To most Americans, Japanese food means sushi. But there's a world beyond raw fish, as the recent izakaya explosion shows. Think of an izakaya (pronounced ee-ZAH-ka-ya) as a Japanese tapas bar: a place to grab drinks and small plates. And while hooch was the original draw of izakayas--from the words i (to sit) and sakaya (sake shop)--the food has driven the boom here.**
Izakaya standards include yakimono (grilled skewers of various ingredients; yakitori refers only to chicken), tsukemono (Japanese pickles), agedashi-dofu (fried tofu with tempura dipping sauce), and that global superstar: steamed edamame.
Here are six of our favorite izakayas in North America:
, 465 K Street, NW Washington, DC; 202-682-3123; eatkushi.com
, 619 Edgewood Avenue SE #101, Atlanta, GA; 678-701-0128; misoizakaya.com
, 243 South San Pedro Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA; 213-621-9500; toranokola.com
, 2491 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA; 415-681-7150; nombesf.com
, 215 SE 9th Avenue, Portland, OR; 503-239-8830; biwarestaurant.com
, 1479 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC; 604-689-4272; hapaizakaya.com