Best Japanese Izakayas Around the World

Hozenji Yokocho Sake Counter ★ 4.8

The dozen izakayas lining Hozenji Yokocho are visible from Dotonbori but entered by only a fraction of tourists. Moss-covered walls and lanterns.

Why locals goThe alley is ten metres from Dotonbori canal but down a passage easily missed without looking for it.

Raku ★ 4.8

Raku in Las Vegas is Mitsuo Endo's Chinatown izakaya since 2008, a binchotan-charcoal robata room that drew chefs from the Strip on their nights off.

OrderThe agedashi tofu, made in-house daily, and a run of robata skewers picked at the counter.

TipBooking is essential; the room is small and the line cooks slow when the counter fills. After-hours kitchen runs to 03:00.

Raku (Spring Mountain) ★ 4.8

Raku on Spring Mountain in Las Vegas is the Mitsuo Endo izakaya that draws Strip line cooks after midnight, robata until 03:00 and a tofu made fresh.

TryRobata skewers, agedashi tofu, the line-cook industry plate

TipBook 24 hours ahead or arrive after 23:00 for the bar; agedashi tofu, kurobuta pork belly skewers and the soba salad are the standing late-night order.

Two Ten Jack ★ 4.8

Patrick Burke's Eastland Avenue ramen and izakaya counter in East Nashville serves the city's reliable late-night bowl: tonkotsu, miso, karaage and sake.

TryTonkotsu ramen and izakaya plates

TipFriday and Saturday kitchen runs until 23:00; happy hour 16:00-18:00 covers $5 small plates and discounted sake.

Hôntô ★ 4.8

Hôntô is the moody basement izakaya through a black door on Alden Street. Otsumami small plates, yakitori, deep sake list, open Mon-Sun late.

SignatureOtsumami small plates, Yakitori skewers, Sashimi selection

Rintaro ★ 4.8

Rintaro in San Francisco is Sylvan Mishima Brackett's Mission izakaya, with handmade soba, a robatayaki grill, and a sake list that pulls from small.

Why locals goMission izakaya from chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett; bookings are hard, but the bar room takes walk-ins and runs the full menu.

TipWalk in for the bar room at 18:00; the kitchen runs the full menu but you do not need a reservation.

Tenma Izakaya Backstreets ★ 4.7

Over 200 izakayas packed into the alleys behind Tenmangu Shrine; entered almost exclusively by local workers, largely unseen from Tenjinbashi-suji.

Why locals goThe alleys are parallel to the main shopping arcade and one turn away; no tourist signage.

Umami ★ 4.7

Umami on 38th Street in Lawrenceville serves izakaya skewers and ramen in Pittsburgh. A lantern-lit room with a koi pond patio off Butler Street.

OrderA spread of yakitori, a bowl of ramen and a Japanese highball.

TipThe koi pond patio is the seat. Late kitchen on weekends; walk-in friendly midweek.

UNI ★ 4.7

Ken Oringer's UNI inside the Eliot Hotel runs a contemporary Japanese izakaya and omakase counter in Boston's Back Bay since 2002, expanded in 2016.

Book2 weeks ahead

Nagahori ★ 4.6

The world's first Michelin-starred izakaya (one star since 2010); Shigeo Nakamura cooks dashimaki tamago and roasted chicken to careful izakaya standard.

OrderRoasted chicken, Dashimaki tamago, Sake pairing

Kingyo Izakaya ★ 4.6

Kingyo Izakaya on Denman is Vancouver's reference modern izakaya since 2008, named one of Canada's best Japanese rooms by Air Canada's enRoute in 2014.

OrderStone-grilled gyu tan and buta kakuni, the kitchen's standout izakaya plates.

TipLunch walks in. Dinner books on OpenTable a week out; the chef's counter takes the omakase.

Dachi ★ 4.6

Dachi on East Hastings is a counter-style izakaya since 2018 with a deep sake list and seasonal fish, Michelin Bib Gourmand 2022 and a Vancouver Magazine top.

OrderThe kitchen's fish crudo from the daily list, then yakitori skewers with a glass of sake.

TipTock reservations open 30 days out; the counter walks in for the early seating.

893 Ryotei ★ 4.6

The Duc Ngo's 893 Ryotei on Berlin's Kantstrasse cooks Japanese-Peruvian izakaya plates and runs a sushi counter; the dining room serves until late.

OrderThe yellowtail sashimi with yuzu-truffle, the black-cod miso, and the chef sushi omakase.

TipBar counter for omakase is the best seating; book eight weeks ahead via the website.

Sushi Izakaya Gaku ★ 4.6

Sushi Izakaya Gaku on South King is the long-running Japanese izakaya in Honolulu with sashimi, robata grill plates and the cult-favourite buta no kakuni.

