B is for beer. B is for buzzy basement bars. B is the name you'll find on the door at Brooklyn Brewery's brand new flagship outlet, tucked away like some insiders' secret juke joint at the bottom of the refurbished K5 building.
Graffiti art greets you as you head to the long, low chamber downstairs. With a bar running the entire length of the room and a sound system pumping out house and disco, not loud but unrelenting, you could almost be in a hip underground club on Brooklyn Brewery's home turf.
Brooklyn produces a lot more than just its iconic lager: there are nine taps in all, three brewed in Japan, the others imported from New York; plus a good number of its bottled brews, with intense flavors and prices to match (¥4,500 for 750 milliliters).
The bar food is superior, with just about all of it made in-house. Besides the chips, dips and fries, you'll find less usual snacks, chicharrones (pork crackling) and even roasted kale leaf chips. And for more substantial fare, there's a taco menu ranging from the standards — al pastor, carnitas, fried fish — to vegan specials such as fried tempeh, all cooked to order.
K5 B1, Nihonbashi Kabutocho 3-5, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0026; 03-6661-0616; instagram.com/b.k5.tokyo; open daily 4-11 p.m. (Sat., Sun. & holidays 1-11 p.m.) L.O. 10:30 p.m.; beer from ¥680, tasting flights from ¥1,000; snacks from ¥500; tacos from ¥350; nearest station Nihonbashi; nonsmoking; major cards accepted; English menu; English spoken
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.