My ongoing project saw me head west again and this time it was to Hachioji, another place I’d never been before, but one which I had of course heard of. Part of the reason for this is perhaps because of Prost, which has been around for quite a while now. I think they recently celebrated their 8th anniversary actually. Once again I was quite shocked with quite how easy it is to get to these places that previously seemed so far away. Hachioji is only 37 minutes from Shinjuku if you get on the fast Chuo line train, and because of Prost, there’s a high chance that I’ll be taking that train again, as it was a place I really liked. Here’s what you need to know.
- Very nice feel to it. Kind of L-shaped counter for 10 and a couple of small tables. Decor is pub-like rather than modern craft beer bar style so don’t expect vast swathes of bare concrete. Lots of beer related stuff adorning the walls along with some art, and lots of records and music related stuff too. It was a very cosy place to have a couple of beers and I wish I could have stayed for more.
- 10 taps (but only seven were on when I visited on a Wednesday evening), all of which were Japanese craft. Beers served in three sizes, half (280ml), regular (400ml) and pint (560ml). Prices ranged from ¥900-¥1000 for the half, ¥1200-¥1400 for the regular and ¥1500-¥1850 for the pint. Do bear in mind though that the pint is a UK pint so is much bigger than the pint size that is normally served in Japan. Also, some of the beers at the top end of the pricing were things that you probably wouldn’t want to drink in UK pint size, like a Belgian Tripel and an Imperial Stout. Even a half of the Tripel knocked my socks off as I hadn’t eaten dinner before I drank it. So basically I’m saying, that I thought the pricing was pretty reasonable. Along with the taps they have a fridge of cans which were a mix of Japanese and imported stuff. The prices for them also looked pretty good to me. I believe they are for drinking in or take away as they were listed on the menu, but I probably should have checked. Sorry…
- No cover charge, some daytime opening at weekend and WiFi. They had food on offer and other booze too. The glassware was really nice and the staff were very friendly too. Nothing but positives!
This was a really nice place! It reminded me in a way of Shin Maruko’s Beer Bar The Pint which I find myself in pretty much every week after football games. But to be honest, that reference might not make much sense to many people. Prost has a great atmosphere and is a really fun place. They really seem to care about the beer. And it’s only about five minutes walk from the JR station. Will definitely be back soon. I’m planning to visit the Takao Beer Taproom and I’m already thinking of going to Prost on the way home. Nice! One last thing, it’s a little bit tucked away behind another shop so don’t walk past and miss it!
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Minoh
West Coast
Swan Lake
Hino
Sakamichi
Kyoto
Shiga Kogen
Hideji
Opening Hours:
Wednesday-Friday, 17:00-23:00
Saturday, 15:00-23:00
Sunday, 14:00-21:00
Closed Monday & Tuesday
Location/map:
中町 8-9, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo
Telephone:
04-2649-7708
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