Izakaya what is

Most of their dishes contain chicken since Tori in Japanese means that, chicken but they also have more variety like potatoes or fried cheese, ramen, vegetables, cold dishes, etc. In addition, the tablet have photos of each of the dishes, so if you have doubts and do not know what you are asking, the photo can help you. How to enjoy izakaya in Japan like a local.

Anna Update: Apr 10, If I had to describe izakaya food in one word it would be variety. It gives you the opportunity to try a wide variety of dishes without stuffing yourself on the first. That is salt or sauce flavor. The sauce is usually a soy sauce-based mixture created in-house — each izakaya having their own taste most are slightly sweetened. Izakaya typically offer quite a wide variety of adult beverages not often found outside of Japan. This can be quite a bit different than what you may be used to back home.

Some shops will have a call button you can push to send the staff running to your table. So what do you do? With the other, you hold up a finger count of how many you want of that item. This is where things start to get interesting.

The normally reserved Japanese people start to show their personalities. Izakaya can often be boisterous and loud with lots of laughter and conversation. A small break from life for a moment. Because of this, izakaya are usually loud. Not like a sports stadium, but not quiet. Pretty much every Japanese person is comfortable with numbers one through 10 in English, but any higher and it depends on how much they enjoyed English in school.

Depending on the style of izakaya —or simply where you're placed—you may be seated at a regular table, at a bar, or on straw tatami mats. If you've got tatami , you'll have to take off your shoes before stepping on the mats some places will give you a little locker for your shoes; keep the little tab in your pocket to retrieve them later.

Most tatami rooms will have a hole in the floor under the table, so you'll still have a place to put your legs. If you're in a truly classic tatami room, you may find no hole in the floor, and you'll have sit cross-legged or kneel in seiza! This is pretty rare nowadays, but it can happen from time to time as you can see in the photo above. After a while, most people will stretch out, so just put up with your cramped legs for a few minutes, then ask if it's okay to extend your legs just indicate your legs and say, "Ii desu ka?

You'll probably be given an oshibori wet towel upon sitting down, which you should use to clean your hands. A nice oshibori will be refreshingly cool in the summer and satisfyingly warm in the winter, though cheap spots may just give you one made of paper.

You'll also probably receive a very small appetizer called an otoshi or possibly tsukidashi if you're in the Kansai area. This will be charged to your table, so don't be surprised at the end! Izakaya are also typically attended by large groups of friends or colleagues and are not really a spot to go an an intimate date. And although there are no rules against it, going to an izakaya by yourself is not really done! With a few exceptions, izakaya are not the place to be a wine connoisseur or a craft beer snob.

For more on drinks, skip to the drinks and etiquette section. A note for vegetarians though is that the dish often has meat or fish in it. However, if there are peeps waiting to get in, the izakaya may impose a 2-hour limit from when you arrive. When the 2 hours is up, they may ask you to leave so that new customers can take your table. Pro tip: Join a Shinjuku bar-hopping tour for a fun introduction to the world of izakaya.

The typical izakaya drink is cold draft beer served in a jockey glass tankard. Typically the waiter will ask if you prefer your drinks to be amakuchi sweet or karakuchi dry before giving you a recommendation.

Often, the izakaya will serve it in a beer tankard so you can clink glasses with your fellow diners. Just make sure no one accidentally tops up your glass of tea with some beer! Before you imagine devouring a small mountain of succulent sashimi on a pittance, you should take note of the restrictions. As with the drinks, your orders will be restricted to the cheaper items on the menu.

However, if you just roll up without a booking, you can often avoid the compulsory course.