Cuisine Travel Guide

What to Eat? Izakaya Food in Japan

Izakaya (Japanese pubs) are popular spots to enjoy a beer along with some traditional Japanese dishes with friends or co-workers.

Have not you visited one yet in Japan? This article shows you a guide to learn all about Japanese izakaya. Read that post as it is highly recommended for first-timers!

Every izakaya has its own specialties and original dishes to offer. Even though drinking is the main feature of an izakaya, yet you can try a verity of traditional Japanese dishes. Don’t be surprised to see international dishes on the menu as well.

Let’s explore some of those delicious izakaya dishes:

1. Edamame

Edamame with Sapporo Beer! Photo Credit: nakashi at Flickr.

Edamame is eaten as snack (Otsumami in Japanese). They are soy beans, easy to eat and considered as a common and popular izakaya dish.

Locals consider them the perfect beer and sake snack though without beer it is still great. For example, you have been to a Japanese convenience store and decided to buy it from there to eat it with white rice. See, no beer is needed!

These are healthy snack and served in the pod. There are usually about two-three beans in a pod. Enjoy a bowl of boiled edamame with a glass of beer and make your izakaya time enjoyable by ordering other dishes one by one.

Do you know that in some izakaya you will not even need to order them as they are served as the otoshi? How cool is that! If they are not served as otoshi, you can easily order them from the menu.

2. Gyoza

Gyoza dish. Photo Credit: nakashi at Flickr.

Originated in China, gyoza is a popular Japanese dish, mostly found in ramen shops, izakaya, and Chinese restaurants.

It typically consists of ground meat (pork) and vegetables filling wrapped in thin dough. You can also find fully vegetarian friendly gyoza.

Even though gyoza (dumplings) was originated in China, the way it is consumed in Japan is very different from the way it is eaten in China.

In izakaya, gyozas are pan-fried, which makes crispy skin on one side. Being soft underside, it is very easy to take a bite and you can feel the satisfaction with a sip of beer.

 3. Sashimi

Rice bowl topped with Sashimi. Photo Credit: pelican at Flickr.

Different from sushi, Sashimi is thinly sliced pieces of raw fish or seafood. Some meats also can be served as sashimi but it depends.

If you like eating sushi, then give it a try as it is considered one of the famous dishes in Japanese cuisine.

The most common types of raw fish to make sashimi are salmon and tuna. Before eating sashimi, make sure you dip each piece into a small dish of soy sauce. Also try the wasabi or ground ginger if they are added to the pieces of sashimi.

4. Yakitori

Yakitori!

Yakitori is a grilled skewered piece of chicken meat. It is a very common izakaya dish, enjoyed together with a glass of beer or sake. Grilled vegetable skewers are also served.

Bite-sized pieces of chicken are grilled with salt and sauce. In fact, not only chicken but also pork, and beef too!

When ordering yakitori in Izakaya, you have to choose flavors from two types – tare (sweet savory yakitori sauce) and shio (salt).

Do you know how to eat Yakitori? You can directly eat them off the skewer or use chopsticks to remove the meat from the skewer before consuming it.

Yakitori is not an expensive dish; therefore, order it multiple times while enjoying drinks and other dishes.

5. Karaage

Karaage – friend chicken dish.

One of the favorite izakaya foods is Karaage, a Japanese style fried chicken dish.  

These bite-sized pieces of fried chicken are crispy and crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. These treats will delight your taste for sure. If you want you can squeeze of lemon on top and enjoy the dish with a glass of cold beer.

This deep-fried Japanese food is a very popular snack like Yakitori. Order them both and find out which one you like the most!

6. Hokke

Hokke – mackerel grilled fish!

Eating Hokke or grilled fish dish in izakaya is a big surprise! Hokke is a famous local dish of Hokkaido. You can find them easily in the supermarkets or restaurants.

You will be served an entire mackerel grilled and seasoned with butter and miso paste, which is an easy to eat fish and easy to remove bones.

Whether you like fish dish or not, you must not miss out this delicious grilled fish dish when you visit an izakaya in Japan.

7. Tamagoyaki

Tamagoyaki – perfect for those who don’t eat meat or fish. Photo Credit: Wei-Te Wong at Flickr.

Tamagoyaki simple means fried/grilled egg. It is an ideal breakfast meal or a side dish for lunch and dinner.

And eating it with a cold beer in an izakaya restaurant after doing hard work in your office is reasonable, especially if you are a vegetarian.

This Japanese-style omelet is not easy to make but indeed it’s easy to eat. It is made by rolling together several layers of seasoned egg in a special Tamagoyaki frying pan. It is common to season it with salt, soy sauce, and sugar.

8. Eihire

Photo Credit: nesnad at Wikimedia Commons.

Another ready to eat snack that you can find in an izakaya alongside edamame is Eihire (stingray fin). This famous izakaya appetizer has pleasant saltiness and chewy texture. It does go well with beer and any other alcohol.

It is usually served with mayonnaise, and soy sauce. Making this at home is very difficult so the perfect place to taste eihire is in an izakaya.

There are more dishes to try….

Yes that is very true!

Not all izakaya offer the same kind of dishes, their menus varies from each others. Korokke, the fried balls of potato mash is another izakaya dish that you may want to sample.

For those wanting to non-vegetarian options may try Motsu Nikomi. It is a dish made out of pig or cow intestine, flavored with miso paste, sake and soy sauce. It also contains seasonal fresh vegetables and tofu. Enjoy the meal with some sake.

Agedashi tofu. Photo Credit: star5112 at Flickr.

If you want to avoid meat and fish, and completely try some other meals that are vegetarian friendly, try Agedashi tofu. This deep-fried tofu covered in savory broth and topped with daikon mangled daikon radish and seaweeds. 

Want to see more food options on the menu? Note that you can order tebasaki (fried chicken wings), yakitori (fried shrimp), ebi mayo, salad, makizushi, deep-friend squid, nabe (Japanese hot pot dish) and so on.

Apart from visiting a lot of interesting attractions across Japan, instead of visiting just typical restaurants, we suggest you to visit some izakaya, where you can experience a verity of traditional Japanese dishes and drinks. Thus how you can make your Japan trip more exciting and memorable.

Important Notice!

From September 1st, 2023, the location of the regular sightseeing Chuo Bus Sapporo ticket counter and boarding area has changed to “Sapporo Station (North Exit of the West Concourse).”

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