How to eat at a Tokyo izakaya
By the Agoroam team · Published 20 August 2026
Quick answer
- An izakaya is a drinking establishment that serves food, ordered in small plates over several rounds, not a restaurant with courses.
- The otoshi, a small dish brought unrequested, is a cover charge of JPY 300 to JPY 800 per person. It is not a scam.
- Order in waves. Three or four dishes, then more when those arrive, rather than everything at once.
- The best hunting grounds are Ebisu, Shinjuku Omoide Yokocho, Nakameguro, Kichijoji, and the yokocho alleys under railway lines.
- Most izakaya cannot seat more than four to six. A group of eight should book or split.
What an izakaya is
An izakaya is a place you go to drink, where the food is designed to accompany the drinking. That is the opposite arrangement from a European restaurant with a wine list, and it changes how you use the place.
You sit down, order drinks immediately, then order food progressively across the evening. There are no courses. Plates arrive when they are ready, in no particular order, and you share everything.
A typical evening runs two to three hours across three or four rounds of ordering. Nobody hurries you and nobody expects you to finish and leave.
The otoshi, explained
Shortly after you sit down, a small dish arrives that you did not order. This is the otoshi or tsukidashi, and it functions as a cover charge, typically JPY 300 to JPY 800 per person, added to the bill.
It is a standard and legitimate practice, not a tourist scam, and refusing it is possible in some places but is awkward and rarely worth it. Think of it as the table charge that European restaurants call coperto.
The upside is that it is often genuinely good and tells you something about the kitchen.
How to order
Drinks first, immediately, before you look at the food menu. The standard opening is toriaezu nama, meaning a draft beer for now, and it is exactly what the phrase is for.
Then order three or four small dishes. When they arrive and you have eaten them, order three or four more. Ordering everything at once means all the food arrives at once and goes cold, which defeats the format.
A rough guide is two to three dishes per person across the evening, plus a carbohydrate at the end: rice, noodles, or ochazuke, rice with tea poured over it, which is the traditional closing dish.
- Order drinks first, food second
- Three or four dishes per round, two to three rounds
- Two to three dishes per person total, plus a closing carb
- Say sumimasen to call staff, this is normal and not rude
- Many izakaya have a touch-screen or QR ordering system now
What to order
The standards that almost every izakaya does: edamame, karaage fried chicken, yakitori skewers, agedashi tofu, grilled fish, tsukemono pickles, and potato salad, which is far better than it sounds.
Yakitori is worth understanding: momo is thigh, negima is thigh with spring onion, tsukune is a meatball, kawa is skin, and the offal cuts are excellent if you are willing. Order tare, sweet soy glaze, or shio, salt. Salt is usually better on the leaner cuts.
Sashimi in a good izakaya can be excellent and is much cheaper than in a sushi restaurant.
To drink: beer, then either sake, shochu with hot or cold water, or a highball, whisky and soda, which is the most popular drink in Japan and is exactly right with fried food.
Where to look
Yokocho alleys are the best hunting grounds: narrow lanes of tiny bars and izakaya, often under or beside railway lines, usually dating from the postwar black market period.
Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku, sometimes called Memory Lane, is the famous one: smoky, tiny, and mostly yakitori. Golden Gai nearby is bars rather than food. Ebisu Yokocho is a covered market hall of small stalls with a young crowd.
Beyond the yokocho, Ebisu, Nakameguro, Kichijoji, Shimokitazawa, and the streets around Yurakucho station under the tracks all have high concentrations of good places.
The general signal: a place with handwritten menus on the wall, a counter with six to twelve seats, and a queue of people leaving work is a good bet.
- Omoide Yokocho, Shinjuku: famous, tiny, smoky, yakitori
- Ebisu Yokocho: covered stall hall, young crowd, easy for visitors
- Yurakucho under the tracks: classic salaryman izakaya
- Nakameguro and Kichijoji: better quality, fewer tourists
- Handwritten wall menus and a twelve-seat counter is a good sign
Doing it as a group
This is the main practical constraint in Tokyo. Most good izakaya have eight to twenty seats and physically cannot take a group of eight. This is not unwillingness, it is the size of the room.
The two workable approaches: book ahead at a larger izakaya, of which there are plenty including chains that are genuinely decent, or split into twos and threes and meet afterwards.
A group of eight walking into a twelve-seat counter izakaya at 20:00 without a reservation will be turned away, politely, and should not take it personally.
Chain izakaya, which Japanese people use constantly for work parties, take large bookings, have picture menus, and are a perfectly good option for a group. There is no shame in it.
Paying and leaving
Ask for the bill by saying okaikei onegaishimasu, or by crossing your index fingers into an X, which is a recognised gesture.
You usually pay at the counter on the way out rather than at the table. Cash is still common in small izakaya though cards are increasingly accepted.
There is no tipping in Japan, at all, in any context. Leaving money on the table will cause staff to chase you down the street to return it.
Frequently asked
What is an izakaya?
A Japanese drinking establishment that serves food designed to accompany drinking. You order drinks first, then small plates progressively across the evening rather than in courses, and share everything. A typical visit is two to three hours across three or four rounds of ordering.
What is the small dish I did not order at an izakaya?
The otoshi or tsukidashi, which functions as a cover charge of JPY 300 to JPY 800 per person added to the bill. It is a standard legitimate practice equivalent to the Italian coperto, not a tourist scam, and it is often genuinely good.
How do you order at an izakaya?
Drinks immediately, then three or four small dishes, then more when those arrive. Roughly two to three dishes per person across the evening, plus a rice or noodle dish at the end. Ordering everything at once means it all arrives together and goes cold.
Can a group of eight eat at a Tokyo izakaya?
Usually not without booking. Most good izakaya have eight to twenty seats and physically cannot take a large party. Either book ahead at a larger izakaya, including the decent chains that Japanese people use for work parties, or split into twos and threes and meet afterwards.
Do you tip at an izakaya?
No. There is no tipping anywhere in Japan in any context, and leaving money will cause staff to follow you out to return it. Ask for the bill with okaikei onegaishimasu, and you usually pay at the counter on the way out rather than at the table.
Plan it with your crew.
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