer Market - Beer bar: Kanda

One thing we like about this craft-beer bar chain, besides the reasonable prices and broad beer selection, is that fact that each branch has its own distinctive food menu. The theme here at CBM's tenth branch is lamb, and the kitchen goes all out...

craft beer

Beer Butterfly - Beer bar: Koto-ku

Craft beers are all priced at Y500 at this casual neighborhood spot near Sumiyoshi subway station. You'll find an interesting rotating selection of ten Japanese craft brews on tap, typically from breweries like Isekadoya, Romantic Mura, Y Market,...

craft beer

Craft Beer Market - Beer bar: Kichijoji

The bars in the CBM chain all offer different food menus, and this sixth branch features Okinawan-style Chinese cuisine. The food is quite beer-compatible, with tasty small dishes like maguro poki (tuna poke), stewed pork and chozume...

craft beer

Craft Beer Market Penny Lane - Beer bar: Kichijoji

Gyoza dumplings and budget-friendly craft beers are the draws at this second Kichijoji branch of the popular CBM chain. Along with several types of dumplings, the kitchen also specializes in Ryukyu-style Chinese dishes, with Taiwan-style mazemen...

Standing bars

Here are some casual standing (or mostly standing) bars with good craft beer.

craft beer

xx Beer Brain - Beer bar: Omotesando

Housed in an oversized hut on wheels in front of a parking lot, Beer Brain is now in its third location, moving here most recently from the Commune 2nd complex just up the road. Since there's no longer an outdoor area, it can get a bit crowded in...

craft beer

Beer Brain - Beer bar: Omotesando

Housed in an oversized hut on wheels in front of a parking lot, Beer Brain is now in its fourth location, moving here from the Commune 2nd complex just up the road. Since there's no longer an outdoor area, it can get a bit crowded in the compact...

Retail

Hiranoya - Liquor shop: Shibuya

Although Hiranoya was once a simple retail bottle shop with a standing-bar corner, over the years they have transformed into a full-fledged specialty beer bar, albeit a rather tiny one. The main focus is on classic Belgian beers, with a huge...

Retail

Jolly's - Liquor shop: Ebisu

Billing themselves as a liquor store and sound studio, Jolly's has been selling booze here in Ebisu since the 1920s. Nowadays they stock a decent selection of mostly US craft beers in cans and bottles - maybe forty in all, starting at around Y500...

Retail

Night Owl - Liquor shop: Ebisu

This tiny shop serves as a standing bar, specialty liquor shop and gourmet grocer, with a bit of art gallery thrown in for good measure. Five taps serve craft beer from Japan and abroad (Y500 for a smallish pour), or you can bring in your own...

craft beer

Bono - Beer bar: Shimbashi

craft beer

Shinshu Osake Mura - Sake bar: Shimbashi

Retail

Beer Ma - Liquor shop: Kanda

One of Tokyo's larger craft-beer retail shops, Beer Ma has expanded from their original locations in the Kita-Senju area with a spot in the heart of Kanda's craft-beer zone. The second-floor retail area offers a fairly large selection of bottled...

Retail

Beer Ma - Liquor shop: Adachi-ku

Not only does Beer Market offer the best selection of imported craft beers in Tokyo, but you can drink whatever you buy right in the shop, with just a Y100 corkage charge. They also have ten taps of craft beers (they were half Stone Brewing and...

Retail

Beer Ma - Liquor shop: Kameido

The fridges are filled with hundreds of exotic imported beers at this third retail branch of a Tokyo-based beer importer. Unlike the first two standing-bar branches of Beer Ma, this one has seating, in the form of three small folding chairs next to...

craft beer

Beer Boy - Izakaya: Kichijoji

Beer Boy is the first craft-beer izakaya from the popular Craft Beer Market chain. The beer list is focused on "rare and extreme" craft beers, mostly from Japan but with a few US brews as well. The food menu is a mix of izakaya standards - grilled...

Retail

Le Petit l'Ouest - Liquor shop: Shimo-Kitazawa

This Star Wars-themed neighborhood liquor shop stocks a wide selection of over 100 Japanese craft beers, one of the better selections in town. It helps to know what you're looking for though, as there are plenty of clunkers as well as hidden gems.

craft beer

Ushitora Two - Beer bar: Shimo-Kitazawa

This cozy standing-bar branch of the Tochigi craft-beer brewery has fourteen taps, dispensing several of their own beers plus a good assortment of Japanese and imported craft beers. They also have a casual food menu that's bigger than you might...

Retail

Deguchiya - Liquor shop: Naka-Meguro

Mainly a wine specialist, Deguchiya also stocks good selections of sake and craft beers. There's a small bar area with a few seats and a bit more standing room where you can drink any of the beers sold here after adding a small corkage charge. They...

craft beer

Beer Boy - Beer bar: Naka-Meguro

Produced by the popular Craft Beer Market chain, Beer Boy is a standing bar with nine taps of craft beers and an izakaya-style food menu. Food comes in small, snack-size portions and it's consistently well prepared and often creatively conceived. ...

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