Food menus you should try at Izakaya & Bar in Tokyo (w/Photos)

Izakaya is a Japanese style tavern in which you can enjoy foods and alcohol. And izakaya is popular for tourists from overseas because you can choose dishes that go great with alcohol and enjoy Japanese food culture at the same time. In this article, we would like to introduce Izakaya foods in depth.

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Izakaya foods

What you should order at izakaya? Lots of Japanese people sequentially order foods at taverns. As you sit in izakaya, a simple and small dish called “otoushi” will be served as a first dish at most izakayas. Then you can order dishes you choose; Japanese people usually choose foods that match well with alcohol such as Edamame beans, Eihire (grilled skate/ ray fin), and takowasa (fresh octopus mixed with wasabi).
Dishes that can be shared with your friend such as salad would be ordered next, and then meat/ fish will be ordered as a main dish. And at the end of the izakaya meal, people order starches such as noodles and rice.

Foods you should eat at izakaya

１．Try meat dishes like yakitori and karaage chicken fry

Yakitori and Karaage fried chicken are must eat food dishes at izakaya. Yakitori is charcoal-roasted chicken on a skewer, and it’s usually seasoned with a sweet-and-salty sauce or salt and pepper. Karaage is another classic dish; deep-fried chicken that is seasoned with soy sauce before deep frying. They are highly popular menus and match well with alcohol that you should try at once.

<< Read more detail about Meat Dishes

２．Seafoods: you can order sashimi at izakaya

When you visit Japan, you may want to try fresh seafood; you also can order sashimi at izakaya. Sashimi is a fresh raw fish fillet and popular food famous as a healthy diet all over the world, so you may know it already. Some izakaya in Japan are specializing in seafood. It goes well with sake; you will enjoy the Japanese drinking culture when you order them together at izakaya.

<< Read more detail about seafood

３．Japanese people order these dishes

For those who want to eat like the locals, here are some dishes the Japanese love to eat at izakaya. Edamame is boiled young soybeans and you can eat a lot while drinking. Eihire is dried and seasoned skate/ ray fins, lightly grilled before eating. And Tamagoyaki is a Japanese style omelet in which eggs are seasoned with soup stock and fried and rolled in layers. These are recommended dishes because they match well with any alcoholic beverage.

Shinjuku Bar Hopping Tour

Shinjuku is a city filled with numerous taverns. We have a Tokyo bar hopping Nightlife Tour with an English speaking guide that takes you to recommended taverns and show you how to enjoy drinking in Japan.