What Is Izakaya?

The izakaya (居酒屋) — Japan’s casual drinking establishment — is one of the most important social institutions in Japanese society. Neither a bar nor a restaurant, it occupies a category of its own: a place where colleagues decompress after work, friends celebrate without formality, and the informal, egalitarian side of Japanese social life is most visibly expressed.

What Is an Izakaya?

The word izakaya combines iru (居る, to stay, to be present) and sakaya (酒屋, sake shop) — literally “a sake shop where you stay.” The form evolved from Edo-period sake shops that allowed customers to drink on the premises; over time, food was added to accompany the drinks, and the social gathering space became the primary purpose rather than the retail sale.

An izakaya is fundamentally different from a restaurant in rhythm: you do not order a set meal and leave when it is finished. You order small dishes as the evening progresses — a few to start, more as the conversation deepens, a final item before calling for the check. The pace is entirely yours. Tables are typically booked in two-hour increments (ni-jikan sei) at popular establishments, which limits the time but not the speed of drinking and eating within it.

Almost every izakaya charges an otoshi (お通し) or tsukidashi (突き出し) — a small dish that arrives automatically when you sit down, typically something seasonal (pickled vegetables, tofu, a small salad) that the kitchen makes that day. This is charged to the bill as a table cover charge (usually ¥300–600 per person) and is not optional. Some visitors are surprised to receive and be charged for food they didn’t order; this is the correct and normal izakaya format.

Typical Izakaya Menu

The izakaya menu spans a wide range of dishes, most designed to accompany drinks rather than be a complete meal in themselves. Standard items across most izakaya include: karaage (唐揚げ, Japanese fried chicken — juicy, crispy, with lemon and mayonnaise), edamame (boiled salted soybeans, the quintessential beer companion), yakitori (skewered grilled chicken in multiple cuts — thigh, breast, liver, skin — with tare or salt), takoyaki (octopus balls from a round iron mold), dashimaki tamago (sweet rolled egg omelette), agedashi tofu (deep-fried tofu in dashi broth), and seasonal sashimi plates.

Drinks include nama biru (生ビール, draft beer, almost always served first), nihonshu (sake), shochu (distilled spirit from sweet potato or barley), highball (whisky and soda, enormously popular), and chuhai (チューハイ, a carbonated fruit sour with shochu — lemon, grape, and peach being most common). Most izakaya offer a nomi-hodai (飲み放題, all-you-can-drink) option for an additional per-person charge, typically ¥1,500–2,000 for 90 minutes to two hours.

Izakaya Etiquette

The social conventions at an izakaya are relatively informal compared to formal dining, but a few things matter. The kanpai (toast) at the beginning is mandatory — you do not drink before the table has raised their glasses and made eye contact. Pouring drinks for others before yourself is polite; allowing your guest’s glass to run empty before refilling it is a basic social awareness that Japanese people notice. Never pour your own first glass if others are present.

To call a server, the phrase is sumimasen (すみません, excuse me), said clearly to any passing staff member. Many chain izakaya now have tablet-based ordering and a call button at the table. The check is called okaikei (お会計) or okanjo — announce it to the server when you’re ready. Splitting the bill is common (called warikan, 割り勘) and never awkward; in Japan the custom at izakaya is often to divide evenly rather than calculate individual amounts.

Chain Izakaya vs Independent

Major chains — Watami, Torikizoku (all skewers at one price), Shirokiya, Uotami — offer menus in English (or with photos), familiar environments, and reliable quality. For first-time visitors, they are an accessible entry point. Independent izakaya — particularly the tachinomi (立ち飲み, standing bar) format common around major train stations — offer more authentic local food and a more compressed social atmosphere, but require more comfort with pointing at menu items and communicating without English.