So I have been to the 135 Tavern Craft Beer & Grill which is part of the Hotel Risveglio Akasaka several times over the past year and find it is one of my favorite places to stop for a delicious craft beer and a bite to eat. 135 Tavern offers a nice selection of grilled snacks as well as full meal items which include steaks and slab bacon(which I tried recently) along with having a regular rotation of different local craft beers. The staff is always nice and friendly and food/drinks are serviced promptly. Unlike some places, the décor is more modern but warm with good acoustics and subtle background music so that you can still have conversations without the need to talk loudly. Prices are reasonable(yes, people traveling from the US and EU will find things a bit expensive) and portions are pretty good as well. The tavern does close for brief periods between mornings, lunch and dinner so you do have to time your visits. Also if you are looking for a late night place to eat and drink, they unfortunately close by 11:30(23:30) PM.
トモ T.
Place rating: 4 Tokyo, Japan
A grill restaurant featuring a craft beers on tap that opened in late 2015. Beer bars offering microbrew beers on tap is popping up in Tokyo at the same rate as third wave coffee shops. Almost every month, one opens their doors, attracting beer fans like myself. So, what makes 135 Tavern special? Is it worthwhile for you to try it? Location: Akasaka area is not the hotbed for craft beers. Yona Yona Beer Works was one of the first, offering quality beers in the area. Now, another option, 135 Tavern. Beer Selection: 3⁄5 Stars. On the night I went, they offered 11 beers on tap. This included some«non-craft beer» selections like Asahi Super Dry, Hoegaarden White, and Belle Vue Kreik. Now you are down to selection of 8. They included Swanlake, Hitachino Nest, Shigakougen, Mino, Minami Shinsyu Beer, and Jyouhana Beer. Not bad, but pretty much the usual suspects. 5 years ago, I would have raved about this lineup, but the bars are set much higher now. Price: Expensive side. Pint of beer(about 480 ml) is 1300 to 1400 Yen. Smaller size(270 ml) is about 800 Yen. Food: They specialize in chargrilled meat. I had ramp beef 1500 Yen, which was okay, although not memorable. Mussels were good quality and decent size, let their flavoring was a bit light for my liking. Grilled lamb on bone(580 Yen per piece) was tasty. Conclusion: I really enjoyed their restaurant layout with a fair amount of terrace seating. This is quite rare in Akasaka area. Aside from that, both beer selection and food is average and not special. I enjoyed Yona Yona Beer Works far more than here. The only reason I may choose to go here over Yona Yona is to enjoy craft beer from various brewers. Yona Yona only servers their own brand of beer.