KEEP AND ROLL

At Daniel's Wine Club we only write about places we genuinely love. Good food and an interesting wine list matter, of course, but what matters more to us is the human connection behind them, and our respect for the people doing the cooking.

This time we are in Honmoku, Yokohama, at KEEP AND ROLL. What you feel here on every visit is a kind of quiet generosity: everyone at the table can eat without a second thought, and everything genuinely tastes good. The sausages, the bread and the sauces are all made in house by the owner, Yamada san. One bite tells you both things at once, the quality of the ingredients and the care of the person who made them. You can drop your shoulders, sit with people you like, and take a proper, unselfconscious bite. That is what an hour here feels like.

Food everyone at the table can enjoy without worrying

It starts with knowing exactly what is in it

KEEP AND ROLL avoids ready made products and additives wherever possible, and builds flavour the long way round.

The star of the show, an oversized sausage, is 100 percent Japanese pork, seasoned with herbs and garlic and made one by one on the premises. The bread is made in house too, from mixing the dough to the final bake, and the sauces poured generously over the top are all made by hand. That is exactly why you can eat here without reservation. That is the KEEP AND ROLL hot dog.

What we love is that reassurance and real flavour sit on the same plate. Parents can bring their children and let them eat without hesitating. Nobody in the group is left out. And when a child can tuck in happily, the adults finally relax as well. Everyone smiling at the same table is how an ordinary lunch turns into a memory.

The homemade sausage keeps releasing flavour the longer you chew, and it never becomes repetitive. Right down to the last bite it is still good. You want the next mouthful immediately, and at the same time you do not want it to end. A very pleasant problem to have. The soft, pillowy homemade bread gathers up the sausage and the sauce and holds them together.

Of everything on the menu, the Chili Beans is the one to try at least once: house made chili beans under a fresh salsa cut with chopped jalapeño, and a serious amount of it. The heat travels right through you and leaves you with the clear headed lightness of stepping out of a sauna.

Local produce, on a plate full of colour

Ingredients chosen by eye, mostly from Kanagawa

Hot dogs here are served plate style, with a salad of bright seasonal vegetables and pickles. The vegetables used in the salads and the sauces are sourced locally wherever possible, mostly from Kanagawa, and Yamada san inspects them himself. Only produce that passes that check makes it onto the plate. That freshness in every bite is a small luxury specific to this place. The hot dog is the headline, but the sides get exactly the same attention. Nothing on the plate is an afterthought.

The quiet co-star: a serious gourmet burger

No filler, 100 percent premium Angus beef

Come in expecting a hot dog place and there is a happy surprise waiting. The burger is a hidden favourite here. The patty uses no binder at all and relies purely on the meat. The buns, the sauces, and the fries, cut from raw potatoes and fried properly, are all made from scratch. Being able to choose your main according to your mood is part of the fun.

Even deciding what to drink is a pleasure

House made drinks, craft beer, and Romanian wine in Honmoku

The other pleasure at KEEP AND ROLL is the drinks list, generous in both alcohol and soft drinks, and built to sit alongside the food.

The house made drinks are the standouts: a spiced craft cola that works remarkably well with a hot dog, a sharp craft ginger ale, a clean lemonade.

There are always four craft beers on tap, and the lineup rotates, so there is a new glass waiting on every visit. There is characterful gin and shochu too, which turns the question of what to have next into part of the evening rather than a delay.

And here in Honmoku you can also drink the Romanian wines we import at Daniel's Wine Club. What is open changes from day to day, so ask Yamada san what he has on that day.

And then there are the sides

Right for a quick drink, right for a proper plate

Some days a whole hot dog or a burger is more than you want, and that is another thing KEEP AND ROLL gets right: the side menu is remarkably good.

We went for the buffalo wings, the chili beans cheese fries, and the salad of house made chicken ham with seasonal vegetables. Anything you order here is satisfying in the fullest sense. They work as something to drink alongside, and as a light meal in their own right.

To finish, a waffle. We had the apple cinnamon and vanilla: gently sweet, slightly tart apple cinnamon with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. As you sit and talk after the meal, the ice cream slowly melts down into the waffle. Hard to improve on.

A place you can walk into on any kind of day

With family, with friends, or as a treat to yourself

The best thing about KEEP AND ROLL is that it is not reserved for special occasions. You can push the door open without ceremony: a family lunch at the weekend, a craft beer with friends in the evening, a plate to reward yourself after a hard week. And if you come on your own, you will not feel it, because good people gather here naturally. Food has a way of quietly connecting people, and this room is proof of it.

Getting there and booking

KEEP AND ROLL is about a 15 minute walk from Yamate station. By bus, get off at Hongocho or Gasuyama-dori Iriguchi and you are one to two minutes away.

• Address: Koyama Building 101, 3-202-1 Hongocho, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 231-0843
• Phone: 045-900-9547
• Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 12:00 to 23:00; Tuesday, Sunday and public holidays 12:00 to 17:00
• Closed: Thursdays
• Seats: 21
• Parking: none on site, coin parking nearby

The current menu and news are posted on the official website and the official Instagram account (@keep_and_roll). The website in particular is worth a look before you go: the care behind the place comes across clearly.

Please note that opening hours and closing days can change. Check the official Instagram or call ahead before you visit.

In short

Every plate at KEEP AND ROLL in Honmoku carries the warmth of someone thinking not only about the person in front of them, but about everyone that person is eating with. With family, with friends, or on your own, nobody is left out and everyone gets to take a proper bite. That you can also find Daniel's Wine Club's Romanian wines here in Honmoku makes us very happy indeed. Next time you are in the area, push the door open. And if you mention that you came from Daniel's Wine Club, we think a good evening is waiting for you.

Written by SAITO Nami, Daniel's Wine Club