Ootaru (大樽) is a pretty famous nomiya (飲み屋), a place to drink lots and eat little, down in Naka-meguro. It’s just outside the Naka-meguro on the Toyoko Line. You can even see if standing at the northern end of the platform. See if you can spot Ootaru from my earlier sakura post.
Do you like visiting nomiya-s? Or have you ever been to one?
They are usually very noisy places. People drink, talk and make lots of merry. ^^. You know how it is right? The more you drink, the louder your voice becomes.
The establishment has Sapporo beer on tap. My favorite is Yebisu, but Sapporo is pretty close. There’s an Yebisu beer museum in Ebisu if you’re interested in the beer’s history.
Ootaru is known for its cheap drinks and eats. I noticed that Ootaru hires quite a number of foreign staff too. I saw quite a number of Indian (my best guess) staff waiting and the in the kitchen too.
Like most nomiya-s, they have their menus on their wall, together with autographs of celebrities who have visited the place.
I have some friends who don’t like octopus and squids because of the rubbery texture. How about you? I lurve eating both. This disk you see here is called su-da-ko (酢だこ), octopus that has been soaked in vinegar. It’s a great appetizer and always available, although not right now, over the new year period.
I came in for yakitori. It was really good. Further in the photo, you see su-na-gi-mo (砂肝), chicken gizzard. Another one of my favorites. This reminds me, when I went to nomiya-s with a few french friends, I was told to stay away from the menu because I kept ordering all the strange stuff, according to them anyway. ^^. Seriously, I don’t understand why you can have duck liver but not chicken liver.
No problems when I go out with my Japanese friends though. I have free access to the menu all the time.
What do you think? Would you want to give this place a try if/when in Tokyo?
Related posts... maybe:
- Japanese beer in 4 sizes
- Ebisu #1 Yebisu Beer Museum
- Sakura beer cans
- Banraiken 2nd stage ramen
- Sakura a little late
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Tags: nakameguro
yeah I’ll defiantly give it a try when I go Japan, it looks likes a pretty nice place to eat.
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I avoid going to nomiya and izakaya during school weeks.
They give me headaches and i’d miss/be late for school the next day, affecting my attendance :<
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Livers??? Yeah, stay away from the menu ! :p
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looks awesome. ~dw
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Totally! I have no clue when I’ll be able to visit Japan again, but this is definitely the type of place I’d want to spend an evening in. Yummy beer and yummy octopus
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