12 Izakaya in Ueno for Food, Drinks & a Cigarette

Ueno Gyoko

Sashimi, grilled seafood & a full table

A seafood feast in Ueno. The main hazard is ordering too much.

If the group wants fish, Ueno Gyoko is my first choice. The signs for sashimi, raw oysters and grilled seafood make its appeal immediately clear. I like that directness. Sashimi platters, oysters and skewers let me build a meal without making everything raw. “Gyoko” means fishing port, but the meeting point is simply Ueno 6-chome—no boat required.

Having both sashimi and cooked dishes makes it easy to keep seafood at the center. If someone spots yakitori and changes their mind, we can add a few skewers without reconsidering the whole venue. I prefer leaving a little room on the table, so we can still act on another recommendation later.

Salmon-and-salmon-roe clay-pot rice is an option to finish. I like being able to turn a seafood-and-drinks evening into a full dinner. On my visit, I could enjoy a cigarette with the meal without interrupting the conversation by leaving the table. If I’m planning on rice at the end, I keep the early order a little lighter.

Address

6-9-16 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Food highlights

Sashimi, oysters, grilled seafood, skewers & clay-pot rice

Hours

10 am–5 am

Motsuyaki Nikomi Yariki

Stew, pork skewers & Kinmiya shochu

The photograph shows the Shingari branch. The address and map below are for that branch too.

With “stew” in the name, the first order is already half decided.

When I want to begin with stew and pork skewers, Yariki’s sign is reassuring. The yellow sign and lanterns quickly turn my thoughts from restaurant comparisons to how many skewers to order. The photo is of the Shingari branch. Yariki has several nearby locations, so include the branch name when meeting friends. I’d rather everyone arrive at the same table, not merely in the same neighborhood.

The specialty is skewers made with pork delivered from Shibaura, with Kinmiya shochu used in its chuhai drinks. I like the simplicity of a stew and whichever cuts I fancy. There’s no need to turn dinner into a challenge to try every cut. Sharing and adding a few at a time makes it easy to manage how much we eat.

If someone dislikes particular cuts of offal, I ask before ordering. For me, the convenience is starting with stew and skewers, then adding dishes to suit the evening. No elaborate plan required. Opening times differ between weekdays and weekends, so I check the hours as well as the map if we’re meeting during the day.

Address

6-13-7 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo — Shingari branch

Food highlights

Grilled pork and offal skewers, with a choice of cuts, plus stew

Hours

Official hours: weekdays 3–11:30 pm; Sat noon–11 pm; Sun noon–10 pm

Horumon Sakaba

Pork skewers, stew & sashimi

The name promises offal. The menu has room for sashimi too.

Third is Horumon Sakaba. The name points to meat and offal, but signs outside also advertise fresh fish and sashimi. If one person wants meat and another wants a little seafood, both can be happy here. That flexibility is a reason I choose places like this.

My recommendations are the offal stew and an assortment of pork skewers. Choosing between liver, heart, tongue and cheek is part of the fun. I like sharing a platter first, then ordering more of the cuts we want. Some individual skewers have minimum-order quantities, so check those against the size of your group.

I included it because skewers can anchor the meal while other dishes break things up. It’s especially useful when people disagree over meat or fish. Once the first plates arrive, I can eat and have a cigarette, then talk about the next dish instead of the next venue. Signs in the entrance photo show the prices and hours when it was taken.

Address

1F, Ono Building, 6-13-5 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Food highlights

Offal stew, pork skewers, yakitori & sashimi

Hours

10 a.m.–5 a.m. the next day

Izakaya Kanoya — Ueno Main Branch

Casual izakaya, skewers & tuna

Some nights, a broad izakaya menu is all the planning I need.

Fourth is Izakaya Kanoya’s Ueno main branch. The blue awning and wooden signs suit a spontaneous stop in the area. Skewers, seafood and warm dishes mean I don’t need to decide the whole meal beforehand. Work fills enough of my schedule; sometimes I want to choose dinner only after opening the menu.

I like the range from a three-part tuna platter to chicken and pork skewers. It makes the first order easy with both seafood and meat fans at the table. Tofu with fresh nori seaweed gives me a quieter dish between the main plates. Not everything on the table needs to compete for attention.

It opens before noon, so I consider it after a walk through Ameyoko too. I could smoke cigarettes during my visit and enjoyed staying in one place for the food and a smoke. The official information lists cash-only payment. A phone may get me to the restaurant, but I still need my wallet at the end.

Address

6-9-14 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Food highlights

Tuna, chicken skewers, pork skewers & tofu with fresh nori seaweed

Hours

Official hours: 11 am–11 pm; occasional closures

Toriman — Ueno

Yakitori, oden & chicken dishes

I came for skewers. Then the oden caught my eye.

