Today a place that has just been opened by a regular drinker at Gremlin. Biruya Koizumi is a bit further west of Hatagaya though. It’s about a 10 min walk from Chofu station on the Keio line. Considering Chofu is a area with quite a lot of shops and restaurants, there is a dearth of beer places there, with only the Jackson Hole within walking distance (as far as I know). Well until now anyway. Here’s what you need to know.
- Pretty small place, small counter for five and seats for maybe seven or eight more on a little platform at a couple of tables. I think it used to be a small izakaya. Only snacks available now though, with a selection of different kinds of meat and a portion of really nice cheese. Obviously I went for the latter.
- Five taps of Japanese craft beer. Prices are what you’d expect nowadays. For the half, ¥800-¥1000 and for the pint, ¥1200-¥1500. I will say though that the majority of the beers were at the lower end of that spread and the upper limit was being pushed by one of the usual suspects in these cases, West Coast Brewing. No cover charge.
- Nice and friendly local feel to the place. It seems like it’s a labour of love and is very independent, so is exactly the kind of place that I like to go to the most.
Perhaps I’m a bit biased as I know Koizumi from Gremlin, but this was a really fun place to have some drinks. The absolute lack of local options must mean that it’s a godsend for people living in the area. At the same time, it’s really not that far from central Tokyo on a fast train so easy enough for people who don’t live in Chofu. They update their Instagram every time a new beer is put on, so you will always have an idea of what they have on tap. I’ll be back there again soon!
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Shiga Kogen
West Coast Brewing
Two Rabbits
Zakkoku Kobo
Y Market
Opening Hours:
Tuesday-Friday, 17:00-23:00
Saturday, Sunday & holidays 14:00-22:00
Closed Monday
Location/map:
下石原 2-59-4, Chofu-shi, Tokyo
Telephone:
03-6407-9833