Tokyo's best beer gardens 2014

UPDATE: For 2015's best beer gardens in Tokyo, click here.

The classics

Nihonbashi Beer Garden

Until September 19
Where? Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi main store

Nihonbashi's venerable Mitsukoshi department store brings back its rooftop beer garden for the 10th summer in a row. With room for around 700 revellers, a rare (considering the context) washoku menu and more than 20 kinds of drinks, this one is sure to satisfy anyone looking for a slightly fancier brew experience.
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Forest Beer Garden

Until September 27
Where? Trim Sports Centre

An expansive outdoor spot located within the children’s play area inside Meiji Shrine’s Outer Gardens, the Forest Beer Garden is separated from its boozy cousins by its tranquil, tree-lined surrounds and bubbling waterfall. The popular all-you-can-eat-and-drink option contains everything from barbecued beef and pork to flavoured rum cocktails and three kinds of draft beer. Despite being one of the largest beer gardens in Tokyo, with a capacity of around 1,000, at weekends and during the holidays it gets extremely busy, so advance bookings are recommended.
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BBQ Beer Garden at Tobu Ikebukuro

Until September 30
Where? Tobu

The Tobu department store's beer garden lets revellers choose from either a barbecue set or a bulgogi hot pot to feast on while imbibing all the beer, cocktails, highballs and wine they can fit over two hours. Special plans are also available, e.g. for birthdays or similar occasions.
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New Tokyo Rooftop Jingisukan Beer Garden

Until September 30
Where? New Tokyo Sukiyabashi Rooftop

Classic Ginza beer hall and restaurant New Tokyo is shutting down its famed beer garden for good after this summer, so make sure to visit the oldie at least once before the end of September. The speciality here is Jingisukan, the popular grilled mutton dish that derives its name from the famous Mongol warlord, and ¥4,800 will get you an all-you-can-eat-and-drink deal featuring a buffet with more than 20 choices, including desserts, as well as Sapporo beer and other drinks. The place tends to get very crowded on the weekends, so making a reservation is strongly recommended.
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Barbecue Beer Garden Mizu-no-Uta

Until September 30
Where? Keikyu Shopping Plaza Wing Takanawa West

The Wing Takanawa West shopping mall outside of Shinagawa Station hosts this BBQ-themed rooftop beer garden where revellers can enjoy meaty delicacies like beef steaks, tandoori chicken wings and grilled squid in a relaxed atmosphere. The prices are also attractive, with all-you-can-eat sets starting at ¥2,500. Great for both after-work drinking and for those lazy weekend afternoons.
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Barbecue Beer Garden Vento Takanawa

Until October 31
Where? Keikyu Shopping Plaza Wing Takanawa West

The above-mentioned Wing Takanawa mall also plays host to this ground-floor setup, themed 'Italian Barbecue'. Vaguely Mediterranean dishes like spicy shrimp pizzas and seafood skewers are served along with drinks such as sparkling wine and Aperol liqueur. Two-hour all-you-can-eat-and-drink sets start from ¥4,500.
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Kichijoji Beer Garden

Until September 30
Where? Kichijoji Daiichi Hotel

Head up to the Daiichi Hotel's rooftop in Kichijoji for this well-loved beer garden serving grilled food and basic brews throughout the summer. The steaks and seafood skewers are always worth trying, while a full barbecue set (including unlimited drinks for 90 minutes) will set you back ¥4,800. Seating is limited, so advance reservations are recommended during peak times.
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Nakano Central Beer Park

July 1-September 30
Where? Nakano Central Park

Stop by Nakano for this 'Central Park' experience, jointly produced by area restaurants and bars. The boozing zone will be divided up into four parts, all with different food options and styles. Barbecue is the common theme, but you'll also be able to find ethnic grub, exotic drinks and lighter choices here.
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The challengers

Luke Sky Beer Garden

Until September 27
Where? Restaurant Luke

Sure, this one may be pricier than most of its competitors, but if it's a spectacular summer boozing experience you're looking for, there's no place better than Restaurant Luke by the Sumida River. The 47th-floor restaurant towers 221m above sea level and offers great views of Tokyo's both famous towers. The Sky Tree Plan (¥5,500, not including drinks) features domestic beef steak, while the Tokyo Tower Plan (¥4,500, not including drinks) is built on roast pork.
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Highball Garden