Fifth is Toriman Ueno. Even when I’ve decided on yakitori, a sign for oden—ingredients simmered in broth—can change my plans. It’s useful when I want skewers with something warming alongside. This branch is on B1F of the Watanabe Ueno Building. Share the floor as well as the name when arranging to meet.

Alongside yakitori, there are boiled dumplings in chicken broth and oden. I like being able to add a broth-based dish instead of making the whole meal grilled food. If an all-you-can-eat offer interests you, check what it covers and how ordering works before assuming everything is included.

I enjoy a restaurant where I can arrive thinking about skewers and switch to oden halfway through. If one person wants more grilled food and another wants something in broth, neither needs to compromise. Sharing a dish at a time works well with a group. Once we’ve settled the skewer count, choosing the oden is a much more agreeable agenda than anything from the office.

Address

B1F, Watanabe Ueno Building, 6-13-2 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Food highlights

Yakitori, dumplings in chicken broth & oden

Hours

Listed hours: noon–midnight; last orders 11:30 pm

Tachinomi Takioka

Standing bar, stew & an easy stop

No chair required for an enjoyable drink.

Sixth is Tachinomi Takioka. As the name suggests, this is a bar where you eat and drink standing up. I find it better suited to a stop while walking around Ueno than a long, seated dinner. It works between shopping or before meeting someone, and that different pace is why I wanted it among the twelve.

A warming dish such as stew can anchor a drink without needing many plates. I like that simplicity. Rather than crowd the counter, I finish what’s in front of me and then order more. Even a short stop deserves something good to eat. I just try to remember the next appointment before “a quick bite” gains another three dishes.

It opens in the morning, so it isn’t only an evening option. It’s cash only, and I check my wallet before going. I could smoke cigarettes here on my visit too. The standing-bar format has a different rhythm from a seated izakaya, and that ease is part of why I choose it. I start by deciding on one dish, not planning to settle in all night.

Address

6-9-14 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo — Main Branch

Food highlights

Stew, grilled pork skewers & small plates

Hours

Listed hours: 7 am–11:30 pm. Confirm opening days with the bar.

Yakitori Taisho — Ueno

Grilled skewers, beef tongue & casual drinks

I had decided on skewers. Then I spotted the beef tongue.

Seventh is Yakitori Taisho in Ueno. Wooden tables make an easy setting for sharing food and drinks with friends. Even if I choose a restaurant for its skewers, other meat dishes give us more options. A group arriving with identical appetites is about as rare as a group where everyone arrives at precisely the same time.

There’s grilled tongue, boiled tongue and tongue stew. I like having those different preparations alongside the skewers. Changing how an ingredient is cooked makes sharing more interesting. Being able to add dishes gradually is another practical strength.

The restaurant is on the first floor of the building at 6-13-6 Ueno. Other restaurants occupy other floors at the same address, so send the floor in your meeting message. I can build the meal around skewers or tongue and let everyone choose something they like. It suits a group where the tastes differ but the plates are shared.

Address

1F, 6-13-6 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Food highlights

Yakitori, other skewers, grilled beef tongue & boiled tongue

Hours

10 a.m.–midnight

Niku no Ohyama — Ueno

Minced-meat cutlets, croquettes & meat dishes

A meat cutlet or a croquette? A small decision that can take some time.

Eighth is Niku no Ohyama in Ueno, run directly by a meat wholesaler. The range extends from menchi-katsu and croquettes to steaks and Japanese-style hamburger steaks. It can suit a quick snack or a proper meal. The standing area at the front and the indoor restaurant are different setups, though, so decide which sort of visit you want.

My recommendation is the menchi-katsu, a breaded minced-meat cutlet. The official menu has Yamitsuki, Special and Takumi Wagyu versions, so even that choice has options. If I want a croquette too, I’m inclined to share. My resolve to have “just one” can weaken in front of a tray of fried food.

I could smoke cigarettes on my visit here. I think differently about using the frontage for a light snack and the restaurant for a fuller meal. Both have their appeal. Closure information also differs between the two areas. Knowing what I want to eat and how long I want to stay makes the decision easier.

Address

6-13-2 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Food highlights

Minced-meat cutlets, croquettes, steaks & Japanese-style hamburger steaks

Hours

Official hours: Mon–Sat 11 am–11 pm; Sun & holidays 11 am–10 pm. Closure days differ between the frontage and indoor restaurant.

Hanabi — Ueno

Pork-wrapped vegetables, yakitori & meat-topped sushi

I ordered vegetables. They happen to be wrapped in pork.

