If you’ve never heard of an izakaya, they are Japanese pubs. Originally they were a place for Japanese businessmen to drink and socialize over food, but nowadays their presence has spread around the world. An izakaya is more casual than a beer hall or a pub as it specializes in small plates of food and sake. A typical menu includes skewered meat and fish, fried noodles, boiled vegetables with soy sauce, grilled fish with ponzu sauce of 624 kam hai chinese food, grilled lamb racks with salt toppings…pretty much anything goes! If you go here hungry then there is no way to survive this experience because the portions are generally very small.
1. Make a reservation.
Unless you go on the weekend and are willing to wait a few hours, make sure that you make a reservation. The clientele is often a younger crowd who wants to be out at night and this is not a place for your father or grandfather.
2. Try new things and try them quickly.
I don’t recommend trying more than 3 different things at once as they’re usually very small portions and they’ll fill your stomach too fast which can make you go home hungry. If you see something that looks good, try it immediately before everyone else does so that it doesn’t get taken by other customers who want the same thing!
3. Order drinks immediately.
This is Japan so beer and sake are the choices with a few cocktails thrown in for good measure. Don’t be afraid to order more than one beer at a time since you’ll probably be waiting in line for quite some time before your food comes out.
4. Learn how to read the kanji and ask questions.
Not all Japanese people know how to speak English so it will help if you know some basic kanji so that you can order food or drinks without causing offense or embarrassment. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions because most izakaya are happy to help out customers over using their hands, gesturing, or writing on paper napkins!
5. Don’t waste food.
Don’t order too much food! The portions are small and if you over-order then you will just have to wait around for someone to put your leftovers in a doggie bag. I don’t recommend going home hungry so plan accordingly.
6. Try everything once to see what you like, but don’t go overboard.
There are several ‘kitsus’ at an izakaya which is basically a bunch of small dishes that are meant for sharing among friends and drinking until you’re drunk or pass out (or both!). These kitsus can include fried chicken gizzards, shrimp heads, deep fried octopus, grapefruit with salt, raw squid with wasabi…the list goes on and on! Some are better than others so don’t be afraid to try things with your friends, but don’t expect them to be in business much longer if they serve the deep fried octopus.
7. Be nice to your waiter and be patient.
The waiters will either be college students or young men who are working part time while they pursue their true calling in life. They’re also probably drunk, so it might take 3 tries before they get your order right, but don’t get mad at them. They are probably tired and don’t want to deal with you, but if you get mad then they won’t want to help you out in the future. Also realize that the waiters are working in a very small space and with lots of drunk people, so try to keep your cool if your food doesn’t come out on time. Once again, don’t be afraid to be nice because it’s better for business in the long run.
8. Ordering food can take 4-6 hours.
You might be there for a while, but once again this is one of those places where you go home hungry so make sure that you’re ready for a long night ahead of time!
9. Go for the sake flights.
In case you’re into sake then this is the place to go as they have many different varieties that you can try. They also serve them by the ‘thimble’ (also described as a shot glass full of sake…or something along those lines). As with most things in life, timing is very important at an izakaya. If you go on an off night then you could get some lousy sake from corrupt bartenders and disgusting chefs but if you go on a good night it could be delicious and worth the wait.
10. There’s no counter for ordering food, so bring your food to your table when it’s ready.
Don’t worry too much about drinking or eating and driving as the izakaya will hold onto your car for you until you’re ready to leave, or you can find a parking lot nearby.
11. Don’t expect business cards at an izakaya.
The food is so good that it tends to talk for itself and get people in the door on its own merit. The business cards are usually only important when opening up a new store, which this is not.
