THE SAKE PUB SHINSHU MATSUMOTO — Restaurant in Matsumoto

We can upon Sake Pub Shinsu while we were walking through rainy Matsumoto early one evening. There were two seats left and we sat down and ordered some of the local sake specials (numbers 1-5 on the list) and a few small plates. Both were exceptional. N. Horasawa, the proprietor and sake master, was warm and generous, as was the rest of his staff. The small plates (pickles, crispy, delicately fried tofu, and a lovely potato salad) were incredibly tasty. But the prize goes to the sake in Horasawa-san's collection--it was nothing short of incredible. We love good wine, especially whites. So did he (he was a sommelier), until he turned his efforts to tasing, collecting, and selling local sake. His list (more than 50) cover a broad spectrum of sake, with delicate, complex aromas, body, tastes and finishes. We had such a good time we returned the next evening to taste more. Dont miss this place. It is worth coming early (it usually...

We were walking along the riverside on a really hot day and spotted this cute little sake shop. Hubs and I wanted to do some tastings and thankfully kiddos are welcome. They both chose ciders and got some chocolate bars as "service". We had the #3 and #4 sake and both were delicious and perfect for summer. Both were a bit on the sweeter side though. We were also given complementary pickled vegetables and a slice of a delicious local peach. We finished our time with a taste of a single malt local whiskey on the rocks (this was delish). The proprietor was so friendly and asked us questions about where we were from and what we have enjoyed. He also shared how his mission is to highlight regional products as reflected in his bottle cap map. If we lived here, I suspect we would be regulars. If you have the time and enjoy sake and other spirits I highly...

We'd just been to Matsumoto Castle and were looking for a sake brewery. I was intrigued by the name - The Sake Pub - and wondered if it would be like a pub experience back home. It was so much better! Within 5 minutes of sitting down we were laughing out loud and making new friends. The manager, nickname Tantan, was wonderful. He explained the origin of the sakes we chose and recommended his favourite sake (#47, we agree!). We talked with locals, practiced our Japanese and swapped stories of travels, culture and life for four hours. Amazing! From memory we ordered 8-10 drinks (total, between us) and gyoza, bell peppers with potato salad for us and our new friends, and various other bar snacks. Total cost over 4hrs was just over 9000jpy....