Best Izakaya Food: 20 Dishes to Order at a Japanese Pub

An izakaya is Japan's version of a pub or tavern — a casual drinking establishment where food is as important as drink and where groups of friends, colleagues, and strangers end up spending three hours over small plates and cold beer. The izakaya food culture is built on sharing: you order multiple small dishes (roughly 400-900 yen each) throughout the evening, drinking between plates. Beer (nama biru, draft beer), highballs (whisky and soda), sake, and shochu are the standard accompaniments. Knowing what to order makes your first izakaya experience significantly better.

The Must-Order Izakaya Starters

Edamame — boiled salted soybeans in the pod — arrives within two minutes of sitting down at most izakaya and is the unofficial starting gun of the meal. It is often free or very cheap (200-300 yen) and exists mainly to give you something to eat while studying the menu. Karaage (Japanese fried chicken) is the single most ordered dish at izakaya in Japan: thigh meat marinated in soy and ginger, deep-fried until crackling crispy outside and juicy within, served with mayonnaise and a lemon wedge. A plate of six to eight pieces costs around 500-700 yen.

Grilled Items and Heavier Plates

Yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) is a category of its own at izakaya: order by cut rather than just yakitori. Negima (chicken and leek), momo (thigh), tsukune (meatball), and kawa (crispy skin) are the most popular. Order half with tare (sweet soy glaze) and half with shio (salt) to taste the difference. Gyoza — pan-fried dumplings with a crispy base — are a universal izakaya staple, usually served 5-6 per plate for around 350-500 yen. The Japanese restaurant Gyoza no Ohsho serves a good benchmark version if you want to know what to expect.

20 izakaya dishes every visitor should try

• Edamame: salted boiled soybeans in the pod — the universal izakaya starter, around 250 yen
• Karaage: Japanese fried chicken, marinated in soy and ginger — the most popular izakaya dish in Japan
• Yakitori: grilled chicken skewers — order a mix of negima, tsukune, and kawa for full range
• Gyoza: pan-fried pork dumplings with crispy base, served with soy-vinegar dipping sauce
• Hiyayakko: cold silken tofu topped with ginger, green onion, and bonito flakes — light and refreshing
• Tamagoyaki: sweet-savory rolled egg omelette, often grilled at the counter — softer and sweeter than Western omelette
• Agedashi tofu: silken tofu lightly battered and fried, in dashi broth with grated daikon and green onion
• Sashimi moriawase: assorted raw fish platter — tuna, salmon, yellowtail, squid, usually 5-6 types
• Nankotsu: grilled chicken cartilage skewers — crunchy, savory, an acquired texture that many become addicted to
• Potato sarada: Japanese potato salad, creamier and sweeter than Western versions, with cucumber and sometimes ham
• Niku-jaga: meat and potato stew in sweet soy broth — Japan's comfort food equivalent of a beef stew
• Takoyaki: octopus balls from an Osaka-born street food tradition, now ubiquitous at izakaya
• Shio-yaki fish: whole small fish (horse mackerel or sweetfish) grilled with salt — the cleanest preparation in the kitchen

Most izakaya offer a nominhodai (all-you-can-drink) plan for 90 or 120 minutes, typically 1,500-2,500 yen per person covering beer, highballs, sake, and soft drinks. This is excellent value if you plan to drink more than two or three drinks. The drink first, order food as you go custom means you should feel no pressure to order everything at once. A good izakaya evening costs about 3,000-5,000 yen per person including drinks. To find the best local izakaya in any neighborhood, Tabelog (Japan's restaurant review app) filters by category and shows real customer reviews in Japanese, with some English translation available.