You’re in Japan. You might even not live in Hiroo or Azabu. You might even be Japanese. Or you’re coming here on vacation, and you want to bond with the local wildlife. Where to eat? Izakayas.
This list is just izakayas. No classy kappou, kaiseki or kourse places. No junk food like tonkatsu or ramen. And certainly no sushi. Those are separate topiks. I’ve left out the crappy ones and some of the boring ones, but erred on the side of including places with at least one standout factor, even if they’re bad on others. Trying to assign number ratings really brings home the fact that I’ve only been to most places once; if I’ve maligned your favorite, let me know. And then let’s go there together.
Plunging in, some of the more mentionable izakayas I’ve hit are:
| Name | Town | Food | Sake | Room | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koyu | Nezu | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 | Best food. Solid sake. Uber-clean/modern. Quiet. |
| Ranman | Nakano | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | Best atmosphere. Sweetest service. Good fish. |
| Ishii | Shinbashi | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 | Fires on all cylinders, just expensive |
| Honoka | Musashi Koyama | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 | Love the ‘freshness dating’ for each bottle on the sake menu. Good food. |
| Moromiya | Nihonbashi | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 | Lights are a little bright. Otherwise, spot on. |
| Nekoya | Tsukiji | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | Hostess must have been a…hostess, but sake’s great. Food’s a little homey. |
| Takaban | Kanda | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 | Solid performer, standout elements |
| Shuan Suiko | Oshiage | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | The perfect sake bar, and good snacks to match. |
| Sakana | Takayama (Gifu) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | Equal best for food, but location is a problem… |
| Besshan | Mitaka | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | One of the best; too bad it’s so far, even from Mitaka. |
| Omasa Komasa | Higashi Nakano | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 | Best sake – breadth AND quality. Unique food. Grumpiest master ever. |
| Wakamatsu | Morishita | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | Sake limited but high quality. Bad location. |
| Tobu Sakana | Shimo Kitazawa | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | Fun, fresh, rough, not exactly cheap (watch your order). |
| Hana Modern | Kagurazaka | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | All-around performer with good prices. |
| Koju | Kanda | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | Individualistic sake for connoisseurs. Snacky food to go with. |
| Yoshioka | Kyobashi | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 | Poor lighting hurts amazing sake list, good food. |
| Kaeru | Kita Senju | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 | Lights are a little bright. Otherwise, spot on. |
| Kitayama | Otsuka | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | Offbeat sake varieties. Nice U-counter, old-time feeling. |
| Yamato | Morishita | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | Recent refit, great neighborhood place. Multiple sake options from many brewers. |
| Dajare | Akasaka | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | Specialist snack food, specialist sake, salon atmosphere |
| Kappore | Kamata (Kanagawa) | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | Huge sake selection, farmhouse atmosphere. |
| Hanabishi | Monzennakacho | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | Ex-geisha service is unfriendly, but sorta funny, and worth it. |
| Yuwaeru | Kuramae | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | Natural and healthy, but awful tasty. Great, great value. |
| Umi | Kayabacho | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 | All-rounder w/almost 30 sakes and good fish; menu difficult to read (really). |
| Tamanegiya | Kagurazaka | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | Food great but limited. Sake v well kept (incl. aged) but expensive. |
| Hayashiya | Asagaya | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Sorta fresh ‘n’ natural vibe; staff uninformed re sake selection |
| Oumi | Tachikawa | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Suburban place that really cares about sake, serves good tidbits. |
| Luck! Zen | Ningyocho | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Focus on specific brewers yields deep selection. Try the ribs. |
| Fish Rsrch Center | Shinbashi | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Must be tons of good hidden places like this; never find ’em all. |
| Uoshin | Shibuya | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | Good example of how small chains are often great in Japan |
| Kudan | Gakugei Daigaku | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Probably leads in the area; worth a short trip |
| Manaita | Kanda | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | Retired architect makes unique fish-heavy food; only 1 v good sake variety at a time |
| Mitakaya Sakaba | Morishita | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | Friendly slice of downtown life ca 1974. But not clean. |
