Today, a reasonably new place in Mitaka not far from Beer Shop Llama, but offering a different kind of experience. The interestingly named Neko To Azarashi, (Cat and Seal, if you want to translate it), offers Japanese craft beer and food in a bright and airy atmosphere. Here’s what you need to know:
- Seats for maybe 10 at an L-shaped counter that looks onto the kitchen / beer pouring area. Couple of small tables aside from the counter seating maybe the same amount. The decor is a bit brighter than some other craft beer bars, with light wood and nice tiling. The whole place looks quite new which sounds unsurprising given that it is a new place, but that’s not always a given. The music being played was heavy on classic US soul and funk which I found quite fun, and which is something you don’t often find.
- 10 taps of Japanese craft beer, served in half (230ml), and pint (470ml) sizes, prices ranging from ¥900-¥1200 for the former and ¥1350-¥1650 for the latter. They also listed a mini size (120ml) at the top of the menu but there weren’t any prices for those, so I’m not sure what the deal is. There were some breweries on the list that you don’t see around so much, which is always a bonus for me.
- Lots of food available. We didn’t eat much as it was mid-afternoon, but the chips were nice. No cover charge and a bit of daytime opening at the weekend, (check their Instagram as google had the wrong hours). As is becoming customary, I forgot to check for WiFi. In fact the truth is that I forgot to take any notes so this is all from memory and a few photos I took, so apologies for any errors.
This was a nice spot to have a few drinks. Definitely a different experience from Llama which, with all its fridges, has a lot more different beers available but perhaps feels more like a place where you’d have a couple and move on with some takeaway cans. Neko To Azarashi seems like the perfect place to go before Llama. You can relax and have some food and then move on to top up your booze levels at Llama with some snacks from their more limited food menu. I do occasionally find myself in Mitaka, and next time I’m there, I suspect I will be popping back to visit all three animals again.
Japanese breweries seen on tap here:
Bay Brewing
Let’s Beer Works
Ushitora
Minoh
Minami Aizu
Passific
Daisen
Beer Hearn
Opening Hours:
Monday-Friday 17:00-23:00
Saturday, 15:00-23:00
Sunday, 15:00-22:00
But check their Instagram before you go as they have some irregular closing days
Location/map:
下連雀3-34-13 内山ビル1階, Mitaka, Tokyo
Telephone:
None