Towa

Whereas Japan is ever so close to embracing the amazing concept we have back in the states called «day drinking,» it’s still a little shy of making the mark when it comes to drinking good beer any time before 3pm.
Enter TOWA.
TOWA’s well-​thought out tap list is consisted mostly of up and coming Japanese craft beer (or ji-​beer) and the best part is that they’re actually open at NOON! Since my trip to Tokyo this time around was main centered around beer, coffee, and food in that order, this meant I didn’t have to dilly-​dally somewhere waiting for a bar to open up or stuff food down my already-​full stomach just to kill time (also one can only drink so much coffee in one day.)
The staff here is very friendly and very knowledgeable when it comes to beer and whisky recommendations; the store kept filling up with customers that didn’t sit at the bar as I was drinking here at 1pm so I’m assuming the food here is all right as well.
One line summary: if you’re in the Ueno area around noon and need somewhere to sit down and have a brew or two, TOWA is your spot.

They had a very good shoyu style soba, hot and cold. The tempura was great and the Yamasaki limited edition whiskey was very tasty. Located under an overpass and up some stairs, it was a nice place to stop and refill on some noodles.