Yebisu - Entrance
General Description
RueBar time! Bar time! Bar time!
I'm so excited for today! Japan has many famous beer brands, Yebisu being one of them. Out of all of the beer companies, I associate Yebisu with "high cost, high quality." It's definitely top tier for me. Yebisu is part of Sapporo Breweries (they may sell Sapporo beer in your country!).
I'm a beer fan, so I've been looking forward to visiting here. As far as I know, the other popular beer brands don't have their own bar chain like Yebisu.
Time to have fun! Without further ado, let's jump in!
YueYebisu Bar is a big chain which has branches in many places in Japan, especially in city areas.
Their ordering system is fully integrated into a tablet on each table. This system is becoming common everywhere and I like it.
The staff are very kind and you can ask them if you have any specific requests or questions about how to use the tablet.
Even though the tablet offers an English interface, not all menus are translated completely and some parts are still written in Japanese even if you choose English. This might be trouble for non-Japanese speakers.
What we ordered
[right] New Origin (glass) - 770 JPY
RueLet's start with the drinks, shall we? That's the main point after all!
We ordered 2 very different beers: the Origin and Premium Black. The Origin was being promoted when we went. Once I took a sip, I realized that I don't really know how to describe beer! It'll be something for me to learn more about.
Anyhow, starting with the Origin, it tastes exactly what I expect a good beer to taste like. It's smooth with a "bright" taste. It has a wheaty taste that's not too forward.
As for the Black, this is my first time drinking a dark brew. It's quite surprising - it doesn't click as "beer" to me because it doesn't have a wheat taste. It has a roasted bitter taste like kuromitsu. In contrast to the Origin, this has a deep taste.
I really like Yebisu's beers and would order the Origin again.
YueThe Origin is exactly what you'd expect at this kind place.
You should order at least one when you come here.
Its wheat taste and bitterness is perfectly balanced and it feels good when it goes down your throat.
The Black is like a burned honey juice, another way to express the kuromitsu taste... well, it's not bad, but I expected it to be more bitter.
It is different from any of the dark brews I've ever had.
RueWe decided to try one of the beer cocktails and went with the limited time option - the Tropical Ale! According to the menu, it's made with Yebisu Premium Ale and Monin Tropical Island Syrup.
I usually don't like fruity beers because the flavours don't mix in my opinion, but this one is a bit different. It has a tropical fruit mix with the passion fruit being the most prominent.
The thing is, it's not sweet like a juice. Rather, it's like a fruit flavoured tea. It's followed by the bitter aftertaste of the beer. It's odd because it's 2 bitter flavours with a fruity taste without the sweetness.
At first, I was neutral about it, but after a short break, I found myself enjoying it a bit. However, not enough to order it again. If you're into fruity beers or beer cocktails, you may like it though!
YueI'm not a fan of fruity beers.
I tried many kinds before but I couldn't enjoy any of them.
And unfortunately this is added to my "tried but failed" list.
This one's quality is good, but simply not my type.
RueHere's my order - chicken nanban. As soon as the server brought it over, the smell made me hungry! It's served with rice, red snapper broth soup, red snapper broth grated yam, and pickled veggies.
The chicken is slightly oily, which adds to the flavour. It's a bit crispy. The chicken has its own fried flavour but also goes great with the tartar sauce. It's pretty mild in terms of eggy or tangy flavour.
The boiled eggs and broccoli are served at room temperature. The broccoli is lightly salted and nice. The egg has a slight soy sauce flavour. The yolk is delicious.
The soup is not miso soup, which is a nice switch-up! It has a strong wakame and slight seafood broth flavour. The pickled beets have a nice mix of sweet, sour, and tangy. The rice is good too.
The mushy one...I wasn't a fan of. I had Yue finish it for me. It tastes sweet and starchy. However, this is on me. I don't like wet, slimy textures.
Aside from that, I really like this set! It has a variety of flavours and is quite filling!
YueThis chicken nanban is very crispy. It's almost like karaage.
I expected it to be very soft, so I was surprised when I bit into it.
I like the texture and taste, but it's a bit oily for me.
The "mushy one" Rue mentioned is tororo, grated yam.
It's sometimes used as an extra sauce for chicken nanban, but Rue didn't use it for its purpose so I finished it with rice... It's also common way to eat tororo but maybe not appropriate at a fancy restaurant like this place.
RueFinally, here is Yue's order - a pork chop steak. With this meal (and some others), you get the choice of rice, bread, or salad.
The pork chop is pretty tender. The BBQ sauce is sweet and tasty but doesn't overpower the taste of the pork. I don't often eat pork, however this is delicious! There's not too much fat and it's soft enough to eat.
The mashed potatoes are fairly creamy. It has some soft chunks of potatoes in it.
YueI usually prefer beef over pork, but I ordered this for the review.
This is surprisingly not oily and the texture is so soft.
The sauce perfectly matches the meat and its strong taste makes the dish a good "alcohol snack" as well.
The rice was very small. You should order extra rice if you are ordering this as a meal, not as a side dish for alcohol.
Review
- Access
- Price
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Average Budget for 1 person: 1300 - 2500 JPY - Service & Hospitality
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The customer service is average. Considering the atmosphere, I was expecting a bit more. The way that one of the servers talked rubbed Yue the wrong way, but they were not outright rude. It may be a personal difference.We got our drinks within a few minutes and our food in about 20 minutes. One thing I found a bit odd is that our table was not cleared until near the end of our visit despite the server coming our table a few times after we finished our meal.
At the location we visited, the washrooms are outside of the bar. It is shared with the other businesses on the floor. The bar at the location we visited is on the 2nd floor but there is an elevator available. I believe that if you have allergies, you can have accommodations.
- Atmosphere
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The bar has a western bar feel rather than a Japanese izakaya atmosphere. There's western oldies music playing at the perfect volume level - audible but not noisy. The lighting is dim, giving the bar a sophisticated atmosphere. It's fairly easy to see but it might be a bit hard for some people.The bar is very clean. There's no smell in the air. The tables are spaced out nicely. The customers got noisier as more people came in. However, it never got too rowdy.
- Food
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We only had 2 dishes but I really liked them both. The other dishes look tasty as well. They pair well with alcohol. You can get a proper, delicious meal here. There is a variety of drinks available, so there is definitely something for everyone. You can't go wrong with the Yebisu Origin anyways! - Overall
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Coming here was a nice experience. Compared to other bars/izakaya I've been to, the seats are comfortably spread out. Yebisu Bar also offers actual dishes and not just finger food. On the other hand, it's a bit more expensive than other drinking spots. This is a good option if you want a bit more upscale, less crowded and rowdy place to have a meal and some drinks. - Would I come again?
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Yep! But for a special night out rather than a place to have a lot of drinks.