IKEBUKURO SELECTION
Start with what you want to eat.
Fish one evening, skewers the next. Photos, maps and food suggestions help you choose between places on the east and west sides of the station.
Komorebi — Ikebukuro
Come in for fish, and you might choose the whole meal at once.
When we meet in Ikebukuro, we rarely have the whole menu planned. Komorebi, my first pick, is useful on those nights. Seafood and robata-style grilling are the focus, with sushi available to finish. The large sign makes it easy to describe to first-time visitors. I like being able to choose grilled fish or sashimi according to my mood.
The hearth inside the counter is a feature of the room, giving me something to look forward to while the food cooks. For me, the appeal is enjoying sashimi and grilled seafood in the same meal. A cooked dish changes the pace after raw fish. With a group, I share a little of each and try to leave room for sushi later.
There are counter seats, tables and private rooms, which helps me match the setting to the people I’m with. A couple of us can talk over individual dishes; a group can share larger plates. I like everyone choosing something that appeals to them. Opening from noon makes it an option for lunch or an evening gathering. It’s a good first stop on Ikebukuro’s east side when I want to give the food proper attention.
- Address
- 1F, Ikebukuro AK Building, 1-2-9 Higashiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
- Getting here
- About 3 minutes on foot from Ikebukuro Station’s East Exit
- Hours
- Noon–midnight; last food orders 11 pm, drinks 11:30 pm
- Food highlights
- Robata-style grilled dishes, sashimi, sushi & oden
Ikebukurokko Izakaya Oretachi no Toriton
The name says “ours.” Who gets the last chicken meatball?
I don’t want choosing a skewer bar to be complicated. My second pick, Oretachi no Toriton, is somewhere I choose for casually sharing yakitori. Chicken and scallion, neck, gizzard and tail cover familiar favorites, so friends with different preferences can find something. An assorted platter works, or we can choose individual cuts. The only awkward part should be deciding who gets the last one.
Beyond the yakitori, there are pork-wrapped vegetables, pork tongue cooked at a low temperature and chicken meatballs served with egg yolk. I like being able to vary the meat dishes rather than keep ordering the same kind of skewer. Pork-wrapped lettuce brings a different texture, while a plated tongue dish changes the rhythm of the table. Ordering vegetables doesn’t necessarily stop me adding more meatballs, though.
It’s on basement level two of the Daiichi Nakano Building in Minamiikebukuro. Sending the entrance photo and floor helps everyone find it. The 5 pm–5 am hours make it useful for a late meeting after work, and private rooms give groups another option. What I want here is an easy evening where the skewers and conversation keep coming.
- Address
- B2F, Daiichi Nakano Building, 1-20-9 Minamiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
- Getting here
- About 2 minutes on foot from Ikebukuro Station’s East Exit
- Hours
- 5 pm–5 am; last food orders 4 am, drinks 4:30 am
- Food highlights
- Yakitori, pork-wrapped vegetables, slow-cooked pork tongue & chicken meatballs with egg yolk
Kureya — Ikebukuro
Beef tongue or octopus? A good decision to make over dinner.
Third is Kureya on Ikebukuro’s west side. The specialties include beef-tongue yaki-shabu and octopus shabu-shabu, dishes to gather around and cook as you eat. I like choosing a place like this when I want to share one central dish rather than keep adding skewers. The pot gives the meal a comfortable pace and something to enjoy between conversation.
Being able to choose tongue or octopus is part of the appeal. There are appetizers and small plates too. Several signature dishes can tempt me to order everything, but I prefer choosing one main focus for two people and a wider combination for a larger group. Deciding what to share should be part of a relaxed evening.
It’s on the fifth floor in Nishiikebukuro 1-chome. On my visit I could smoke cigarettes at the table. It feels different from a street-level neighborhood bar, and I choose it when I want a more leisurely meal. Private rooms make it useful for enjoying both food and conversation. Small dishes let me adjust the amount without losing the shared pot as the center of the meal.
- Address
- 5F, 1-38-3 Nishiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
- Getting here
- About 3 minutes on foot from Ikebukuro Station’s West Exit
- Hours
- Weekdays 11:30 am–3 pm & 5–11 pm; weekends & holidays noon–11 pm
- Food highlights
- Beef-tongue yaki-shabu, octopus shabu-shabu & Japanese small plates
Yakiton Chikuzenya — Ikebukuro
When the menu promises a giant portion, count your group first.
Fourth is Yakiton Chikuzenya. It has the red-lantern, casual-izakaya feel I want for an easy start over skewers. Both pork skewers and yakitori are available, so chicken and pork fans don’t have to agree on just one. “Let’s start with skewers” is a simple plan that works. We can stop debating the restaurant and start discussing salt or sauce instead.
I can keep it light with skewers and a cold dish, or order the oversized “baka-mori” portions of fried chicken and fries. I like having that range. The names make no attempt at restraint, so I try to bring a little of my own when ordering. Slow-cooked meat dishes and offal hotpot also let me turn a snack-and-drinks visit into a full meal.
