IZAKAYA 居酒屋
Izakaya, a Japanese style pub, or bar, which translate to “stay-sake-shop”. A place to grab a drink, saty in, and get comfortable. Sounds about right, yeah!
Early years Izakaya was only a liquor store, or a brewery, and they only sold alcohol, but not until the 17 century, the izakayas in the Edo region (today´s Tokyo) started to let people sit in the store and drink alcohol. Blue-color workers such as the daily workers, the truck drivers, as well as the famous rickshaw workers, who had a very simple life and low income, so going to Izakayas became the place to unwind with friends and co-workers after work. More and more Izakayas popping up the Edo region and they can´t really rely on selling alcohol alone anymore, so they started to shift their whole business model from a liquor store into a bar
The blue-color workers working in the region were mostly single and they don´t really cook at home because cooking back in the days were not so easy, and also they have been working labor-drop all day already. so the Izakaya saw this business opportunity and started to sell small entrees in their restaurants and that´s how eating out in the Izakayas become the new normal
Izakaya had finally transformed totally from the liquor store into a restaurant where general public eat and the menu in Izakaya also become more and more abundant. According to a document they have been serving a lot of tofu, edamame, fish dishes, as well as soup, the famous miso soup. Meat was spoken of as taboo, unclean or something to be avoided by personal choice, gradually by the late 18th century, with the western influence they started to include more meat and egg in their diet. So the Izakaya also started to sell the braised beef, as well as the grilled chicken and pork skewer besides seafood.
Typical dish that you will see in Izakaya right now will be salads, sashimi, chicken skewers, grilled food, various of fried food, even creative dishes and dessert, In addition japan has strictly banned drunk driving and the underage drinking, so a lot of Izakaya restaurants nowadays also provide a non-alcohol beverages in order to serve these types of needs, therefore the boundary between restaurant and Izakaya has become increasingly blurred.
So whats the difference between Izakaya and restaurant, In principle Izakaya must have alcohol which the normal restaurant may not, the general purpose of a restaurant is to let the guest dine but in an Izakaya you should let the guest dine, also sit drink and chat for a longer period of time. Generally restaurants are open during the lunch, afternoon, and dinner time, and closing hours will be a little bit early, which in Izakaya is normally open during the dinner time until late night.
People going to Izakaya in Edo period were low-income labourers however during the modern time Izakaya has become everyones favourite, especially the middle-class office worker. It has not just become the eatery to relax and chat with their friends and families, but also for socialising. In contrast to a normal restaurant and Izakaya is informal dining with variety dishes at affordable pricing, and besides that Izakaya has open vibrant environment so you can be as loud as you really want and not worry about affecting others.
Sometimes its heart ranching when we see big chain restaurants in the west on extreme price hunt with corporate and celebrity gimmicks for foods that are below average, these are preying in the name, and on the very soul of Izakaya; – an affordable eatery and drinks environment from every walk of lives.
IZAKAYA FOOD
At its core, Izakaya food is anything that goes well with drinks, typically Izakaya menu features tasty, unpretentious food and beverages. Food is mainly smaller dishes that you can share and that aren’t too filling. Prices are generally reasonable, so you can try a wide variety of items without breaking the bank.
Tsukemono – pickles
Goma-ae – sesame dressed vegetables, or salads
Edamame – grilled, or steamed salted soybeans
Yakitori – grilled chicken skewers
Kushiyaki – grilled meat or vegetable skewers
Yaki Nasu – grilled Japanese eggplant
Yakisoba – Stir-fried noodles
Kara-age – deep-fried chicken
Tebasaki – deep-fried, or grilled chicken wings
Grilled fish (such as hokke) – grilled mackerel, grilled black cod
Tempura – deep-fried vegetables
Agemono – deep-fried squid, fish, prawns
Izakaya sushi & Sashimi – assorted nigiris, makis, raw slices of fish
Age-dashi tofu – tofu deep-fried in soup
Gyoza – steamed, or fried dumplings
IZAKAYA DRINKS
Beer, whiskey, sake, and simple cocktails make up the bulk of the drinks menu, don’t go in expecting microbrews or fancy cocktails. Japanese tend to love to order beer first, and there’s a phrase that is often used; Toriaezu bi-ru, which means “I’ll start off with a beer”, beer is the first drinks, and the second common drink you will find at Izakaya is Japanese sake, sake can be served cold or warm and there are many varieties offered from cheap to special seasonal ones. You can order by the glass or have it served decanter style to share or enjoy by yourself. Japanese sake pairs really well with fish and grilled foods.
Umeshu (plum wine), Sours (spirits + soda water + fruit juice, the most popular one is lemon sour), whiskey Highballs, Shochu (a spirit from rice and sweet potatoes) and chuhai (shochu + soda water + fruit juice) are the unique and popular alcoholic beverages other than sake or beer that you can order at Izakaya.