How to Order at a Japanese Izakaya — The Complete First-Timer's Guide

The izakaya (居酒屋) occupies a specific and important place in Japanese social life. It is where salarymen go after work, where friend groups spend Friday nights, where couples have relaxed second dates. Understanding how it works — the order of arrival, the food categories, the unwritten rules — turns a confusing menu wall into a comprehensible system.

I (居) means "stay" or "reside." Zakaya is the counter-form of sakaya (酒屋, liquor shop). An izakaya is, literally, a place to stay and drink.

The Otoshi (お通し) — The Automatic Snack

When you sit down at a Japanese izakaya, within minutes you will receive a small dish you didn't order. This is the otoshi — a small snack (often pickled vegetables, tofu, a small salad, or a simple appetizer) that arrives automatically with your first drink.

The otoshi is not a gift. It is a cover charge — typically 300-600 yen per person, added automatically to your bill. It functions like the bread-and-butter cover charge at European restaurants.

The otoshi varies by izakaya and sometimes by day or season. It is not returned if you don't want it — it's simply the cost of table reservation.

What to expect: A small portion of something pickled, cold, or simple. The quality of the otoshi often signals the quality of the kitchen.

The Golden First Order

At an izakaya, the first drink is ordered immediately when seated (before the food menu is fully reviewed). The standard first drink:

Nama beer (生ビール, draft beer): The canonical opening drink at a Japanese izakaya. "Toriaezu nama" (とりあえず生) — "a draft beer for now" — is a phrase so associated with izakaya culture that it appears in countless Japanese pop culture references. Order this as your first drink unless you have a specific preference.

Shochu or sour cocktails: Common alternatives. Lemon sour (remonsā), highball, or shochu on the rocks are common opening drinks.

The first drink arrives quickly. Food takes longer.

The Menu Categories

Izakaya menus are organized by category. Common sections:

Tsukidashi/Otoshi: The automatic small dishes described above — also sometimes a paid-optional small snack menu.

Sarada (サラダ, salads): Cold salads — Caesar, simple greens, tofu salad. Light options.

Yakimono (焼き物, grilled items): The heart of the izakaya — yakitori (chicken skewers), pork belly, seafood. Everything grilled over charcoal.

Kara-age (唐揚げ, fried items): Karaage chicken, fried gyoza, korokke (croquettes), agedashi tofu.

Mushimono (蒸し物, steamed items): Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), steamed shellfish.

Nabe (鍋, hot pots): Seasonal hot pots, often ordered for the table in colder months.

Tsumami (おつまみ, snacks with drinking): Bar snacks designed for drinking alongside — edamame, dried squid, pickled items.

Gohan/Shime (ご飯/締め, rice/noodle closing): Rice dishes and noodles ordered as the closing course. Ochazuke, fried rice, ramen, or simple onigiri.

What to Order: The First Dishes

Edamame (枝豆): Order immediately. Arrives fast. Gives you something to eat while the grilled items cook. The standard hands-in-the-air izakaya opening food.

Yakitori: A must-order. Ask for momo (thigh), negima (thigh + long onion), tsukune (chicken meatball), and kawa (skin — the most underrated cut). Order both tare (sauce-glazed) and shio (salt).

Karaage: The second mandatory order. Arrives quickly, holds up for a while, works with every drink.

Agedashi tofu (揚げ出し豆腐): Deep-fried silken tofu in a dashi-soy-mirin broth. The definitive izakaya delicate dish.

Hiyayakko (冷奶豆腐): Cold tofu with toppings (scallion, ginger, katsuobushi). Cooling, simple, excellent.

Izakaya Etiquette

Call the server: Unlike Western restaurants, izakaya servers do not appear automatically — you call them with "Sumimasen" (excuse me) or press a table call button.

Drink with others first: Pouring your own drink before others have theirs is impolite. Pour for others, let others pour for you.

Don't finish your glass: Especially with sake and shochu — keeping something in your glass means you don't need to be refilled, which is polite.

The shime: End with a rice or noodle course. This is conventional izakaya sequence — drinks and plates throughout, then a closing starch. Leaving without a shime is slightly unusual.

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The izakaya operates on a logic of accumulation — dishes arrive continuously rather than in courses, the evening expands as more is ordered, and the best izakaya evenings end late, full, and satisfied in a way that formal restaurants rarely produce. It is designed for staying. The name says as much.