It’s in Minamiikebukuro, on the same side of the station as Toriton and Yamato, but each has different strengths. I recommend Chikuzenya for a lively group sharing large plates. It opens from 2 pm on weekends and holidays, which also makes daytime plans possible. I try not to use up our entire appetite in the first order.
- Address
- 1F–2F, Minamiikebukuro Ogawa Building, 1-19-10 Minamiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
- Getting here
- About 3 minutes on foot from Ikebukuro Station’s East Exit
- Hours
- Weekdays 4 pm–midnight; Sat 2 pm–midnight; Sun & holidays 2–11:30 pm. Second-floor seating closes at 11 pm.
- Food highlights
- Grilled pork skewers, yakitori, offal hotpot & fried chicken
Yamato — Ikebukuro
I came for beef tongue. Then I noticed the tuna.
Yamato, my fifth pick, is somewhere I choose when I want to build a meal around beef tongue. But tuna and sushi also appear on the menu. That makes it useful when meat lovers and seafood lovers are at the same table. People who said they would eat anything often find a much clearer preference once the menu arrives.
I like being able to pair thick-cut tongue with sashimi or small sushi rolls designed to go with drinks. The fish gives me a change between meat dishes. Tongue rolls offer another preparation of the same ingredient. If I book a course, I check that it includes the food I want rather than choosing by price alone. Ordering favorites gradually keeps some enjoyment in reserve for later.
Yamato is on the third floor of the Ikebukuro Bronze Building. Private rooms make it useful for a settled meal with friends, and the noon–midnight hours cover daytime meetings as well as after-work visits. Its strength for me is adapting the table to everyone’s tastes. There’s no problem starting with beef tongue and ending up talking about the fish.
- Address
- 3F, Ikebukuro Bronze Building, 1-23-11 Minamiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
- Getting here
- About 2 minutes on foot from Ikebukuro Station’s Exit 40
- Hours
- Noon–midnight; last food orders 11 pm, drinks 11:30 pm
- Food highlights
- Beef tongue, tuna, small sushi rolls & tongue rolls on skewers
Uokichi Sakaba — Ikebukuro
Start with sashimi. Save a little room for the rice.
Sixth is Uokichi Sakaba’s Ikebukuro branch, at Higashiikebukuro 1-chome. This is separate from the Uokichi branches in other areas. When I want a seafood-focused meal, I appreciate the choice of sashimi, grilled dishes and pot-cooked rice. The large Uokichi Sakaba sign is a useful landmark. Once we have a first order, I like adding the dishes that interest the people I’m with.
Tuna, robata-style grilled seafood and kamameshi—rice cooked in its own pot—let me stay with fish through the whole meal. With salmon and salmon roe or eel among the rice choices, it feels a shame to fill up too early. Finding a rice dish just after declaring I only want a snack is a familiar change of plan. Choosing the finish early helps me order the rest more sensibly.
It’s a short walk from the station and has private rooms. For two, I narrow the choices; with a larger group, we can share both sashimi and grilled dishes. I like it for an evening that stays in one restaurant from the first toast to the rice. A broad menu makes a little restraint worthwhile.
- Address
- 1F, Nasuno Building, 1-7-4 Higashiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
- Getting here
- About 2 minutes on foot from Ikebukuro Station’s East Exit
- Hours
- Noon–midnight; last food orders 11 pm, drinks 11:30 pm
- Food highlights
- Tuna, sashimi, robata-style grilled dishes & kamameshi
Toyodaya — Branch No. 3
Specify Branch No. 3. It makes the first toast easier.
Seventh is Toyodaya’s Branch No. 3. It’s one of my choices for an old-fashioned neighborhood-izakaya atmosphere in Ikebukuro. I can begin with pork or chicken skewers and add whichever small dish catches my eye. No elaborate plan needed. Send the branch number and address, not just “Toyodaya,” so nobody ends up at another branch.
Skewers and stew make an easy evening. I like that lack of fuss, ordering a little at first and adding something from the day’s menu later. Some nights, having no bigger decision than chicken or pork feels like a luxury. We talk, the plates empty, and the next dish gives the conversation another turn.
There’s counter seating, so I consider it for a solo drink as well as a meal with friends. It’s in Nishiikebukuro, so agree to meet on the west side rather than the east. Payment is listed as cash only. Seventh place doesn’t mean it must be the last stop: if skewers and stew are what I want, I’m happy to begin here.
- Address
- 1-41-2 Nishiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
- Getting here
- About 4 minutes on foot from the north-exit side of Ikebukuro Station
- Hours
- Mon–Sat & holidays 3 pm–midnight; Sun 2 pm–midnight. Usual last orders 11 pm.
- Food highlights
- Pork and offal skewers, yakitori & stew
