Baird Nakameguro Taproom

March is Lucky 7 Stout month at Baird taprooms. Given that I am a sucker for a stamp rally I thought it was time to revisit the Nakameguro Baird and start getting my stamps. Details on Lucky 7 Stout month can be found here. If you get cracking straight away you might be able to still get the first three stouts, eventually complete your stamp card and get a Baird t-shirt. But better be quick as they are staggering the releases of the stouts over the course of the month, so the first few could be in short supply.
Anyway, back to the Nakameguro taproom, which is situated pretty close to Nakameguro station in a kind of weird shopping/office/possibly residential building. Once you have negotiated the absolutely massive wooden door handle and got in, you will see the a fairly big room with a decent amount of low tables and some counter areas. This place is definitely more spacious than Harajuku. The basic beers on offer are the same at all of the taprooms (Wheat King, Single-Take Session Ale, Rising Sun, Numazu Lager, Red Rose, Teikoku IPA, Suruga Bay, Angry Boy, Kurofune Porter and Shimaguni Stout) and there is the obligatory house beer on handpump (here it is Nakameguro Bitter). In addition to this there are a further 16 taps and one hand pump for seasonals and guest beers (unlike Harajuku, where it is all Baird). On my last visit the guests were all European, with Mikkeller, Brewdog and Thornbridge represented, but as far as I can remember, US imports normally feature. Prices and sizes are the same as Harajuku (500ml and 250ml for the regulars, and 400ml and 200ml for the seasonals; prices are ¥1000 for large and ¥600 for small, and very occasionally a little bit extra if the beer is extra high alcohol, extra special, or a guest, but in the same sort of area).
Food is a bit different from Harajuku. Whereas Harajuku leans more towards Izakaya style food, Nakameguro’s speciality is pizza, and New Haven pizza at that (I have to admit I haven’t tried it yet, so can’t comment but if you want to know what New Haven style is, you can read about it on the Baird website). Pizzas come in two sizes, 24cm and 34cm, and prices range from ¥1100 – ¥1800 for the smaller one and ¥1700 – ¥2200 for the large). They also offer a create your own pizza option, which I can’t remember seeing in Japan, and which I guess is pretty useful for vegetarians like myself.
Guess there is not so much else to say, as it has all been mentioned in the Harajuku post. But to recap, non-smoking, no cover-charge, afternoon opening on weekends, great Baird beers at good prices. Oh, and lots of wooden decor. Bit more open and bright than Harajuku so consequently a slightly different atmosphere. Harajuku is closer to where I live, so I go there more often, but that is purely because of the location. Baird taprooms are ultra-dependable, so always make for a good night out.

Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Baird

Opening Hours:
16.00 – 24.00, Monday to Friday, 12.00 – 24.00 Saturday and Sunday

Location/map
中目黒GTプラザ C棟2F, 上目黒 2-1-3, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0051

Directions:
From Nakameguro station, leave via the main exit and turn right. Carry on past a couple of shops and you will see a kind of taxi rank/bus stop in front of a big building. Walk through the middle of this building underneath the weird looking cocoon things and straight ahead you should see a Kaldi Coffee Farm and 7-11. If you look above these on the second floor you should be able to see the taproom. If you should need it, the building is called GT Plaza and the taproom is in C block on the second floor. To get up to the second floor, take the stairs just to the right of the Kaldi. It looks a bit like you are going into a apartment block or office building but climb on up to the second floor and you will see the taproom just in front of you.

Telephone:
03-5768-3025

Links:
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