THE SAKE PUB SHINSHU MATSUMOTO

Very nice place with a hospitable & generous owner. We truly enjoyed ourselves in the company of the owner and the fellow guest. Wide range of sakes to choose from, and they also have sake on tap. I tried the sparkling sake for the first time and it tasted like champagne 🥂 Owner is knowledgeable about alcohol and is very willing to share his knowledge and speaks English. We were so lucky to have chanced upon this place, definitely recommended 👍👍👍will come again if I’m in Matsumoto.

This is a place for sake lovers. The variety of sake offered will need multiple visits. First time we tried sake on tap. It's like a champagne of sake. Absolutely phenomenal. Staff were super friendly and helpful despite we can't speak any Japanese. Google lens saved the day.

I loved this place. Everything from the atmosphere, to the snack food, to the service, to the fellow guests, to the amazingly wide selection of Sake was impressive. Also, a selection of local beers and Japanese whisky. The owner is a very nice man who is a pleasure to speak with. Incredible hospitality. He is very knowledgeable of Nagano sake and is happy to share that knowledge. I would highly recommend anyone to visit this gem.

Very good sake and amazing staff. He helps you choose a sake with your preference and every drink we had was perfect. The owner is very kind. We felt welcome here.

Found this place on an evening we decided to rely on local "Google mouth" - place was recommended by the brewery we were in earlier in the day.

Lovely owner who gives excellent recommendations, set up is just easy and comfortable, delicious simple but well put together food - highly recommend the cold tofu, and easy conversation between fellow customers - what's there not to like.

The owner is clearly passionate about the place, and enjoys what he does. This makes it a happy place to be in 😊

The place is just fantastic, the owner is lovely, and we had such an amazing time sharing histories with him and of course, enjoying the best sake we’ve ever tried.
If we ever come back to Matsumoto we will repeat at Sake bar

I tried 2 different types of sake and they were both delicious. The owner is extremely friendly and warm. I had a great time while trying the local sake. If you are in Matsumoto, try the sake at this place, it’s really worth it! I’ll definitely come back!

The owner is very nice. The patrons are very friendly. Really recommend number 48 daiginjo and the wine based sake on the menu. Also number 51 has a lot of character.

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. Worth every cent.

The best Sake, and such a nice warm atmosphere!

Best Sake🍶 experience in Japan! He teaches you about regional varieties and even shares who produced each sake. Big points for highlighting the amazing women sake brewers. Friendliest owner with great stories and bigger heart. He even wrote my name in Japanese and helped track down my ancestry. My only regret is not spending more time at the Sake Pub! 🙏

We happened upon this pub after visiting the Castle and striking out with other sake breweries in the area. We had SO much fun! We ordered the tasting set (3 award winning sakes) as well as the tofu and gyoza to share. The tofu was delicious! The owner was so kind and generous - he let us sample a few other food items free of charge 😍 would definitely recommend this place! We had a really fun, delicious time!

Our first small pub in Japan and the hospitality was outstanding!
They have a wide array of Sake (as well as Sake on tap) and the owner was more than happy to give us pointers. Wish we could have stayed longer!

Very nice place, great ambiance. I'm not much of a drinker or I would have probably rated it better. Bartender was lovely and gave excellent advice while swapping stories in English (though it helped that a member of our group spoke Japanese).

Wonderful place for any sake lover! I really enjoyed the atmoshpere in this bar. Sake was really great and the owner has so many sake stories to tell. It was a great experience to hearing his tales about sake. Really enjoyed that! I learned a lot this evening. Thank you and I will come back again! This place is very foreigner friendly. Don't hesitate to walk in. Just enjoy sake!

What a wonderful and fun place. The owner was very nice and made us feel very welcomed. We were grateful for the English he spoke with us! Sake and food were delicious, but the atmosphere the owner created made the experience very special. There are also non-alcoholic options. We will definitely be back next time we visit Matsumoto!

I found myself seeking a place to experience Matsumoto on Google maps. I found this place and saw the Google review and said to myself "yes" so ventured from my hotel to the location.

My partner and I turned up and sat down, instantly the man behind the counter involved us, made all communication in the bar inclusive of all, and was very interested in ensuring we had a great experience.
The side dishes he provided with each glass were incredible, one being a wasabi leaf salad and the other a potato salad.
The deep fried tofu was amazing.

This was my first sake experience in Japan and it was an amazing one. Both tap sakes were delicious.

Thank you so much for the food, drink and conversation, this so far is my favorite experience of Japan.

A couple of domestic CBs are served but the owner focus Sake. Almost two-digit sake from Nagano sake are on tap facility to avoid oxygenation, which is from Netherlands. Free otoushi (appetizer) and friendly owner, who speaks some English.

This place is the best. The owner speaks good english, great for those wanting to try different Sake with minimal knowledge. Great sake and snacks.

Friendly service - and customers! Lots of sake! And a selection of fine craft beer and malt whisky. Bar snacks available, including some vego. Check the opening hours and pop-in!