TDM 1874 Shimokitazawa

It’s been a while now since the TDM Aoyama taproom closed and I’m sure that plenty of people have been eagerly awaiting the opening of their new Shimokitazawa branch. There’s so much new development going on in Shimokita at the moment that it’s not going to help you if I say that this place is in the new complex next to the station, as that description could apply to any number of places right now. I’m not going to do one of those directions maps as it would be kind of pointless and instead I’ll direct you in this section here. If you’re coming on the Odakyu line leave via the South West exit and look up. It’s right in front of you. From the Inokashira line, you’re best leaving by the West Exit Northside. But anyway, I’m sure you can work this out for yourselves. Here’s what you need to know:

• Up on the second floor and visible from the station exit. There were tables for eight and a nice counter along the window from which you can spy on people leaving the station. I think I’d quite like to do that some time, getting steadily wrecked. There are also a couple of standing tables outside and a standing area on the landing. But be aware that you’re not allowed to take beers any further than these tables, even if the outdoor sofas a little further along the walkway look comfy.
• Six taps, three of which were their own. Beers served in the usual two sizes. I forgot to take a photo of the menu but judging by what I can find online and my memory, prices ranged from ¥1050-¥1320 for the pints and ¥650-¥770 for the halves with the guests and the stronger beers being at the higher end. ¥1050 for a pint of their BBB was a pretty great deal! You can also buy their draught beer in plastic cups to take away. Didn’t see the price for that. There is a big fridge of bottles and cans from TDM and from other craft breweries in Japan and from overseas with some ciders too but these are for take away only. And there were plenty of other booze options too. This entry is pretty low on detail again. Sorry… By the way, you order at the counter and pay as you go so don’t sit down and start waving your arms.
• No cover charge, lots of daytime opening(!), no smoking and… I forgot to check for WiFi. What a disaster this all is. A quick word on the food here, which was really nice and really spicy! The chips (fries if you prefer) were great and I’ve only now noticed that they had sourdough bread rolls too. The other items were kind of upper end pub food and were quite meaty. But if I have chips and bread I’m totally fine.

I’m really pleased that they’ve opened up here. The location is great and very convenient. It’s a pretty small place but I guess it would be fine to turn up on a weekday afternoon and get a seat. I’m sure people will go just for the food as it looked really good, but the beer is obviously the real selling point for me. In the past I’ve missed out on TDM seasonals that people have raved about but now I have no excuse as I can walk here reasonably easily from my home. When you compare this place to the other nearby ‘brewery’ taproom Schmatz which is in the adjacent building, there’s really no competition. The beer is better, the prices are a lot better and the experience is better. I was shocked how expensive Schmatz was considering the size of their business. Some might call Schmatz a brewery but they seem to keep any details of where the beer is actually made quite secret so I will stick with ‘business’. Anyway, this is about TDM and not Schmatz, so I’ll finish up by once again praising them and saying that this is now clearly the best place to drink in Shimokitazawa for numerous reasons. Bravo!

Japanese breweries seen on tap:
TDM
Yorocco
Two Rabbits

Opening Hours:
Daily, 11:00-22:30
BUT THESE MAY BE CORONA HOURS SO CHECK BEFORE YOU GO

Location/Map:
北沢 2-21-22 NANSEI PLUS 2F, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

Telephone:
03-5787-5411

Links:
Website
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