Now that I have just under two weeks left in Tokyo, I am trying to hit all the spots that I love and it would be crazy to keep these places all to myself. There’s so many places to eat in Tokyo that sometimes you get so overwhelmed and don’t know where to go at first. Here are some of my favourite izakayas:
Azabujyuban Erakokyu
Azabujuban is known for having many places to eat. This Izakaya has become one of my favorites because of its little effort yet cool decor, fresh fish, some unique dishes and a good selection of drinks.
Don’t forget to try their tuna neck bone and if you’re a fan of sea urchin (uni) like I am, make sure to get the plate of it like in the photo above. Price: around 4000yen per person.
Warayakiya
This place is so good. Located in Roppongi near exit 3 from the station. It’s a great place to take visitors but make sure you make a reservation in advance as its been proven to be very popular, even on weekdays!
There is the option of either sitting on the floor or on chairs. When you walk in, you’ll realize there’s an indoor bbq/grill area where the food is freshly grilled. Their most popular dish is the Bonito fish which is rare to find and tastes really good. Almost like a better version of tuna sashimi. They also have an excellent selection of vegetables which means even vegetarians can enjoy the place.
Also they have a chart for sake. Whether you like it dry or sweet, hot or cold, you can easily choose your sake with the help of this chart.
Price: around 5000yen per person.
Kaikaya
This is another place you need to reserve and a great choice to take visitors if they are into their fish! Kaikaya is in the heart of Shibuya. It’s a bit more tricky to find but worth the hunt. The staff are very friendly and you’ll quickly notice that there’s a lot of foreigners in the restaurant. I believe it’s one of the top rated on tripadvisor and I am not surprised. They have two separate pets to the restaurant, smoking and non smoking. So unlike other places, you can actually get away with not having to deal with the heavy smoke from the person on the next table.
Jomon
Now if you’ve had enough with fish and want to go for something different, then I suggest this small, cozy Izakaya that specializes in yakitori. That means meat on a stick.
I first stumbled upon it by accident and boy am I glad I did. It’s not even that discreet either, near Roppongi station, and you cannot pass it without noticing the smell of BBQ and smoke coming out from it.
You can either sit at the counter or ask for a table.
Shabutsu
This one is in Ginza and it’s become one of my favourite shabu shabu place. To be honest, I find all shabu shabu places to be fairly similar but this place grew on me. Good quality meat, great dipping sauce, easy and reasonably priced. It’s also very convenient after a long day of shopping in Ginza and is located on the street behind Aberocrombie.
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