Another one in the Hatanodai area today, and somewhere that it makes sense to visit at the same time as Izuya if you are coming from elsewhere. Transit is a blessing for those of us that want to drink in the afternoon, as it opens from 3 during the week. It also has a nice selection of beers at a good price and really nice food.
Transit is very close to Hatanodai station (hence the name I guess). It is has seating for six on small tables, a sofa, floor table and a counter that seats around ten. So, maybe not the place to turn up unannounced with a large group. It feels very comfortable, and seemed that most people there knew the barman/master. I know I keep going on about this, but I wish we had somewhere like this in Yoyogi Uehara.
Onto the beers. Transit has 8 taps and 2 handpumps all serving craft beer. The line up was mainly Japanese when I visited, but there was one US import and one from Brewdog. The pricing system is very simple, all beers being ¥800. For the most part this meant 450ml glasses. The Fujizakura Weizen was served in a 500ml measure but for the same price. The glasses have quite unusual dimensions, looking like a stumpy but wider mini pint glass. Initially, it didn’t look like 450ml, but the fact that I kept drinking and it didn’t seem to be going down much supports the size. Also, apparently the glass used is extra thin to enhance the tasting experience. I heard this from someone who had read it on the internet though so can’t say for sure. I am easily won over by this kind of thing though so fully support it! Not sure if smaller glasses were available. I suspect so, but they were not listed on the menu.
Breweries and beer styles were a decent mix, on my visit the were IPAs, weizens, a smoke beer, a porter, a pale ale and some fruity stuff available so something for everyone. Breweries represented included Minoh, Harvestmoon, Yo Ho, Aqula, Baird and Shiga Kogen. The master gave me a couple of leaflets for upcoming beer festivals too and was very helpful. I was very happy to see that the food menu included some cheese at a good price. There was also a gorgonzola and potato pate which was really nice and very cheap. I would go back again just for this.
All in all, a really nice place that anyone would be happy to have in their local area. And moreover another good option for a few afternoon beers, which I think is probably my favourite kind of beer. Seems to be getting to the stage where you could go to a different bar every week in Tokyo and never be disappointed from a beer point of view. A very good thing for us beer drinkers!
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Baird
Minoh
Shiga Kogen
Yo-Ho
Harvestmoon
Kisoji
Aqula
Fujizakura
Opening Hours:
Monday-Friday, 15.00-02.00
Saturday, 12.00-02.00
Sunday, 18.00-24.00
closed Tuesday
Location/map
旗の台 5-13-12 2F, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 142-0064
Directions:
From Hatanodai station, take the South Exit, cross the road and there it is! Pretty simple. Check the picture above for the entrance, as the bar is on the second floor.
Telephone:
03-6426-7788
Links:
Facebook
Ratebeer listing
I'm sad that they closed! I tried going last night (November 2016), and it's now an Indian or Nepalese restaurant.
Yeah, definitely a shame. I probably should have removed it from the map rather than just marking it as closed. Sorry if you went out of your way because of me.