OrderThe chef's sashimi selection and the buta no kakuni braised pork.

TipReservations open one month ahead. Order the day's specials board first; chef cuts the best fish for early diners.

Izakaya Minato ★ 4.6

Izakaya Minato on Washington Avenue opened 2017 from Chef Thomas Takashi Cooke, with binchotan-grilled yakitori, donburi bowls and a deep sake list.

OrderA flight of yakitori from the charcoal grill, then the chicken karaage.

TipTuesday to Saturday 17:00-21:30. Resy reservations open 30 days ahead.

Euskalduna Studio 1 ★ ★ 4.6

Euskalduna Studio in Porto's Bonfim is chef Vasco Coelho Santos's eight-seat counter, a Michelin-starred izakaya-style tasting menu of fermentations.

OrderThe chef's surprise menu; trust the kitchen.

Book4 weeks ahead

TipClosed Sunday and Monday. Eight seats only; book exactly four weeks ahead at 10:00.

Izanami at Ten Thousand Waves ★ 4.6

Izanami serves elevated izakaya plates and one of North America's deepest premium-sake lists inside the Ten Thousand Waves spa, off Hyde Park Road.

SignatureNami burger with wagyu, Black sesame noodles, Robata-grilled skewers

Uoshin Nogizaka ★ 4.5

Uoshin Nogizaka in Tokyo is the seafood izakaya where the boat-shaped sashimi platter feeds four. Direct buying from the Toyosu auction floor each morning.

OrderThe big sashimi boat platter; grilled saba and aged tuna are the through-line.

TipWalk-ins only after 17:00; bring cash for the cover charge. Other Uoshin branches in Shinjuku and Shibuya.

Ippuku ★ 4.5

Michelin Bib Gourmand 2026. Binchotan yakitori with heritage chicken, house-ground soba and a shochu list. Counter seating near Downtown Berkeley BART.

Kemuri Tatsu-ya ★ 4.5

Kemuri Tatsu-ya in Austin is the Tatsu-ya team's Japanese-izakaya-meets-Texas-BBQ mash-up on East 2nd, a Michelin Bib Gourmand kitchen with sake list.

OrderThe brisket ramen; the tonkotsu broth runs into the BBQ kitchen and back out.

TipThe sake list is unusually deep for a BBQ-leaning room; ask the bar to route a flight from Junmai to Daiginjo.

Izakaya Den ★ 4.5

Izakaya Den in Denver is the Kizaki brothers' South Pearl izakaya next door to Sushi Den, a small-plates and yakitori room with the same Toyosu Market fish.

OrderYakitori from the binchotan grill and the wagyu carpaccio.

TipWalk-up only at the bar. The dining room takes bookings; the kitchen closes at 11 pm, later than most South Pearl rooms.

Jingisukan Daruma Honten ★ 4.4

Daruma Honten's Susukino dome grill runs to 05:00. The post-izakaya jingisukan close: single-cut lamb, the tare sauce, and a beer at the small grill.

TrySapporo-cut jingisukan

TipCash only; queue starts 17:30; after midnight is the local time.

Tasca Kome ★ 4.4

Tasca Kome in Lisbon's Baixa: a Japanese-run kitchen on Rua da Madalena, serving takoyaki, salmon zukedon and ika somen sashimi, no fusion gimmicks.

OrderSalmon zukedon if you only have time for one bowl.

Zuma ★ 4.4

Zuma in Miami is Rainer Becker's modern Japanese izakaya at 270 Biscayne Boulevard Way, on the Miami River at the Epic Hotel, open in Brickell since 2010.

OrderRobata-grilled black cod miso, the dish carried across every Zuma globally.

TipSit on the river terrace at sunset; the indoor robata bar is the chef-counter alternative.

Yopparai ★ 4.4

Yopparai on Clinton Street runs the Lower East Side's most serious sake bar in New York City. 70 by-the-cup sakes, izakaya snacks, 25 covers.

OrderSake flight of three small cups and the daily sashimi.

TipSake flights run with three-paragraph notes per pour. Bring patience and a friend who reads.

Sumire Susukino ★ 4.3

Sumire's late-night Susukino branch is the city's standard post-bar ramen close. Same miso broth as the Nakanoshima honten; one minute from the subway exit.

TryMiso ramen

TipOpen until 03:00 weekdays and Saturdays; perfect bookend to an izakaya crawl.

Gaijin Izakaya ★ 4.3

Gaijin Izakaya brings small Japanese plates to Cagliari on Via Giacomo Puccini, a narrow room of skewers and donburi that the Gambero Rosso guide rates.

OrderA run of skewers off the charcoal counter.

TipOnly four days a week, Wednesday to Saturday, and both sittings are small, so book ahead rather than walking up.