Until September 28
Where? Tokyo Tower

Offering an alternative to the standard recipe, Tokyo Tower will be serving up whisky highballs until the end of September. Head to the base of Tokyo Skytree's dowdy predecessor each evening for a menu of highballs (from ¥460), including a 'Tokyo Tower Highball' flavoured with bitter orange and herbs, and a 'Mega Kaku Highball' that's twice as big as the standard ones (go figure). The food menu includes a variety of alcohol-compatible snacks, and before you ask – yeah, they sell beer too.
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Eki Beer Skytree View

Until September 30
Where? Ekimise Asakusa

Sink a few cold ones while gazing at the world's biggest TV antenna! Yes: Asakusa's Ekimise – the handsome, retro-style department store that sits atop the Tobu line station – is transforming its rooftop terrace into a beer garden for the duration of the summer. Choose either the sukiyaki-nabe set or the barbecue set (both ¥3,900) and get the party started – you have two hours to eat and drink as much as you like. Daytime boozers will appreciate the ¥400 discount at lunchtime.
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Sekirei

Until September 10
Where? Meiji Kinenkan

If you're going to splurge on a beer garden, they don't come any better than this. Sekirei sits on the lawns of the Meiji Kinenkan, sections of which date back to the 19th century, where a predominantly suit-wearing crowd sinks beers and wine while lounging in grand wicker chairs. Classical music performances every evening add to the sense of sophistication – though don't expect to escape with a full wallet at the end of the night. Beer starts at ¥800, and most of the food costs upwards of ¥1,050 for izakaya-sized portions, with additional seating and service charges.
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Mt Takao Beer Mount

June 21-October 13
Where? Mount Takao

On a clear night, you can gaze out across Tokyo and as far as Yokohama. Mt. Takao's beer garden is located 500m above sea level, and does a good job of keeping hikers well sozzled throughout the summer. The price (¥3,500 for men, ¥3,300 for women) includes a buffet of Japanese, Chinese and Western food – none of it exactly what you'd call gourmet fare – and two hours of free-flowing beer, wine and cocktails. To say that this place gets crowded at the weekend would be a gross understatement.
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BBQ Beer Garden Kula Koshigoe

July 1-August 31
Where? Restaurant Beach House Kula

Grill some goodies after a long day at Enoshima's beaches – Restaurant Kula's beer garden provides a mouth-watering set of meat, veg and 150 minutes of all-you-can-drink action for ¥4,860. The associated food court offers a variety of flavours too, selling everything from yakitori to tom yum kung soup, and all the food bought here can also be taken into the beer garden area.
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Tokyo Bay Noryosen

July 1-September 30
Where? Takeshiba Ferry Terminal

The capital's very own booze cruise departs from Takeshiba Terminal at 7.15pm every night (weather permitting), and does a lap of the bay while serving up all-you-can-drink beer, wine and cocktails. The tackiness of the setting is compounded by touches like the yukata dance performance, and you can get ¥1,000 off the price from Monday to Thursday if you go in a yukata yourself.
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The Rooftop

Until October 10
Where? Lumine Ikebukuro

Fashion brand Journal Standard expands into the boozing business every summer with this beer garden, located on the upper floors of Ikebukuro's Lumine shopping mall. Try putting together your own hamburger or enjoy some of the BBQ treats on offer while pouring on the booze with either the 'Bottomless Cup' plan (90 mins, from ¥1,500) or the 'Party Bucket' (from ¥5,000, an actual bucket filled with enough beer, wine and cocktails for four to five drinkers).
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The gourmet choices

Oak Door Beer Garden

June 1-August 31
Where? Oak Door

This is how a beer garden should be done, though it comes with a suitably high price tag attached. On the patio outside the Grand Hyatt's signature steak restaurant, around ¥7,000 gets you as much as you like from a menu of Western-style finger foods, washed down with free-flowing Asahi Super Dry, sangria and organic wine.
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Happy Foam Plan

