Mead Walking Guide Vol. 8: "Euso Bar" in Tokyo

A project introducing wonderful spots to enjoy mead.
"How to Walk Through Mead"

Much like a guidebook you rely on when traveling through unfamiliar territory, we hope this project will serve as a guide to enjoying this lesser-known alcoholic beverage. We want to introduce not only how to enjoy mead, but also the wonderful qualities of these shops and some excellent pairing examples.

Today, we are introducing "euso bar" in Tokyo.

The name "euso" is derived from "eusocial," a term for the highly sophisticated social behavior of bees and other insects. Bees have thrived through co-evolution with plants, and they have been working with humans to produce honey for over 4,000 years.

Bees not only support our food production and ecosystem maintenance through pollination, but their highly advanced social structures and communication systems also strongly fascinated the owners of "beeslows," who keep bees at their property. At a time when the connection between humans and nature is fading and environmental issues are becoming increasingly serious, re-examining the ecology and sociality of honeybees is sure to provide us with great hints for rethinking how we rebuild our relationship with nature.

It is with these thoughts in mind that "euso bar" was named.



＠euso_bar

1. Access
A 2–3 minute walk from exit A3 of Kiyosumi-shirakawa Station on the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon or Oedo lines. You will see a shop with warm lighting nestled within the residential area. It’s a lovely glass-walled shop that naturally makes you think, "I want to go inside."


2. History
Reopened in February 2024, Euso Bar is a standing bar with a concept centered on domestic honey. The owner is a beekeeper themselves, and you can enjoy a variety of meads in addition to ANTELOPE.

On the day I visited, there was mead from Tentaka Brewery on the lineup. It allowed you to thoroughly enjoy the natural sweetness of the honey without any cloying aftertaste, making it incredibly easy to drink. It was a gentle, soothing mead that felt like it embraced my tired body.


Euso Bar is currently operated by five staff members, and it is Mr. Suzuki, whom we interviewed this time, who selects the mead.

On the day of the interview, Mr. Suzuki said, "I'm going to buy coffee beans after this to deliver them to Euso Bar." When I asked further, it turned out he is hooked on the world of hand-drip coffee.

Mr. Suzuki, who was originally a professional chef, says, "Cooking is about adding flavors using various ingredients and seasonings. But coffee is just beans and water." The grind size, water temperature, amount of water, and timing of the pour—he finds it fascinating that the taste is never the same twice. He meticulously adjusts these variables while accumulating data, pursuing the perfect cup.

Mr. Suzuki calls hand-drip brewing a sport. Since it is brewed within a limited time under fixed rules like "pour the water from this second to that second," it feels like a sport to him.


This meticulous, experimental nature is also evident in how he serves mead.

When new mead arrives, he reads the description and always conducts a personal tasting. Afterward, he performs numerous experiments.

・How do the carbonation, flavor, and aroma change on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd day after opening?
・Which serving temperature (chilled, lukewarm, room temperature, with ice) brings out the best flavor?

He gathers all this data and takes care to serve the mead at its absolute best timing and method. Furthermore, all staff members are required to taste the products so they can describe the mead in their own words.

For instance, Antelope Sling - Yellow was particularly popular served with ice. I am very happy that thanks to Mr. Suzuki's unique dedication, the number of mead fans is growing.

3. Food & Drink

Euso Bar always offers three types of mead. This is apparently the perfect amount for multiple guests to easily share. Since the three-part lineup varies in alcohol content and flavor, tasting comparisons are popular.

They have a rule to finish the bottles within three days of opening, but what happens to the leftover mead?

Surprisingly, it is reborn as mead jelly or mead sorbet in the attached restaurant! This is something I definitely want to try, but I haven't been able to visit since learning this information. I will make sure to report back the next time I go to Tokyo.


4. How to “Walk”

└A recommended pairing for the popular ANTELOPE mead "Antelope Sling" is "Honey-Pickled Vegetables." The faint sweetness of the honey permeates the vegetables, and "Antelope Sling" helps bring out the flavor of the pickles, which retain the true essence of the vegetables.

Both are light and not too sweet, making them an appetizer-like choice that stimulates the appetite. It’s also great for enjoying something light after a meal.

I tried the pairing above on the day I visited, but I'd also like to share the recommended pairings Mr. Suzuki suggested on a later day.

"This is it x Lemon Chiboust"
The sweetness of 'This is it' combined with the sweetness of the lemon Chiboust and the refreshing, zesty acidity of the lemon makes for an addictive pairing.

"Kinoshita x Piperade"
Piperade is a traditional home-style dish from the Basque region of the Pyrenees. It is made by sautéing tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and onions in olive oil, then simmering them with a chili pepper called Espelette. It matches the subtle hint of chili pepper felt in 'Kinoshita'.

Mr. Suzuki's secret to pairing is not to combine things that are complete opposites. He proposes combinations that belong to the same genre but have different aromas or depth, so that the two head in the same direction while highlighting each other's strengths.

That was exactly the case with the Antelope Sling pairing. I hope you all immerse yourselves in the ocean of fun that is mead pairing.


5. Open
・Business Hours:
- 12:00-14:30, 16:00-23:00 (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu)
- 12:00-14:30, 17:00-00:00 (Fri)
- 10:30-00:00 (Sat)
- 10:30-23:00 (Sun)

Please check the shop's Instagram for detailed business hours.

The shop has 5 seats in total. The intimate distance makes it easy to talk to other customers, and it's also wonderful to be close to the staff behind the bar counter.

Mr. Suzuki, who originally entered the kitchen because he wasn't good at talking to customers, now finds chatting with them enjoyable. While enjoying the coffee Mr. Suzuki brews or pairing mead with carefully selected snacks, you're bound to make new discoveries.

If you want to spend a fun night in Tokyo, please make sure to stop by.
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I hope I’ve been able to convey a little bit of the "how-to" of mead. I wonder which shop I’ll walk to next.