Ponshya Santoku ★ 4.3

A standing-counter sake bar and oden room in a renovated Kyoto machiya. Chicken-paitan oden broth, 30-sake list and the Japanese-only blackboard menu.

OrderChicken paitan oden and sake flight of three

TipOpen until 01:00 weekdays, late dinner spot. Standing only, no reservations.

Ichicoro Imoto ★ 4.3

Ichicoro Imoto downtown is the izakaya sister of Ichicoro Ramen, with yakitori, sushi rolls and a sake program from the same Seminole Heights ownership.

OrderYakitori skewers, the chicken karaage, and one of the spicy tuna rolls.

TipBar seats are first-come; the sake list rotates monthly Walk-ins usually OK.

Ichicoro Ane ★ 4.3

Ichicoro Ane in Tampa Heights is the izakaya sister of Ichicoro Ramen, with sushi rolls, robata grill items and a sake list across from Armature Works.

OrderSpicy tuna roll, robata yakitori and a sake flight.

TipWalk to Armature Works after; the patio takes overflow Walk-ins usually OK.

Hiro ★ 4.3

Hiro in Antwerp is an informal Japanese izakaya on Napoleonkaai overlooking the MAS. Located in Eilandje. Priced at €€€. Booking recommended.

OrderThe omakase counter seat; the chef builds plates around the day's fish and a short list of Japanese-inspired.

TipSit at the counter to follow the knife work. The basement room is louder; reserve upstairs for a quieter dinner.

Isari ★ 4.2

A Hosui-Susukino seafood izakaya leaning on the morning catch at Otaru and Hakodate. Sashimi platters, seasonal nabe and a Hokkaido sake list.

OrderEight-cut sashimi platter with the day's market catch.

TipCounter and small private rooms; reserve a Friday seat a week ahead.

Kiraku ★ 4.2

Hidden izakaya behind a Telegraph address (unit B at the back). Seasonal small plates, yakitori, nightly specials. No website. Minimum $15 per person.

Sake Bar ★ 4.2

Sake Bar is a japanese izakaya room in Kruununhaka. Order in rounds the izakaya way and let the sake list lead. Small and popular, so book a seat ahead.

Why locals goA small, low-lit izakaya on a quiet Kruununhaka street with a deep sake list and grilled skewers, the kind of room you only find if someone tells you.

TipOrder in rounds the izakaya way and let the sake list lead. Small and popular, so book a seat ahead.

Yamamori Izakaya ★ 4.2

Yamamori Izakaya on South Great George's Street in Dublin, the basement izakaya under the long-running ramen room, the city's most credible robata bar.

OrderRobata-grilled mackerel, a round of yakitori, and the basket of karaage to share.

TipThe basement runs late on weekends; the upstairs is the lunch room. Highballs at the back bar are €6 in happy hour.

Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu ★ 4.1

Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu in Tokyo is the wood-beamed izakaya famous as the Kill Bill restaurant inspiration. Yakitori, soba and a dramatic two-floor room.

OrderMixed yakitori platter, soba and an Asahi pilsner.

TipReservations recommended. Open daily 11:30-03:30. Lunch sets are calmer and cheaper than dinner.

Nonbei Yokocho ★ 4.1

Nonbei Yokocho in Tokyo: Drunkard's Alley north of Shibuya Station, 40 tiny standing counters that seat four to six, locals only after 21:00.

Why locals goDrunkard's Alley north of Shibuya Station, 40 tiny standing counters that seat four to six, locals only after 21:00.

TipCash only at most counters; look for English-friendly signs. Many counters charge 500-yen seating fees.

Kirakutei ★ 4.1

An izakaya in Kyoto pairing fresh seafood from Maizuru Port with Kyotamba chicken plates. Karasuma-side address, almost everything under 1,000 yen.

OrderMaizuru sashimi mori-awase platter for two

TipReservations recommended on weekends. Lunch from 11:30, dinner runs to midnight.

Seven Lucky Gods ★ 4.1

Seven Lucky Gods runs all-day izakaya plates, sushi and highballs on the top deck of Cargo 2 at Wapping Wharf, Bristol, inspired by Tokyo's izakaya bars.

OrderKorean fried chicken with a yuzu highball; add sashimi if the counter is on.

TipThe top-deck terrace at sunset is one of the harbour's best cheap seats; pull up a stool and order too much.

Gono Go Kawaramachi Sanjo ★ 4.0

A rare late-night izakaya in Kyoto that runs until 05:00 most days. Slow-cooked pork trotter, oden plates and the after-shift crowd from Pontocho counters.

OrderToroton pork trotter with house oden

TipCash and card accepted. Walk-in seats easiest 03:00-05:00; closed lunch.