Located in Yoshidamachi, Holborn is a quaint bar modeled after a traditional British style pub.
Although it has only been around since 2013, the fancy woodwork and old-fashioned decor give it a vintage character. In contrast to what your image might be of raucous British pubs, the relatively subdued setting allows for ease of conversation with co-workers after a long day or even a casual chat with the bartender. At the time of our visit, the clientele consisted mainly of younger to middle-aged businessmen unwinding on a weeknight.
The bartenders gave off the air of being very professional and proper, but were friendly and approachable. Watching them mix drinks, one gets the impression that they spend many hours meticulously practicing the motions. Two of their original cocktails, Leon and Great Sunrise (both ¥900), won awards at the Japanese and World Cocktail Championships respectively. Leon is an interesting mix of rum, passion fruit, and shiso liqueur. Great Sunrise, comprised of flavored vodka and passion and peach liqueurs, is a sweet, fruity delight. Of course, they have many other cocktails from bar standards to beer smoothies (¥500 – ¥900).
In addition to their cocktails, they have a wide array of whiskeys and bourbons to choose from, ranging in price starting at a very affordable ¥500. The bottles are cleverly placed behind the bar in columns labeled by price, with one column dedicated to their recommendations. On tap besides the standard Asahi Super Dry (¥500) was Guinness, Bass and a guest beer- Isekadoya’s Hime White on our visit. (All: S ¥600/L ¥1000).
For food, of course they have the British pub standard of fish and chips (S ¥600/L ¥1000), which comes in a decent sized portion. Other menu items include roast beef slices (¥700), shrimp ajillo (¥700), pork rillette (¥500), and a decent amount of other rather fancy dishes that are a bit classier than your average bar fare. “Classier than average” would be a good summation of Holborn on the whole as well.