Hyperlocal Tokyo

It was my first visit. It was around 5 pm, and there were three other customers at the counter. The menu selection felt a bit limited. Prices were listed on the drink menu and the blackboard menu, but the rest were unclear. I ordered a highball with oolong tea (¥660), oolong tea (¥440), two servings of the appetizer, two skewers of yakitori, two skewers of chicken meatballs, sliced tuna, grilled conger eel, and miso beans (¥660). The miso beans are boiled beans mixed with scallions, mustard, and soy sauce. The simple flavor seemed like it would go well with sake. The total bill was ¥5,880.

Drawn in by the storefront, I made a spontaneous visit. The counter was full, so I was seated in a tatami room. The sign hanging above the entrance read "Seafood" so I ordered mainly seafood dishes. A few items were unavailable. Prices weren't listed, but they were reasonable, so I felt at ease. They had a wide selection of sake, and I ordered a few after asking the owner for recommendations. It was a great old-fashioned, down-to-earth izakaya. If you're in Asakusa and wondering where to have a drink, this should be on your list.

A nostalgic, old-fashioned izakaya with a Showa-era vibe, located on Asakusa Kannon-dori Street. 🏮 We arrived right when the restaurant opened, and it quickly filled up with customers. By the time our first dish arrived, both the counter and the tatami seating areas were nearly full. The counter is a local hangout spot with a great atmosphere. The menu didn't list prices, but it didn't seem overly expensive. We ordered a sashimi platter, nagarami (a type of seafood), skewers, dried whole sardines, and fugu skin jelly. We even managed to get some kohada (gizzard shad) added to the sashimi platter. The best dish was the dried whole sardines baked by the grandmother! It definitely made the sake go down smoothly. The sake selection was excellent, but this place is all about enjoying cheap sake served warm. Eating and drinking quickly and heading home is the down-town way, I guess...

I dropped in alone a little after 3 PM. The prices weren't listed, but they felt like standard rates. A bottle of beer, a plate of tuna sashimi, grilled innards, and chicken meatballs came out to under ¥3,000. The tuna sashimi was delicious.

I entered the restaurant around 8 PM on a weekday. The menu didn't have prices listed, so I was a little worried, but the prices were typical. My favorite dish was the 'Nimenori' (braised gelatin). It's made with tripe and whitebait, and the melt-in-your-mouth texture is simply divine.