I have never really had any reason to go to Komae city, just before the Odakyu line crosses the Tama river until now. In an attempt to get some of this horrific backlog done, I decided to pay a quick visit to Spicarbo last week. If you’re a fan of walking, this could be part of a Chofu area pub crawl with Twelve (post coming soon, when I’ve gone there…) and Chofu Beer Works. Here’s what you need to know about Spicarbo.
– Nice looking place with a counter seating around 10 and a few tables for four at the back. It describes itself as a bar and grill and the kitchen is pretty big and open, so I’m guessing the food is an important part of its appeal. The front of the bar was open as it wasn’t very cold on the day I visited and given that there are some ashtrays out front, I’m guessing that this is where the smokers go. I visited quite soon after opening, so I can’t be sure, but I imagine that it’s a locals place with a slightly sophisticated vibe.
– Eight taps of craft beer, about three quarters Japanese with a few imports. There wasn’t a great deal of difference in the pricing between any of the beers. The sizes are half (300ml…) and pint (473ml). The prices ranged from ¥860-900 for the small and ¥1320-1400 for the large. So, you’re not being particularly punished for drinking imports, but you are paying a fair bit more than you would in many other Tokyo places, particularly for Japanese craft beer. But, there’s no cover charge and no tax added on at the end, so what you see on the menu is what you pay.
This was a nice place to have a drink and the fact that there’s no cover charge is a bonus. But I think the prices would put me off coming here often. It fills in another area of the Tokyo Beer Drinker map which is nice and I can see that it must be a big plus if you live in the area. Their beer selection was quite interesting, (you don’t see Songbird around too often), but I’m not sure I feel comfortable paying almost the same for a beer from Johana or Fukushima and a US import.
Japanese breweries seen on tap:
Shiga Kogen
Songbird
Johana
Shonan
Fukushima
Opening Hours:
Monday-Friday, 17:00-24:00
Saturday & Sunday, 12:30-24:00
Location/Map:
中和泉 1-2-10, Komae-shi, Tokyo
Telephone:
03-5497-1677
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