Ninth is Hanabi in Ueno. Pork-wrapped vegetables offer a change from my usual yakitori: enoki mushrooms, scallions, lettuce and tomatoes are among the choices. They neatly combine my intention to eat some vegetables with my unwillingness to give up the meat.

I can vary the vegetables on the skewers and add yakitori or another plate. That makes the skewer selection more interesting. Seared meat-topped sushi and oden also let me turn it into a fuller meal. Listing everything I want at once would make a very long order; I’d rather start with a few dishes and keep some choices for later.

Hanabi is on the second floor of the building at 6-13-6 Ueno, above Taisho on the first. Check both the entrance and floor. I like the freedom to begin with vegetable rolls and wander toward yakitori or sushi. That variety is a reason to choose it. A plan to eat vegetables can easily turn into several meat dishes, but that’s a small detour I’m happy to enjoy.

Address

2F, 6-13-6 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Food highlights

Pork-wrapped vegetables, yakitori, seared meat-topped sushi & oden

Hours

Listed hours: Mon–Thu 2 pm–midnight; Fri–Sun, holidays & days before holidays noon–midnight

Yakitori Bunraku

Yakitori, garlic miso & stew

Salt or sauce? Garlic miso gives me a third answer.

Tenth is Yakitori Bunraku, established in 1958 beneath the railway tracks in Ameyoko. The glowing signs and surrounding bustle are part of its character. That setting is itself a reason I choose it for an Ueno evening. I come for the life of the street, not a hushed private room.

The seasonings catch my attention: garlic miso, garlic sauce and mustard miso. I enjoy choosing the flavor as well as the cut. There’s beef-offal stew too, so I recommend it for an evening of skewers and stew. An assorted platter makes an easy start. Garlic might briefly remind me of tomorrow’s appointments, but it rarely ends the discussion about tonight’s order.

It’s listed as cash only, with no reservations, so I allow some flexibility and bring money. For me, Bunraku’s pleasure is choosing yakitori seasonings while enjoying the neighborhood’s energy. Being able to smoke on my visit was another reason to include it. If garlic miso makes dinner take a little longer to choose, I don’t mind.

Address

6-12-1 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Food highlights

Garlic-miso yakitori, other chicken skewers & beef-offal stew

Hours

Official hours: weekdays noon–11 pm; weekends & holidays noon–10 pm. Summer and New Year closures apply.

Uokichi Sakaba — Ueno

Bluefin tuna, sashimi & shellfish

I meant to order sashimi. The shellfish looked tempting too.

Eleventh is Uokichi Sakaba Ueno. Rows of wooden tables make it easy to share plates with friends. The seafood choice is broad: bluefin tuna, other sashimi, sushi, oysters, scallops and clams. I like meeting for fish and still having plenty of room to choose according to our mood.

The shellfish options alongside the sashimi are one reason I pick it. Pairing raw fish with cooked seafood changes the meal without leaving that focus. With several people, I can try a little of more dishes. The last piece sometimes gets trapped in a round of polite offers; I think whoever wants it should simply say so.

It’s on the first floor at 6-13-7 Ueno. There are similarly named restaurants in other areas, so specify the Ueno branch when meeting. I could smoke cigarettes here and consider it for a meal and a smoke together. The broad seafood menu works for the kind of gathering I enjoy: sharing dishes and taking our time choosing the next one.

Address

1F, 6-13-7 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Food highlights

Bluefin tuna, sashimi, sushi, oysters, scallops & other shellfish

Hours

Open 24 hours

Shunzo — Ueno

Beef tongue & clay-pot rice

Finish with clay-pot rice. Remember to leave room for it.

Twelfth is Shunzo Ueno. I wanted a final option for a substantial meal of beef tongue and clay-pot rice, beyond fish and skewers. Thick-cut charcoal-grilled tongue and a rice pot with tongue and Kujo scallions are available. Spotting the final dish early makes me more selective about the starters. I enjoy planning a meal backward like that.

Rice gives the evening a proper dinner finish. Asking about portion size and cooking time at the beginning makes ordering easier. A tongue dish, a few lighter bites, then rice: I like building toward the finish gradually. The menu may have endless choices, but my appetite has limits.

Shunzo is on the third floor of the Watanabe Ueno Building. There are several similar-looking signs nearby, so match the floor to the map. Having clay-pot rice is one reason I choose it when the group wants a full meal. I’d rather leave room from the start than have the pot arrive after everyone is already full.

Address

3F, Watanabe Ueno Building, 6-13-2 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Food highlights

Charcoal-grilled beef tongue & clay-pot rice with tongue and Kujo scallions

Hours

Listed hours: noon–midnight; last food orders 11 pm, drinks 11:30 pm