As the name implies, MacKenDy Craft Beer & Pizza specializes in two pub classics: pizza and beer. Both are made on premises in this chill, open-kitchen brewpub in Chigasaki. The atmosphere is the norm for Shonan–casual with friendly regulars likely to chat you up. The foreign sounding name actually derives from a mix of the names of three friends that started the brewpub: Macoto Tsuchiya, Kennosuke Nohara and Eddie Murakami (‘Dy’ taking the place of ‘die’).
For your main dish choose from about eight different styles of mouth-watering pizza prepared and baked in a wood-fired oven in front of your eyes. We went with the Diabola Pizza (full ¥1650, half ¥1150), a tasty blend of mozzarella, basil, olives, pepperoni and Italian pepper, which provided a pleasant, spicy zing. Another recommendation to pair with your beer is the Homemade Sausage (¥7/g), served sizzling in an iron skillet. If you’re still hungry, snack on a side of meatballs (¥500) or Shrimp & Veggie Ajillo (¥580).
The bar has ten taps of craft beer (275ml ¥600~, 490ml ¥1000~) with currently about half brewed on premises. After many months of preparation, brewer Nohara finally started brewing the pub’s original beers in July. The brewing area is easily visible through the glass windows of the pub, so you are likely to catch a glimpse of him at work. The Golden Ale, a nice choice for summer, was relatively fruity with mild bitterness. This very quaffable brew disappeared quicker than anticipated. At the time of our visit there was a Pale Ale, an IPA, and an interesting Lime & Salt beer. Nohara plans to mix it up, so expect there to be different selections every visit.
Split between the counter and an assortment of tables, there is seating for about 30. The brewpub is about a five-minute walk from the west exit of Tsujido Station. Note that smoking is allowed in the bar, but it’s generally not smoky.