Tap and Crowler is the sister shop of Shimokitazawa’s Tap and Growler. Can you guess what the difference is? It is tucked away in the side streets near Tokyu Hands in Shibuya but this didn’t seem to prevent plenty of people being there when we visited. We went as part of the Shibuya Beer Party 2021 stamp rally but I got the impression that most people there were regulars, with a high percentage of non-Japanese customers. Anyway, here’s what you need to know.
– Quite small and very busy when we visited. Seems quite a lively place. Counter for maybe 6 and another counter at the back of the shop. Most people were standing when we went.
– 20 taps of predominantly Japanese craft with a couple of imports. Interesting range of breweries with some pretty good ones in there, which is great. What is not so great is the prices. I think I said the same about the Shimokita branch in that post here. The weird non-rounded numbers made me think that the prices included tax but they didn’t. But even before the tax is added these prices are pretty high. Beer is served in 1/2 and 3/4 pint measures. (3/4 pint is actually a pretty good size for me drinking wise I think). Half pints ranged from ¥766 to ¥1257. 3/4 pints were from ¥1062 to ¥1760. And don’t forget, tax is added to this too. There is also a fridge of cans available if you want something they are not serving on tap. Not sure about the prices of those though.
– In addition to the drink on site, they also offer crowler and growler fills to take away. For reference, the same size serving of the most expensive beer on sale would cost ¥1200 for a 3/4 pint to take away, so quite a bit cheaper. But still not so cheap. Don’t forget tax is getting added at the till. I should stress though that this price is for the most expensive beer which was a West Coast brewing beer, a brewery which does tend to be a bit expensive. For balance, the cheapest beer on the menu works out at ¥792 for a 3/4 pint takeaway. I’m not sure if you have to pay extra if you want a crowler. I wouldn’t imagine it’s free and if I find out about any cost I’ll update this post. But to be safe, maybe turn up with your own growler and then it won’t matter. They also do beer delivery too but I’m not too sure how that works.
– Free WiFi, no smoking, daytime opening and no cover charge. The staff were really friendly too. Oh, and you are able to bring your own food to give you some sustenance whilst you’re boozing.
A bit of a confusing one for me. The selection is good but the prices are very high. But they are offering something different and I understand that Shibuya is not the cheapest place to open a bar, particularly when you don’t have a food menu to make some easy money on. The atmosphere on a Saturday night was pretty party-like and full of youthful exuberance. As a notorious grump this obviously doesn’t appeal to me but I’m sure it will be to the liking of plenty of others. For me, this will be a place I occasionally visit for a daytime growler fill i think. As I said, the selection is good, and visiting at a quieter time will probably suit me better. They have their tap list on Untappd and on their website complete with prices so it’s very easy to check what they have on before you visit which makes a deadly efficient growler fill visit even more effective.
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Craft Rock Brewing
Be Easy
Fujizakura
Two Rabbits
Grow Brew House
Hansharo
Riot Beer
Kyoto Beer Lab
Ise Kadoya
2nd Story
West Coast
Y Market
Camado
Marca
Hakuba
Minoh
Kyoto
Opening Hours:
Daily, 15:00-00:00
But please check their website or social media. Due to COVID hours are all over the place right now
Location/map:
宇田川町 6-20, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Telephone:
03-6416-5948
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