Craft Beer x Mex-Italian CRAFTSMAN Yokohama — Restaurant in Yokohama

I saw the words “Mexican-Italian” and “Craft Beer” paired with the word “Restaurant” and thought to myself - this can’t possibly be real. But it is and it actually works.

The Mexican and Italian dishes stand alone and thankfully aren’t combined in fusion-like dishes. I would actually call the entire menu “tapas-plus” where you have the concept of a variety of different unique dishes but the portions are bigger than tapas and pulled from Italian and Mexican origins. (I’m from America where food portions are unnaturally large, so calibrate your read of this accordingly). Some thoughts about specific things I tried:

Assorted Ham – Impressive spread and variety for what you are paying; definitely order this

Nachos with Guacamole and Salsa – I would quibble with the title and call it Dainty Chips and Salsa since there’s no cheese on the chips and the salsa is small cup of chopped marinated tomatoes. The guac is very good, though

Margherita Pizza – Competently made in a proper pizza oven with a good crust.

Chicken and Coriander Quesadilla – The fresh coriander really makes this dish and balances what would otherwise be a normal quesadilla. The flavors all work together in one bite. I usually think of quesadilla as comfort food, and I’d call this a fancied up tapas version of that. Belgian Frites – Not sure why this is Mexican or Italian, but it does go good with beer. I’d get this just for the aioli it comes with – especially the celery aioli which was surprisingly delicious

Speaking of beer, this list on draft is impressive. I did notice that on the menu, about a quarter of the list had a big star next to the name which signifies that “The keg is almost empty.” I thought that was a bit odd (unless they constantly rotate their stock). Having said that, great variety of beer types.

Overall, definitely worth giving it a try. At worst, you’ll be...

Located just a stone’s throw away from Jr Yokohama station’s west exit, Craftsman is a craft beer house done well. You’re here for the beer and a wide and fine variety of beer is what you will get. At the time of visit there were 31 different beers on tap. Choose from Pilsner, lager, wheat, pale ale, IPA, or black beer. There are ciders (the Atlas apricot cider is an oasis in cider-less Japan) as well as a full cocktail menu so there is something for everyone. With that beer enthusiasts will find something to their liking since the selection comes from everywhere. Japanese local breweries get a nice feature with beers coming from nearly ten different breweries. American beers (not a Bud or Millers in sight!) are of course well represented with the Sierra Nevada pale ale is worth a try. But go down the menu and you’ll find beers from places you wouldn’t have had a beer from before such as Sweden, Denmark, and Wales. It seems like the beer variety changes so repeat visits should reward you with a new discovery.

Food is also available and it’s the standard fair: salads, ham plates, pizza, and chips. You’re here for the beer and not the food but it all goes well with the drinks so you’re not going to go home with a stomach that’s only full of beer. Having said that the ham plate was rather delicious and worth ordering.

There was a mixed crowd present with after work drinks, some there for dinner. The atmosphere was warm and fun but not overbearing. If you are there just for a quick visit or a longer one you’ll find yourself at a comfortable place to do so. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly which helped the visit go without a hitch. Though Craftsman was full on the night so book...

Recommending this store if you are going for 二次会 or want a nice cozy pub to chill with a long list of drinks to choose from.

Store is located 5 minutes away from Yokohama station West exit and 2 minutes away from North exit on the second floor of one of the buildings. Store was packed on a Tuesday night but didn’t require queuing. Store can fit a good 20-30pax and has seats for a group of friends but my friend and I took counter seats as there was only two of us. It was a cozy store for a very cold and rainy night. Took some time before the food was served but it was good so we’re good (:

The menu has four full pages just on beers, cocktails and wine. Ordered the cocktail X.Y.Z without knowing what it is and found out it has rum with orange liquor and lemon after some googling. It was a refreshing drink for a cold winter night. I recommend the Bonito Fish Carpaccio if you eat raw fish. Fish was really fresh, dipped with a little bit of balsamic sauce and the salad on the side goes really well with it. Belgium Frit comes along with 3 dipping sauce: mayo, mentaiko cream and truffle sour cream(?). My favourite is fries with truffle sour cream sauce. I also recommend the Herb Chicken and Coriander Quesadilla if you don’t mind eating coriander. It goes really well with the sour cream and salsa sauce. Nachos was also not bad and it comes with Hummus (avocado) and salsa sauce. We mixed and matched the fries and nachos to all the dipping sauces. Though my friend preferred everything with mayo, lol. It was a girls’ night out so we also had chocolate cake for dessert. Loved the vanilla ice cream and chocolate cheesecake...