居酒屋
Japan's pubs: small plates, beer, sake and the loudest, friendliest rooms in the country.
An izakaya is where Japan actually eats after work: a tavern serving small plates (sashimi, karaage, grilled fish, pickles, tofu) alongside beer, sake, shochu and highballs. The best ones are neighborhood institutions with handwritten menus and a counter where the owner cooks in front of you. Tabelog ratings are the only reliable way to separate these from the chain izakaya that cluster around every station with touts outside.
The best izakaya in Tokyo are in residential neighborhoods, not around the big stations where touts work the crowds. Ebisu, Nakameguro, Sangenjaya and the alleys of Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku have the highest concentrations of 3.5+ izakaya, many with fewer than fifteen seats.
Ebisu · Shinjuku · Nakameguro · Sangenjaya · Kichijoji
Fukushima and Tenma are Osaka's izakaya neighborhoods: hundreds of small counters, standing bars and wine bars within a few blocks, cheaper and more welcoming than Tokyo's equivalents. Tenjinbashisuji in Tenma is the single densest street of cheap, well-rated izakaya in Japan..
Fukushima · Tenma · Namba · Umeda
Kyoto izakaya cluster in Pontocho, Kiyamachi and the streets around Karasuma, with obanzai (Kyoto home-cooking small plates) as the local specialty. The riverside Pontocho rooms charge for the view; the 3.5+ counters are on the side streets west of Kawaramachi..
Pontocho · Kiyamachi · Karasuma · Kawaramachi
Fukuoka's izakaya scene is centered on Daimyo, Imaizumi and Yakuin, with fresh Genkai Sea sashimi, mentaiko and goma-saba (sesame mackerel) as the local plates. Prices are well below Tokyo and the yatai stalls on Nakasu are the open-air version..
Daimyo · Imaizumi · Yakuin · Nakasu
Sapporo izakaya serve Hokkaido's specialties: zangi fried chicken, grilled hokke mackerel, potato with butter and ikura, with local Sapporo Classic beer. Susukino has hundreds; the Tabelog ratings pick out the ones locals use over the ones with picture menus on the street..
Susukino · Odori · Maruyama
Noge, a few streets of narrow bars and izakaya near Sakuragicho, is one of the best drinking districts in the Kanto region: standing bars, yakitori counters and sake bars that have been there for decades. Tabelog's ratings sort the regulars' places from the newer ones that trade on the name..
Noge · Kannai · Yokohama Station
Sannomiya's side streets and the arcades toward Motomachi are full of izakaya pouring Nada sake, often with the breweries' seasonal releases. Sobameshi and Akashi-yaki (dashi-dipped octopus dumplings) are the local plates..
Sannomiya · Motomachi · Nada
Nagarekawa is Hiroshima's bar district and the izakaya there serve oysters, conger eel, and Setouchi lemon-flavored everything, with local sake from the Saijo brewing town. Prices are among the lowest of Japan's big cities..
Nagarekawa · Hatchobori
Okinawan izakaya pour awamori, the island rice spirit, alongside champuru, rafute, jimami tofu and umibudo sea grapes. Sakaemachi market in Naha becomes a maze of tiny bars after dark and is the most highly rated drinking district on the island..
Sakaemachi · Kokusai Dori · Makishi Market
Katamachi and Korinbo are Kanazawa's nightlife and their izakaya pour Ishikawa sake with Sea of Japan sashimi and the city's unusual oden (crab shells, kanazawa vegetables). Several oden bars have been open for 90 years and are rated accordingly..
Katamachi · Korinbo · Kanazawa Station
Naramachi has a small, very good izakaya and sake-bar scene: Nara is where sake brewing began, and the local breweries' seasonal bottles are poured in machiya bars along with Yamato beef and local vegetables..
Naramachi · Sanjo-dori
How to order a drink in Tokyo like a local: the phrases, the cover charges and what to order, with three Shinjuku bars rated by Tabelog.
You will be charged a small seating fee (otoshi, ¥300 to ¥600) that comes with a tiny starter; this is normal, not a scam. Order drinks first, then food in rounds. Point at what other tables are having. Pay at the end; tipping does not exist.
Izakaya are the hardest category to navigate without Japanese because menus are handwritten and seasonal. TabeDog shows the hours, price band and payment methods so you at least know what you are walking into, and most owners will happily point at the fridge.
Izakaya scores run lower than other categories because the format is casual. 3.4 is already a very good neighborhood izakaya; 3.6 and above means the food is restaurant quality.
You will be charged a small seating fee (otoshi, ¥300 to ¥600) that comes with a tiny starter; this is normal, not a scam. Order drinks first, then food in rounds. Point at what other tables are having. Pay at the end; tipping does not exist.
Lunch: Most are dinner only; lunch sets where offered are ¥900 to ¥1,500. Dinner: ¥3,000 to ¥6,000 with drinks.
Izakaya scores run lower than other categories because the format is casual. 3.4 is already a very good neighborhood izakaya; 3.6 and above means the food is restaurant quality.
Reserve for groups of four or more on Friday and Saturday. Counter seats for one or two are usually walk-in.
Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Yokohama, Kobe, Hiroshima, Okinawa, Kanazawa, Nara each have a dedicated page. Tokyo: The best izakaya in Tokyo are in residential neighborhoods, not around the big stations where touts work the crowds.
Open TabeDog, pick izakaya, and see Tabelog's top-rated shops around you with hours, prices and payment methods in English.
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