12+ Best Tokyo Craft Beer Bars & Brewery Beer Halls 2024

Kanpai to Tokyo’s craft beer bar scene and brewery beer halls! From Tokyo’s top taprooms to more modern pubs, Tokyo’s craft beer bars are a fun thing to do after a day of sightseeing.

Tokyo has much to offer craft beer drinkers, from pour your own pints in Shinjuku to Japan’s oldest beer hall (Ginza Lion) – many Tokyo craft beer bars offer dozens of draft beers and hundreds of Japanese craft beer cans.

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Y.Y.G Brewery & Beer Kitchen Tokyo — *Y.Y.G Brewery & Beer Kitchen*

From legendary pubs like Beer Club Popeyes to backstreet gems like Shibuya’s Y.Y.G. Brewery & Beer Kitchen, here is our guide to the best Tokyo craft beer bars and brewery halls with photos.

Please note the legal drinking age in Japan is 20 years of age – please drink responsibly.

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Table of Contents

Tokyo Craft Beer Brewery Bars & Brewery Beer Halls map

Best Tokyo Craft Beer Bars & Brewery Beer Halls

1. Beer Club Popeyes Craft Beer Bar

We start our Tokyo craft beer bar list with Beer Club Popeyes in Ryogoku, in the shadow of the national sumo wrestling stadium.

This is one of our favourite craft beer bars in Tokyo (we even spent a very boozy Christmas Eve here). The Popeyes staff are warm and welcoming and they often have around 70 different craft beers available on tap alone, from all over the world.

Tucked away in Ryogoku’s backstreets since the mid 1980s, Beer Club Popeye’s is known for its smartly dressed serving staff and olde worlde pub style interiors.

Better yet, they have a VERY Happy Hour most evenings whereby you get a free hot food snack with every beer purchased.

So for instance, buy a small craft beer and you can get a ‘free’ plate of sausages or a small plate of fried chicken karaage – It is such great value and highly recommended. Popeyes Tokyo craft beer bar is quite a small but atmospheric space, so get there early to guarantee a seat.

Plan My Japan tip – if you are staying in Ryogoku several days and plan to visit Beer Club Popeyes more than once, ask to join their actual beer club. It is free to join and they give you a cool gold membership card that gives you a free beer and discounts on your return visit. Cheers!

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2. Y.Y.G. Brewery & Beer Kitchen

Tokyo can be crazy busy, but explore the quieter districts and a wealth of incredible Tokyo craft beer bars and Japanese microbreweries await.

One of the best Tokyo brewery bars is Y.Y.G Brewery & Beer Kitchen, founded in 2015 and tucked away in a side-street near Yoyogi Park.

With a cosy taproom located in the heart of the brewery and around 15 of their own brews on tap (with a restaurant on the top floor), this is one top Tokyo taproom set-up.

We drank at Y.Y.G Brewery Shibuya just after the Christmas period so felt we must try their spicy black lager AKA ‘Everlasting Summer Santa Claus’ (strong vanilla and cinnamon notes; festive as – loved it), plus a rather unusual herbal IPA, made from Thai kaffir leaves – ‘Baimakrut x Baimakrut’.

If you are looking for tasty or more unusual craft beers in Tokyo, Y.Y.G Brewery is a nice spot for a decent drop or two.

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3. Ebisu taproom / Yebisu Beer Stand

Any true Tokyo beer connoisseur needs to visit Ebisu, an under the radar, cool Tokyo neighbourhood that grew up around the Japan Beer Brewery Company (now known as Sapporo Brewery).

One of Japan’s original beer brewing sites employing thousands, it began brewing Yebisu Beer in the late 19th century. You can still visit the Ebisu Brewery Tokyo for a tour and taproom session.

Today as a nod to its hoppy heritage, all of the street-lights in Ebisu near the breweries are in the shapes of beer mugs – how cool?

You are spoilt for choice in Ebisu as there are lots of cracking craft beer bars including Yona Yona Beer Works Ebisu and Craft Beer Bar IBrew Ebisu – or even pour your own craft beer pints at the Tap & Tumbler.

However, we liked Yebisu Beer Stand in as it was a casual spot to try some local beer and sit at the bar, watching all the pints be poured. There are loads of Yebisu brewery bars all over Ebisu so this is the best Tokyo neighbourhood for a craft beer pub crawl!

