THE MILE POST IS NO MORE, NOW IT’S EITAI BREWING. AS THE CAFE IS THE SAME SPACE, I’VE LEFT THIS POST HERE, BUT FOR MORE UP TO DATE INFORMATION, PLEASE CHECK THE EITAI BREWING POST HERE
Do you like bikes? Do you like beer? Do you like bikes and beer? Or in fact any combination of the two? Well, if you do, then the Mile Post is the place for you. Possibly a dangerous mix actually. The Mile Post is a beer cafe with Indian styled food above a bike shop in Shinkawa. It has been on my list of places to go for a while, but as I often say, this is not an area I find myself in that often, so I had to wait for a suitable opportunity. As I don’t have a bike, I didn’t bother with the ground floor where the bike shop is, and went straight upstairs to the cafe. For a detailed review of the bike shop, check out tokyobikerider.
The second floor cafe is a lovely modern looking place. There are two large communal tables seating about ten at each, space for five at the counter and two small tables for two people. There is also a very nice covered terrace with 12 seats and a good view across the river. I suspect it would be a very nice place to have a few drinks on a warm afternoon. As alluded to above when I mentioned the food, this is very much a cafe for drinking and eating. The food had a distinct Indian influence and was very nice indeed. I am sure that they would be fine with you just drinking here though. I would order at least a couple of dishes though as they were very nice. The place feels pretty classy, but is reasonably priced.
On to the beer, they have ten taps of Japanese craft and serve in two sizes, M, 280ml for ¥700 and L, 450ml for ¥900. Tax is added on at the end though, so be aware of this before you spend to your last yen. However, there is no cover charge, which was surprising given the look of the place but was very welcome. I wish other places would take note. The beers in general veer towards safer selections, but they did have some things that you don’t really see around that often, for example Onuma. They seem to publish their taplist daily on their website, but you need to scroll down a bit to see it. One big advantage for me is that they are open during the day which seems to be a pretty rare thing in Tokyo.
So, to conclude, it’s a very nice place and I hope to enjoy the terrace soon (though possibly not in the next month or so given that it’s Winter). The food was very nice and there were a few beers on that were new to me. The prices are reasonable and in spite of the classy feel, the atmosphere was quite relaxed. If you are in the area, or if you are looking for somewhere to get a decent daytime beer, I would highly recommend it.
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Swan Lake
Zumona
Hanyu
Hideji
Shiga Kogen
Iwatekura
Noboribetsu
Onuma
Shonan
Opening Hours:
Weekdays, 11:30-23:00
Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 11:30-21:00
Location/map:
新川 1-20-6, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Directions:
Hmmm, it’s not the best connected to public transport. I guess a lot of people come on their bikes. It’s right in the middle of a few stations, Hatchobori, Kayabacho, Suitengumae, Monzennakacho. Because the directions are easiest to write from Kayabacho, I have chosen that one. Leave via exit 4b and continue straight across the bridge. Follow this road right across the island until just before the next bridge. Take the left just before the bridge, and then the second right. You’ll probably be able to see it ahead of you. The cafe is on the second floor.
Telephone:03-5542-7072