June 1-September 30
Where? Hilton Tokyo

Those looking to spend a night out in style might want to consider heading over to the Shinjuku Hilton's St George's Bar. This upscale British pub (is that an oxymoron?) is offering an all-you-can-drink deal for the relatively reasonable sum of ¥3,600, and they're even nice enough to waive the standard cover charge during the summer months. Female drinkers get some chocolates with their order, while males are apparently expected to be satisfied with just the beer and cocktails on offer.
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Hibiya Saroh

Year-round

The premises date back to 1949, making this probably Japan's first garden restaurant. Not that that's any guarantee of quality in itself, but Hibiya Saroh has managed to keep abreast of the times. The menu is a hodgepodge of Western and South-East Asian influences, but the main draw is the beer. With Erdinger, Hoegaarden, Guinness and various guest beers on tap, Hibiya Saroh quite simply has the best selection of suds of any open-air drinking spot we've visited in the capital. Expect to pay around ¥1,000 for a pint.
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The brand spots

Yebisu Bar The Garden

Until September 26
Where? Kasumigaseki Common Gate Annex 2F

Bureaucrats working late must look down in envy at the wooden patio outside Kasumigaseki's Yebisu Bar, which turns into a raucous beer garden for the duration of the summer. Drinking outdoors just feels that little bit better when you're doing it right in the seat of Japanese political power. Advance bookings for groups of four or more come with a choice of ‘casual’ (¥5,400) or ‘hearty’ (¥6,480) courses that include free-flowing Yebisu beer and highballs, while you only need a group of two to qualify for the 'standard' (¥4,860) course. And why settle for a conventional pitcher when you can get a dinky plastic keg to dispense your suds instead? Why indeed.
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Kirin Ichiban Shibori Garden

Until October 30
Where? Next to Shibuya Labour Welfare Centre crossing

Kirin is back with its mobile beer garden, which moves to Shibuya for this year. In addition to sipping on the standard Ichiban Shibori brews, revellers can learn about the production process, see how malt and hops are processed and, of course, try Kirin's unfortunately famous summer speciality, the 'frozen draft'.
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Yona Yona Beer Garden

June 20-September 7
Where? Ark Hills

Nagano's Yo-Ho Brewing brings its Yona Yona beer fest to Ark Hills again this summer. In addition to the signature Yona Yona Ale, a total of seven Yo-Ho brews like Tokyo Black, Suiyoubi no Neko and the limited-edition Garden Saison are available on tap, while the food menu consists of classics like sausages and fried chicken.
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The cocktail-heavy options

Aloha Natural Hawaiian Beer Garden

Until September 30
Where? Ikebukuro Parco

No need to despair if you couldn't afford a trip out of Japan this summer: Hawaiian restaurant Aloha Table takes you to the tropics right in the middle of Ikebukuro with this beer garden, serving all the barbecued food and fruity cocktails you'll need to make the most of the hot Tokyo summer. Gigs, performances and other events will also take place from May onward.
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BBQ & Beer Terrace Lumine

Until September 30
Where? Lumine Est

Grill your goodies high above Shinjuku at Lumine's version of the standard beer garden. This one is heavy on trendy food choices like tapas and sweet desserts, while the drink selection includes seven different kinds of fresh fruit mojitos. You can also expect plenty of gigs by singers and other entertainers throughout the summer.
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Sora to Niwa Ginza Beauty Beer Garden

Until September 30
Where? Matsuya Ginza

Catering especially to the ladies, Ginza Matsuya's rooftop beer garden promises to beautify its customers with a vegetable-centred menu (¥5,000) that also includes goodies like hinai-jidori brand chicken, Ibérico pork sausages, curry and bean pasta, in addition to the all-you-can-drink service. If all that still doesn't satisfy, try the honey kakigori sundae (¥1,300) or the champagne tasting set. Gigs by up-and-coming musicians take place on Fridays and Saturdays between early July and mid-September, and free hand massages (yes, really) are provided every day.
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