Gora Brewery & Grill

Gora Brewery & Grill is a stylish, contemporary counterpoint to Hakone’s traditional tea houses—a craft-beer brewery and restaurant set in the mountain village of Gora, midway up the Hakone loop. In a region best known for hot springs and centuries-old inns, it offers something refreshingly modern: beer brewed on the premises, a wood-fired grill turning out Japanese wagyu and local vegetables, and a relaxed garden setting that makes it a genuine dining destination rather than just a refuelling stop.

The heart of the operation is the small on-site brewery, which produces a rotating range of craft beers designed to be drunk fresh, metres from where they are made. The line-up typically spans easy-drinking ales and lagers through to hoppier and seasonal styles, and the appeal of tasting a beer brewed in the pure mountain water of Hakone, in the very place it was created, is considerable. Tasting flights let you sample several, and knowledgeable staff can guide the pairings.

The kitchen matches the beer with a confident grill-led menu. The star is Japanese wagyu beef—prized for its marbling and melting texture—cooked over the grill and served with local Hakone and Ashigara vegetables, alongside other dishes built around regional produce. The cooking is modern and clean, letting the quality of the ingredients speak, and the result is a proper sit-down meal that rewards lingering rather than a quick bite. Portions and presentation lean upscale-casual.

The setting is a large part of the charm. The restaurant occupies a handsome building with a garden and terrace, and in the warmer months dining outdoors amid the greenery, beer in hand, with the mountain air around you is idyllic. In autumn the surrounding foliage turns, and the terrace becomes one of the more pleasant places in Gora to sit with a meal. The atmosphere is unhurried and design-conscious, popular with couples and travelers seeking a break from ryokan kaiseki dining.

Its location makes it easy to work into a Hakone itinerary. Gora is the terminus of the switchbacking Hakone Tozan Railway and the base of the cable car that climbs onward toward Sounzan and the ropeway—so the brewery sits right on the classic round-the-region route. It is also close to the celebrated Hakone Gora Park and within reach of the open-air museum, making it a natural lunch or early-dinner stop between sights.

Because it has become well known, it is worth planning ahead: reservations are advisable on weekends, holidays and throughout the autumn foliage season, when Gora fills with day-trippers. Lunch and early evening are the prime times, and the restaurant keeps typical dining hours with a midday and an evening service.

For travelers who appreciate good beer and a well-executed grill—or simply want a modern, convivial meal amid a trip otherwise full of traditional inns and hot springs—Gora Brewery & Grill is one of Hakone’s most enjoyable places to eat and drink, and proof that the region’s food culture is evolving alongside its timeless landscapes.