| Gochi | Shibuya | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Chicken ‘n’ sake, both good. Interesting minor brewers. |
| Sabroso | Ochanomizu | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Lights are a little bright. Otherwise, spot on. |
| Edoichi | Otsuka | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | Really old interior + mama. Lots of hot sake. Cheeeap. |
| Konakara | Otsuka | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Lights are a little bright. Otherwise, spot on. |
| Tamamura | Monzennakacho | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | All class; light, fresh; top-quality fish, tempura, veg. |
| Magoroku | Monzennakacho | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | Grilled chicken, game meat, veg, sake sommelier? Yes. |
| Momosaku | Asakusa | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | Relocateded farmhouse atmosphere. Good tastes. |
| Izumiya | Kanda | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Branch of liquor shop downstairs, good all around |
| Tarafuku | Sendai | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | Firepit cooking, local sake. |
| Sato | Tama Plaza | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | Suburbia’s best: good izakaya, sake and sushi together. |
| Uoshin | Shibuya (and others) |
3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | Good fish + cooking, cheap. Small but nice sake selection. |
| Santensan | Kamiyamada (Nagano) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Good food (horse), great sake but storage quality suspect |
| Shiba no Ura | Tamachi | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Ordinary-looking sake menu conceals cool stuff. Ask. |
| Kawashima | Musashi Koyama | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | Funny pick-your-glass sake program. Good food limited. |
| Tsugaru | Kashiwa (Chiba) | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | Great fish, good prices. Ask for off-menu sake. |
| Mameya | Shintomi | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | Nice row-house renovation, healthy food, good sake. |
| Yuwaeru | Kuramae | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | Organic focus, good cooking. Small, quality org. sake list. |
| Akaoni | Sangenchaya | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | Food interesting but not great. |
| Sake no Ana | Ginza | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | Huge sake selection, industrial food and room. |
| Fukuden | Monzennakacho | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 | Great food. A bit expensive. |
| Ogawa | Monzennakacho | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | Local favorite – creative food, well-chosen sake. |
| Okanaga Club | Kodemmacho | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Good sake, focused on older styles – no nama. OK food. |
| All That Jazz | Arakicho | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Creative southern sake list. Need to check food more fully… |
| Umibatake | Ikebukuro | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | Modern style, great food, 15 rotating sake choices. |
| Kyusuke | Ningyocho | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | Decent food, but warm Taisho-living room style is fun. |
| Good One | Kanda | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | Fantastic sake standing bar. Great great sake, good prices. |
| Kanae | Shinjuku 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | Good sake; food better on paper. Expensive. |
| Ippou | Ebisu | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | Big sake list, food less good than it should be. Smoky. |
| Daruma | Monzen Nakacho | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | Hard to find this slice of Showa life any more. |
| Sasashin | Ningyocho | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | The olden sadness of the room is worth seeing. Once. |
| Fukagawahama | Monzennakacho | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Undistinguished except it’s in the neighborhood. |
| Doromitei | Kagurazaka | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | Guy can cook, puts up a few specialty sakes |
| Umejin | Kiyosumi Shirakwa | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Nondescript, but every town should have one this good |
| Za Sakana | Kitami | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | Master is a notably great host |
| Shoujou | Monzen Nakacho | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2nd-tier, but not 3rd; solid. Sakes changes constantly. |
| Gingin | Oomori | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Widely reputed, but lacking energy in the room and sake. |
| Nagomi | Sendagi | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Good chicken-based food; small but fun sake list. |
| Miharukoma | Ikebukuro | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Lots of sake, but v expensive. |
| Gasshomura Santa | Ningyocho | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | OK sake; weak food, dank room. Master is an ass. |
| Fuji | Morishita | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | Nostalgia value from 80+ year old mama |
| Osakaya | Monzen Nakacho | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | Gut stew has been cooking for 3 generations. Maybe one trip. |
| Daruma | Kiyosumi Shirakawa | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | One of the saddest Showa relics I’ve ever seen. Wow. |