Japanese Izakaya Menu Guide — What to Order the First Time (and Every Time)

An izakaya (居酒屋) is literally "stay-and-drink place" — a type of informal Japanese gastropub where groups eat and drink through the evening, ordering wave after wave of small plates. It is one of the most important social institutions in Japanese food culture.

The menu is typically handwritten on wooden boards or paper slips, dense with options across multiple categories. Knowing how to navigate it is a skill.

The Izakaya Structure

Arrival: You're usually greeted with otoshi — a small automatic starter (charged separately, like a cover charge in food form). Don't refuse it; it's not optional.

Drinks first: The first order is always drinks. Beer (biiru) is the default first round. Alternatives: osui (draft beer), nama (fresh/draft), highball (whisky soda), shochu on the rocks, nihonshu (sake).

Ordering pattern: Food arrives as it's ready, not in courses. Order in waves — a few dishes at a time, allowing time between waves for conversation and drinking.

Last order: Pay attention to rasuuto ooda (last order) announcements, typically 30 minutes before closing.

The Menu Categories

Otoshi (お通し) — Automatic Starter

Small plate automatically brought at arrival. Changes daily. Accept and eat; you're paying for it.

Sashimi (刺身)

Raw fish platter. Almost every izakaya has it. Order: maguro (tuna), sake (salmon), hamachi (yellowtail). Reference point: if the sashimi is poor quality, the rest of the kitchen probably is too.

Yakitori (焼き鳥) — Skewered Grilled Chicken

Per-stick ordering. Key categories:

• Momo: Thigh. The default, most popular.
• Tsukune: Meatball. Soft, with tare and often a raw egg yolk for dipping.
• Kawa: Skin. Crispy and fatty.
• Negima: Thigh alternating with scallion.
• Shiro: Small intestine. For the adventurous.

Two seasoning options: tare (sweet soy glaze) or shio (salt). Shio is more nuanced; tare is sweeter and more common.

Karaage (唐揚げ) — Japanese Fried Chicken

Bite-sized chicken thigh, marinated and fried. Served with lemon and Kewpie mayo. One of the most ordered izakaya items. A reference dish: good karaage indicates a good kitchen.

Edamame (枝豆)

Blanched salted soybeans in the pod. Practically mandatory first order. Both snack and palate cleanser.

Hiyayakko (冷奴) — Cold Tofu

Silken tofu, straight from the fridge, topped with grated ginger and bonito flakes, drizzled with soy sauce. Simple. Refreshing. Excellent with beer.

Tamagoyaki (玉子焼き)

Rolled egg omelette. Slightly sweet in izakaya versions. A reliable test of kitchen skill.

Kushiage / Kushikatsu (串揚げ/串カツ)

Panko-breaded and deep-fried items on skewers — vegetables, seafood, meat. The Osaka version is distinct: dipping sauce is communal (double-dipping prohibited). Order: lotus root, shrimp, asparagus wrapped in bacon.

Agedashi Tofu (揚げ出し豆腐)

Silken tofu, dusted in starch and deep-fried, served in light dashi broth. The crust is barely there; the interior collapses. A texturally remarkable dish.

Gyutatsu / Beef Sashimi (牛タタキ)

Lightly seared or raw beef, sliced thin, served with ponzu. A premium izakaya order.

Potato Salad (ポテサラ)

Japanese potato salad — mashed, mayonnaise-heavy, with cucumber and carrot. Sounds mundane; izakaya potato salad is in a different category than Western versions.

Nankotsu (軟骨揚げ)

Deep-fried chicken cartilage. Crunchy, savory, excellent with beer. An izakaya-only experience.

The Drinking Items

Nama biiru (生ビール): Draft beer, most izakayas use Sapporo, Asahi, or Kirin.

Highball (ハイボール): Whisky (usually Suntory Toki) and soda. Very popular, particularly after the first beer.

Chuhai (チューハイ): Shochu mixed with soda and fruit juice. Many variations. Light and refreshing.

Shochu (焦酎): Japanese distilled spirit from sweet potato, barley, or rice. Drunk with water (mizuwari) or on the rocks (rokku). The serious drinker's choice.

Nihonshu (日本酒): Sake. Order hiya (cold) or atsukan (warm) depending on the season.

The Golden First Order

If you've never been to an izakaya and want a reliable, non-overwhelming start:

1. Two draft beers
2. Edamame
3. Karaage
4. Three yakitori (momo tare, tsukune, negima)
5. Hiyayakko

Order more as those arrive. Drink steadily. Stay at least two hours.

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The izakaya is one of those social institutions whose logic becomes obvious once you experience it: the small plates encourage ordering widely rather than choosing one thing and committing, the drinking pace is set by the table rather than servers, and the evening has no prescribed endpoint. You stay until you're done, then pay the tab. The food is how you keep the evening alive.