Canon Brewing is a relatively recently opened brewpub in between Shimokitazawa and Sangenjaya, quite close to Small World and Mangosteen. I’d considered visiting a few times before I made it there, and a couple of times it wasn’t open when I thought it would be, but I’m pretty sure that was my problem and not theirs. Here’s what you need to know.
- Kind of swish, sparkling, brand new interior in a new building. The brewery is at the back of the space. There are a couple of tables at the front for four and two and then a counter for six more, so it’s not the biggest of spaces. I sat at the counter and admired the lovely shiny gold coloured taps and marble counter. I probably should stop going on about it, but the decor was very nice and a bit fancy, which sometimes can put me off, but this time it was very comfortable. I think my opinion is somewhat enhanced by the fact that when I used the toilet, I looked in the mirror and it seemed that I looked significantly younger than I am. Perhaps this was the booze kicking in though. I have to say after making two further stops after Canon, the following morning my face was looking significantly older than I actually am. Need to get back there for some more toilet time.
- Eight taps, but only five were on, all of which were their own beers. The menu referred to one of them as a limited beer, so I guess the others are their regular ones. They were Pilsner, White, Amber Ale and Stout. Beers served in two sizes, large and medium for ¥1200 and ¥900 respectively, with the limited beer costing ¥100 more for each. Not really sure about the sizes to be honest. The glassware was an unfamiliar type and I didn’t actually see the large size glass. I’d estimate that the medium was probably somewhere around 250-300ml. According to their Instagram they also do plastic cups, (360ml), for takeaway for ¥1000 and growler fills for ¥250 per 100ml, so judging by those prices, I’d guess my size estimate for the medium is about right.
- No cover charge, couldn’t find Wifi but I’d imagine they have it, (don’t rely on that assumption though), and they don’t have any daytime opening at the moment. Their hours seem to change from time to time and they apparently normally open for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays but at the moment they aren’t. The hourse below reflect what is right at the moment. Beware that they don’t open till 18:00, which probably explains why I was surprised that they weren’t open when I passed previously. I should mention that their food looked pretty good! I should also mention that I probably should have had some as I was brutally hungover the following day after failing to eat at any of my four stops. A rookie error. They have some photos and details about their menu on their Instagram.
I’m pleased that I finally could make it here after a few aborted attempts to visit. If you check their opening times instead of guessing them, you probably won’t have the same problem. Even though my visit was mainly to put it on here, I did end up staying for a second beer. Some of you might say that you can’t judge a place after only two beers and to those I would say that if you’re expecting a more comprehensive service you’ve clearly come to the wrong website. My feelings on the beers were a bit mixed. I liked the Amber the most and there was something quite unusual about it which intrigued me. I feel like I have to go back to tick off the rest of their regular beers and this desire is enhanced by the thought of having another look in their magic mirror to see if it works again. The staff member I was served by was very nice and whilst I sat there shortly after opening, a few other customers came in, so I guess it might be a popular local place. I’d probably visit more if they opened a little earlier as if I’m in the area I would normally be expecting to finish the night at Small World, so would probably hope to pop in here first. But I totally understand it as because it’s not so close to a station a lot of their trade is probably from people visiting on their way home from work. Will update the hours below if I see they’ve changed them back to include weekend lunchtime opening again.
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Canon
Opening Hours:
Wednesday-Sunday, 18:00-23:00
Closed Monday and Tuesday
Location/map:
代沢 4-27-10, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
Telephone:
03-3412-7350