Photos by Takahiro Takiguchi ()
Strolling the Yokohoma Bayside is fun. The area has many museums, shops, restaurants and activities to offer. Check out Yamashita Park, Marine Tower, Minato Mirai district with Cosmoworld, its famous Ferris wheel, Landmark Tower and Queen’s Square.
Before you head there on the “Sea Bass” ferry, Yokohama Bay Quarter, a shopping area near Yokohama Station’s east exit, is a great spot to grab a quick bite to eat.
At Yokohama Bay Quarter, you can pick from dozens of restaurants ranging from Japanese, French and Indian to Chinese and Hawaiian food. Among them, Kirin City Plus Yokohama Bay Quarter is definitely a great option that offers a tasty lunch at a reasonable price and in a scenic setting.
This is mine and my wife’s go-to whenever we’re in the area. The spacious interior, high ceilings and wide windows always make us feel at home with a kind of open and cozy atmosphere. At this restaurant, you can sit either indoors or on their large terrace.
I recommend the terrace, as you’ll have a beautiful view of the waterfront. The wooden tables are equipped with large umbrellas, ensuring you have some nice shade while you enjoy the tasty food, ice-cold beer and nice sea breeze.
The spacious interior and the terrace seat can accommodate more than 120, but during the week, you might have to wait for a seat during the lunch hour, so come prepared.
The marinated fried chicken breast flavored with soy sauce, onion and pepper mayonnaise for 1,380 yen (about $12) is one of our favorites. The rich and complicated flavor of pepper mayonnaise and soy sauce brings a great flavor to the crispy, yet tender, chicken.
Another popular menu item, “Black-Red half & half,” is steamed rice topped with the restaurant’s signature dish, “dark beer beef curry” and “red wine hashed beef.” The spicy black curry sauce and full-flavored broth of well-stewed beef, onions, mushrooms and tomato, makes a savory combination on the rice.
Most of the entrees on the lunch menu come with rice, but you can substitute bread, tortillas, or even a small-size beer instead.
Since it is a beer restaurant, there are, of course, a variety of Kirin beer available.
While we enjoyed our meal at Kirin, we noticed a nice mix of people sitting around us. Most were salarymen from Nissan, Fujitsu and other companies in the vicinity, but there were also many young mothers with their baby strollers enjoying a ladies’ lunch. While the office employees were clearly in a rush, eating quickly and checking their watches for time, the young mothers seemed to be enjoying their 90-minute lunch, chatting with their friends over glasses of wine or beer. In the midst of all of this activity were my wife and I – neither parents of small children nor on a lunchbreak from the office— just enjoying a nice glass of beer, some great chicken and each other’s company.
Make Kirin City Plus Yokohama Bay Quarter your next stop for a filling, yet tasty, lunch. I’m sure it will make your Yokohama stroll even tastier and more enjoyable.
The beer restaurant, Kirin City, is available in more than 40 locations throughout the nation. Check out their webpage for your nearest shop.
takiguchi.takahiro@stripes.com
Kirin City Plus
Hours: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. (Lunch: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.) Location: Yokohama Bay Quarter [5F], 1-10 Kinkocho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Pref. URL: http://www.kirincity.co.jp Tel: 045-440-3251