Plan My Japan tip – before going on your beer odyssey in Ebisu, check out the free Yebisu Garden Place Tower observation deck on the 38th floor. It has amazing views of Tokyo and is amazingly free admission.

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4. Yona Yona Beer Works

Yona Yona Beer Works began life in the mid 1990s and has numerous craft beer bars across Tokyo – the owner visited the USA and decided to try and brew American style beers in Japan.

There are lots of Yona Yona Beer Works but we opted for some hoppy sips in Shinjuku.

Yona Yona Beer Works craft beer bar in Tokyo

An excellent and cosy craft beer bar in the heart of Shinjuku (near the Godzilla head), Yona Yona Beer Works has a nice atmosphere and is popular with workers and tourists alike.

We drank in Yona Yona Beer Works Shinjuku early one evening and managed to get a seat at the bar, drinking some rather fine dark beers and IPA; there were around 10 different craft beers to choose from including guest brewery taps. We didn’t dine here but the food smelled incredible.

Although a little on the expensive side for beers, this is a nice place to escape the hustle and bustle of Shinjuku’s streets or as a reward after a busy day of Shinjuku sightseeing.

If you don’t fancy a Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour in Shinjuku, Yona Yona is a much quieter way to enjoy some top Tokyo craft beer goodness.

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5. ØL by Oslo Brewing Co Shibuya

Nippon meets Norway. The calm before the Shibuya Crossing storm, we spent New Year’s Eve at Tokyo’s ØL by Oslo Brewing Co, a charming taproom with over 20 craft beers on tap.

ØL by Oslo Brewing Co craft beer bar in Tokyo

A cosy & welcoming bar awaits with street food available outside, a nice respite from the usual hustle and bustle of Shibuya. We found this to be a good way to spend a cold winter’s night ‘hibernating’ with hops and chugging some tasty Tokyo craft beer.

We drank a festive beer – a Chocolate Orange Porter from Y.G.G Brewing plus ØL by Oslo’s very own Dream Porter – both were very rich and hearty, perfect for a cold night in Tokyo. Cheers – or ‘Jubel’ as they say in Norway.

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6. Mikkeller Tokyo Shibuya

Located near Shibuya’s (in)famous ‘Love Hotel Hill’, Mikkeller’s Tokyo taproom is a little out of the way making the end result (20 beers on tap) all the more rewarding.

On a recent trip to Shibuya, we popped by Mikkeller Tokyo and found a compact, candle-lit bar with a good gathering of locals and tourists (possibly popping in from a ‘Love hotel – who knows?!).

Spoilt for choice, we drank Mikkeller’s own Burst IPA (5.5%) & Blow Out, their 6% dry hopped IPA. Mikeller had one of the best selections of international craft beers in Tokyo of all the bars we went to.

It was good to see such varied and vast craft selection on tap here in Tokyo including the England’s Deya brewery, Scotland’s Donzoko Brewery and Japan’s own WCB – West Coast Brewing.

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7. Ginza Lion Beer Hall

We’re raising a glass to Ginza Lion Beer Hall in Tokyo, Japan’s oldest beer hall (and of the best nights out in the city too).

OK, so we know this isn’t strictly a craft beer bar but they do have exclusive brews and it is one of most atmospheric bars in the whole of Tokyo.

A trip to Tokyo Ginza Lion Beer Hall is like taking a step back in time. A world away from the shiny skyscrapers and sleek shopping malls just metres away, this top Tokyo beer hall is one of the most memorable things to do in Ginza.

We’ve been to Tokyo’s Ginza Lion Beer Hall several times and had a blast every night from trying Japanese beers and pub style food to enjoying the atmosphere of the after-work crowd and craft beers consumed by the salary men and women. There are other branches across Japan too.

From the history to gorgeous interiors, the menu to the prices, here is our ultimate guide to visiting the Ginza Lion Tokyo Beer Hall >

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8. Star Beers Shimokitazawa and Coaster Craft Beer & Kitchen

Take a trip to Shimokitazawa’s coolest craft beer shop, Star Beers (like Star Wars but it is full of craft beers – just don’t tell George Lucas – got it?).

With hundreds of different craft beer cans to chug / sip (delete as appropriate), this is a very merry way and one of many fun things to do in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo’s coolest neighborhood and hipster hoppy hang-out.

