Sapporo Breweries is running a nine-day food and beer event at Ebisu Garden Place (恵比寿ガーデンプレイス), right where Yebisu beer was born. It is called the YEBISU Beer Gourmet Grand Prix 2026 (YEBISU ビアグルメグランプリ 2026), and the idea is simple: restaurants cook a dish designed to go with Yebisu, and the people eating it pick the winner.
Getting in costs nothing. You only pay for what you eat and drink, and the venue does not take cash. Below is what is on, when to go, and a few things worth knowing before you head over.
Image: Sapporo Breweries Limited (from its PR TIMES press release)Event details at a glance
| Dates | Saturday 19 September to Sunday 27 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hours | 11:30–21:00 (last orders 20:45) Wednesday 23 September (public holiday) only: 11:30–17:00 (last orders 16:45) |
| Venue | Ebisu Garden Place, Center Plaza (恵比寿ガーデンプレイス センター広場) |
| Address | Ebisu 4-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo / Mita 1-chome, Meguro-ku, Tokyo |
| Nearest station | JR Ebisu Station, about 5 minutes on foot |
| Entry | Free (food and drinks are paid separately) |
| Payment | Cashless only |
| How to enter | Book online in advance, or queue on the day |
| Organiser | Sapporo Breweries Limited |
Two stages: finals, then food trucks
The nine days are split in two, and the food line-up changes halfway through. That means going once in each half gets you a completely different menu.
| Stage | Dates | What is served |
|---|---|---|
| Final Stage (決勝ステージ) | 19–23 Sept | One dish from each of the 4 finalists, plus Yebisu beers. Visitors vote for the winner. |
| Ebisu Famous Restaurants Stage (恵比寿の名店ステージ) | 24–27 Sept | Food trucks from top-ranked restaurants, plus Yebisu beers. |
On the drinks side, both stages pour six Yebisu-brand draught beers along with the limited-edition Chaen Hojo.
The food trucks in the second half come from restaurants that placed highly in a separate contest, the Yebisu Beer Best Dish Grand Prix (ヱビスビールに合う逸品グランプリ), which has been running since March 2026. You can see that contest on its official site. The organiser says the menus for both stages are posted on the event’s official page, so check there for the exact dishes and prices.
The four finalist dishes
The finalists were not picked by a panel. Fourteen restaurants from Sapporo’s Zeppin Yebisu no Mise (絶品ヱビスの店) programme, a list of places known for serving Yebisu well, entered a public online vote. A total of 24,081 votes were cast, and these four made it through.
| Restaurant | Dish |
|---|---|
| Umaebisu (日本のお酒と馬肉料理 うまえびす) | Horse meat skewers using six different cuts (6種の部位を使った馬肉串焼き) |
| Warazakaya Kyokugenryu, Soshigaya branch (笑酒屋 極限流 祖師谷支部) | Chicken nanban with plenty of house-made pink tartar sauce (自家製ピンクタルタルたっぷり絶品チキン南蛮) |
| Asian Takuma (Asian たくま) | Garlic shrimp (ガーリックシュリンプ) |
| Toriyoshi, Nakameguro main branch (鳥よし 中目黒本店) | Steamed chicken dressed with sesame oil and spring onion sauce (蒸し鶏と胡麻油×ネギだれの和物) |
Three of the four are in Tokyo neighbourhoods like Nakameguro and Soshigaya, so if one dish wins you over, you can visit the restaurant itself afterwards. The official page also has short interview videos with the owners of the four finalists.
Chaen Hojo, the limited-edition ale
The beer made just for this event is Chaen Hojo (茶宴芳醸). It was brewed at YEBISU BREWERY TOKYO, the brewery and visitor space Yebisu opened in Ebisu in 2024.
- Style: an ale with jasmine tea aroma, brewed in part with Dolcita hops, which give a soft, peach-like sweetness
- Concept: Beer as the perfect close to a meal, meant to be savored slowly afterward
- At the event: served from 15:00 every day in limited quantities, until it runs out
- Elsewhere: also released on 19 September 2026 at YEBISU BREWERY TOKYO itself
How the vote works
Every visitor during the Final Stage gets a vote. You cast it through a dedicated web form, which staff point you to at the venue, so bring a charged phone. The winner of the YEBISU Beer Gourmet Grand Prix 2026 is decided from these votes, and the result is scheduled to be announced on 23 September 2026, the last day of the Final Stage.
Voting is only part of the Final Stage (19–23 September). The food-truck days that follow are for eating and drinking.
Booking, payment and getting there
Booking. There are two ways in: reserve a visit online in advance, or simply join the queue on the day. Online reservations opened at 10:00 on 4 August 2026 through the official event page. How many slots are left and how long the walk-in queue gets is not published, so check the page before you go, especially for weekends.
Payment. Cash is not accepted. The organiser does not list which cashless methods work (credit cards, e-money, QR code apps and so on), so if you rely on one particular app, confirm on the official page or bring more than one option.
Access. The venue is about a 5-minute walk from JR Ebisu Station. If you are coming from further away on JR, the Aki no Norihodai Pass for unlimited JR local trains is worth a look to see whether it fits your trip.
Making a day of it. Ebisu is an easy base for a relaxed Tokyo outing. After a few beers, a public bath is a nice way to wind down, and our guide to the ¥300 half-price coupon for Tokyo sento explains how to use it. Taking the shinkansen into Tokyo? See the free Chiikawa tote campaign on the Tokaido Shinkansen too.
FAQ
- Q. Is entry to the YEBISU Beer Gourmet Grand Prix 2026 free?
- Yes. Entry is free, but food and drinks are paid separately.
- Q. Can I pay with cash?
- No. Payment at the venue is cashless only. Check the official page for which methods are accepted.
- Q. Do I need a reservation?
- No. You can book online in advance or queue on the day.
- Q. What time is the limited beer Chaen Hojo available?
- From 15:00 every day, in limited quantities, until it runs out.
- Q. Are the opening hours the same every day?
- Most days run 11:30 to 21:00 with last orders at 20:45. On Wednesday 23 September only, hours are 11:30 to 17:00 with last orders at 16:45.
- Q. When can I vote, and when is the winner announced?
- Voting takes place during the Final Stage from 19 to 23 September via a web form shown at the venue. The result is scheduled to be announced on 23 September 2026.
- Q. Is the food the same on all nine days?
- No. The four finalists serve from 19 to 23 September, and food trucks from top-ranked restaurants take over from 24 to 27 September.
Official sources
- YEBISU Beer Gourmet Grand Prix 2026 official page (bookings and menus)
- Sapporo Breweries news release (4 August 2026)
- Sapporo Breweries release on the preliminary stage
- Zeppin Yebisu no Mise restaurant list
- Yebisu brand site
Information is based on the organiser’s announcements as of 16 September 2026 and may change. Please check the official page before visiting. Enquiries: Sapporo Breweries Customer Center, 0120-207-800 (Japanese).