Craftsman

Post by Mothy

The other day I took a trip to Gotanda and made a stop at Craftsman. It’s a short walk from the station, so if you are in the area it’s a convenient place for a beer. Though they seem to be more on the side of a restaurant that serves beer rather than a bar that serves food, so probably a better place to go for a meal and drinks rather than just drinks.

The first thing I noticed were the 31 taps the place has (missing their chance at a Baskins-Robbins partnership). 26 of them were Japanese craft, with one European (Hoegaarden) and the others from the big Japanese breweries. All the crafts were ¥500 for small and ¥800 for regular. Hoegaarden was more expensive, ¥850 and ¥1450. I forgot to take note of the macrobrewery prices. They didn’t list the size, but the regulars were definitely less than a pint. They weren’t small, by any means, but certainly not a pint. They also did a tasting set of three 150ml glasses for ¥990.

Seating was about 22 counter and 28 table seats. I got there about 18:30 on a Thursday and it was fairly empty, but by 19:30 the place was packed. So making a reservation, especially if there’s more than one of you, is recommended.

The bad news is there is a table charge, for which I got corn soup. Not even a good corn soup. I lost my receipt (first stop in a rather long night) but I want to say it was ¥320. Definitely in the 300’s [It’s ¥300 apparently]. I didn’t ask, and no one asked me, but unless I just happened to go on a night when no-one was smoking, it is a smoke free establishment. [It is no smoking. Thanks Davido for confirming these facts. He also adds that he thinks the food is outstanding].

Overall, it’s a nice place with decent food and good drinks at a reasonable price. The place I would compare it to is Craft Beer Market. Essentially the same vibe going on.

Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Yokohama
Outsider
Coedo
Oh La Ho
Baird
Sankt Gallen
Shonan
Iwatekura
Minoh
Swan Lake
T.Y. Harbor
Shiga Kogen
Shiroyama