Whilst Star Beers is quite a small craft beer shop, if you fancy a bigger sit down bar in Shimokitazawa, Coaster Craft Beer & Kitchen with over 15 craft beers on tap and an extensive food menu.

Plan My Japan tip – As a post beer treat, head to nearby Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory for a Totoro Cream Puff >

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New for July 2024 – our Facebook Craft Beer and Brewery Fans group!
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9. Spring Valley Brewery Tokyo

Could this be the best looking Tokyo brewery bar? Spring Valley Brewery is Kirin’s attempt to create a smaller craft beer brewery type brand.

This taproom located on the outskirts of Shibuya is a nice place to try many beers, plus eat hearty pub grub like pizzas and steak.

We opted to sit at the bar at Spring Valley Brewery Tokyo (also we weren’t dining) and were given an extensive menu of beers to choose from.

As it was hard to decide, we went for a tasting tray / beer flight of Spring Valley Brewery beers. Pairing sets with food are also available.

The beer flight cost 1080 Yen and included their Spring Valley Houjun, Silk Ale and Jazzberry (we were not sure about the latter – fruit AF). Be sure to try their After Dark, their signature dark beer.

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10. Hitachino Brewing Lab Kanda Manseibashi

Let’s raise a glass to the Tokyo craft beer scene in Akihabara! One of the best craft beer bars in Tokyo has to be Hitachino Brewing Lab Kanda Manseibashi, a short stroll over the Kanda River from Akihabara JR station.

Hitachino Nest Beer is one of Japan’s most widely available craft beers, available in an array of flavours / styles and brewed by the Hiuchi brewery, a famous sake manufacturer who have branched out into beer.

Not only is the craft beer ‘chef’s kiss’ at Hitachino Brewing Lab Kanda Manseibashi, the taproom is rather unique located under some railway arches and with a terrace looking out over the Kanda River.

We went for a tasting tray of Hitachino Nest beers including a decadent dark stout and sat next to the bar, watching a steady stream of drinkers sup and sit. A nice place for a quiet craft beer, away from the hectic but awesome Akihabara Electric Town area.

You might like these Tokyo neighbourhood guides:
Akihabara
Asakusa
Ginza
Harajuku
Ikebukuro
Nakano
Odaiba
Ryogoku
Shibuya
Shimokitazawa
Shinjuku

Also check out our
Where to stay in Tokyo guide

11. Asakusa Asahi Beer Halls – TOKYO Sumidagawa Brewing & Flame D’Or

One of Japan’s biggest breweries has a plethora of pubs and beer halls around Asakusa near the Sumida River including Flame d’or.

Whilst not strictly craft beer, the Asahi beer halls in Asakusa are beautiful inside and serve limited brews and special Asahi beer bottles – we found some of their beers really string too.

Asakusa Asahi Beer Halls - TOKYO Sumidagawa Brewing & Flame D’Or

Asakusa is great place to do a DIY pub crawl and craft beer brewery hop in Tokyo – be sure to look up at the top of the Asahi Head Office by Azuma Bridge.

Not only is the Asahi Beer Tower on the left said to look like a beer mug, the locals also jokingly refer to Asahi’s rooftop flame sculpture as the ‘golden turd’

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12. ExBar Tokyo+ Craft Beer and Games

Our final ‘best craft beer bars in Tokyo guide is for those who like arcades with their alcohol or would rather pour their own pint!

ExBar Tokyo+ Craft Beer and Games in Taito Station Shinjuku Station

Shinjuku in Tokyo is full of good gaming places but Taito Station Shinjuku Station has the epic ExBar Tokyo+ in its basement where you can combine craft beers with claw machines. Example beers you can pour include Hitachino, Goose Island and Brewdog.

Taito Station Shinjuku Station has all the usual UFO machines, dance mats, photo booths and cool games like Taiko no Tatsujin Japanese Drumming Game, so the basement sports bar where you can pour your own craft beer pint is a definite bonus!

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Bonus Tokyo Beer Bar – Hub Pubs Japan

Walk around any major Japanese city and it won’t be long before you see the gleaming lights and hanging pub sign of a HUB Bar or 82 Ale House.

One of Japan’s biggest bar chains with over 100 pubs, the 82 Ale House and HUB pubs are British themed pubs that have (VERY) happy hours, pub grub style food plus bar interiors just like British pubs.

A little bit of British pub culture in Japan, check out our guide to drinking in 82 Ale Houses and Hub British bars in Japan here >