8 Izakaya in Kamata Worth Coming Back For

Toriman belongs on any shortlist for a drink in Kamata. It’s an old-school neighborhood izakaya through and through. The women serving here can be a little brusque, to be honest. But I like that. Nothing feels staged for tourists, and nobody is putting on an exaggerated welcome. To me, the attitude is that the food can speak for itself.

The menu is full of straightforward dishes I want to eat while drinking. There’s no need to order to impress anyone here. Pick what you feel like eating, get the drink you like, and enjoy yourself. That’s exactly what I want from this kind of izakaya.

If polished service and stylish presentation come first for you, Toriman may divide opinion. But ask me to name one place that captures Kamata’s drinking scene, and it’s immediately in the running. I like the atmosphere precisely because it hasn’t been tidied up into something too perfect.

There was a time when I could say, “Shall we go to Itoya?” and just walk in. These days it gets really busy. Sometimes I wonder when it became quite so popular. Honestly, there’s a slightly bittersweet feeling when somewhere you’ve known for years starts drawing a crowd. It was never my private discovery, of course, but that’s how it feels.

Even so, I still want to come here when I’m in the mood for motsuyaki—grilled pork and offal skewers—in Kamata. The skewers are a draw, but plenty of the other dishes go well with a drink too. I like being able to break up the skewers with whatever else catches my eye. It has everything I enjoy about a good izakaya.

I’m not recommending it because it’s busy. For me, the reasons to keep going were there before the crowds arrived. I miss being able to drop in so easily, but I understand why people keep coming. For motsuyaki in Kamata, Itoya stays on my list.

Uokichi is an easy place to choose. There’s yakitori, sashimi and most of the things I want from an izakaya menu. And it isn’t just a place that happens to serve everything: what I order tastes good. That matters. A long menu on its own wouldn’t bring me back.

The location right by Kamata Station’s East Exit helps too. When a few of us are meeting for drinks, somewhere easy to find makes a difference. I use places like this quite often, where everyone can order what they like. If one person wants fish and another wants yakitori, neither has to compromise.

I can start with sashimi and then decide I want something grilled. That’s a natural way to drink here. Restaurants built around one particular craving have their place, but Uokichi’s strength is that we can decide what to eat after we’ve all arrived. It’s useful to have in mind when I’m the one choosing the venue.

BEETLE feels a little pricier than Kamata’s more traditional neighborhood bars. But the atmosphere is excellent. It keeps much of their appeal while feeling cleaner and easier to walk into. It’s a place I can readily recommend to younger drinkers or anyone spending their first evening in Kamata.

I don’t choose somewhere just because it’s cheap. I’m happy to pay a little more if the food and atmosphere make it worthwhile. If I’m going out for a drink, I want to enjoy the time I spend there, and BEETLE gives me that. It’s also an easy place to bring someone who isn’t used to old-school izakaya.

It offers a different kind of evening from somewhere like Toriman. I don’t think one style is inherently better; I choose according to my mood. Kamata deserves to be known for more than cheap drinking, so I wanted a place like this among my picks.

I’m a big fan of Osayan when I want to drink over grilled offal. I often order pork tongue and shiro, or pork intestine. Those two really make me want another drink. This is the place that comes to mind when I want to snack on offal over a beer, rather than work my way through a huge meat feast.

This isn’t a formal, high-end yakiniku dinner. I grill the offal, enjoy the smoke and the atmosphere, and drink beer or highballs. Even the wait for the meat to cook becomes part of the evening. I love that way of drinking, and it feels right at home in Kamata.

I’d dress casually and settle around the tabletop charcoal grill rather than turn up in clothes I was worried about. There’s no need to overthink it: order the cuts you like and your favorite drink. For an evening of grilled offal in Kamata, I recommend Osayan. Pork tongue and shiro are well worth considering.

Kurihei is away from the station, on a residential street. A husband and wife run it, and I like its local feel—it’s quite different from the busy places around the station. If you come to Kamata determined to visit only the well-known names, you might never find it. But this is exactly the sort of place I want to introduce.

My particular favorites are niratama, eggs with garlic chives, and rebanira, stir-fried liver with garlic chives. Neither is a flashy dish. But when a place makes familiar food taste this good, I trust it. I don’t need something unusual every time I go to an izakaya. Doing the everyday dishes well counts for a lot with me.

The lively streets around the station are part of Kamata’s appeal, but they aren’t the whole story. Walk a little farther and have a drink in a neighborhood place. Kurihei shows that side of the area. I recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxed evening rather than the biggest sign or the latest fashionable menu.

I’ve been to Hachimaru many times. One thing I especially like is the zashiki seating area: you sit on the floor, and there’s no sunken space under the tables. That makes it easier to bring children. On one of my visits, there were children running around that area; the atmosphere felt welcoming to families.

The yakitori is cooked over charcoal, with a lovely grilled aroma and plenty of flavor. I don’t choose this place only for the seating; I enjoy the food too. I can make yakitori the focus and add some sashimi along the way. When I’m settling in for a longer evening, I appreciate having those options.

It works for a family meal in Kamata as well as a lively get-together with a larger group. I keep it in mind for both. I like how comfortable and unceremonious it feels to spend time in that floor-seating area.

The last place I want to include is Motsuyaki Den. If I’m talking about Kamata’s pork-skewer places, I don’t want to stop at Itoya. A different bar changes the feel of an evening, and I like having a few options to suit my mood.

The photo shows a bottle of Sapporo Lager—the red-star label known as Akaboshi—macaroni salad and another small dish. I like this kind of combination. An izakaya doesn’t need a table full of showpieces to be enjoyable. A few small plates, a bottled beer, then some motsuyaki: that way of drinking suits Den very well.

Eighth place doesn’t mean I included it reluctantly. Each of these eight places gives me a different reason to visit. If I want to grill offal myself, I choose Osayan; for grilled pork skewers with a drink, Itoya or Den comes to mind. For me, the fun of drinking in Kamata is having those choices, rather than declaring one place the only answer.