Mikkeller expands in Japan with a new bar in Kyoto

For the first time since the pandemic, Mikkeller is ready to expand abroad again. On November 16, we will open the doors to our new bar in Kyoto, Japan.

This opening marks a turning point for Mikkeller. “We are ready for international expansion again. We believe people should be able to experience great beer everywhere, so I am very pleased that we can now open our 38th location,” says Mikkel Bjergsø.

The Kyoto bar will be Mikkeller's fifth location in Japan; we already own a bar, a burger restaurant, and a kiosk in Tokyo, as well as a bar in Sapporo. The new bar in Kyoto will open in a former elementary school, where the playground has been transformed into a public park, located in one of the city's few nightlife areas.

“We have some great local partners who know how to translate the Mikkeller universe into a local context. We have become a well-known and beloved brand in Japan, which is no easy feat for a European company. We believe we’re good at finding the right locations so that they don’t become too clean and boring. When we found the bar in Tokyo, several people asked if we were nervous about the mafia. That’s when we knew we had hit the mark,” explains Mikkel Bjergsø.

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