I was surprised to see the sign of "Ika no Sumi" in Shinjuku, and finally made it there. The exterior of the restaurant had a nice atmosphere, but what surprised me even more was the deliciousness and freshness of the fish from Niigata and Sado Island. On this day, we enjoyed winter flavors and decided to eat Koshihikari rice, starting with a small pot, followed by sashimi, yellowtail shabu-shabu, chawanmushi (delicious), and finally a clay pot tai-meshi (Koshihikari rice). Everything was satisfying.

It was a hands-off experience, so I didn't know the course, but they served a variety of classic Japanese dishes like grilled mackerel, chawanmushi, sashimi, and more. I added the optional local sake, and ended up ordering too much like grilled tilefish, so the meal became too much to finish in two hours. Well, it might be the best place for leisurely drinking.

I reserved a night course for a farewell party for a senior colleague at the company. The fish dishes were delicious! There was a wide variety and the portions were huge! I didn't have much room left when they brought out the bamboo shoot and salmon rice, but I pushed through and managed to finish it. It's been a while since I've had a drinking party where I got so full.

The food was delicious and the staff at the restaurant were wonderful. I ate so much that I can't pick just one recommendation, but the nodoguro sashimi, nodoguro seaweed salt grill, and nodoguro kamado-cooked rice were all worth more than their price. The kamado-cooked rice was a large portion, so I couldn't finish it and took it home, but it was still delicious the next day.

The sashimi assortment and squid dishes at this restaurant are delicious. The sashimi is fresh and very tasty. It goes well with various kinds of sake. The prices are a bit high, but all the dishes are delicious. Otoshi (appetizer) is 600 yen, sashimi assortment is 2980 yen, and sake ranges from 540 to 1000 yen for 150ml.

Visited without a reservation at 5:30 pm on Friday. I didn't have high expectations because the rating on Tabelog was still low, but this place is reliable! There are plenty of semi-private seats, and it's directly connected underground from the station. The appetizer cost 1300 yen (for two people) and you could choose from scallops, shrimp, and octopus tempura. You can enjoy Niigata specialties, and the rice in a pot was so good that we couldn't finish it, so they wrapped it up for us. It seems like a good place for lunch too.

We used to visit this restaurant frequently with colleagues and partners, but in recent years, due to the pandemic, we haven't had many opportunities to come here. However, we decided to visit again after a long time, and three of us, including my partner and friends, went there. The various dishes we enjoyed together were delicious, especially the fresh fish with thick slices that were so fatty and sweet, making us realize once again why this place is special. We also tried the Murakami salmon sashimi for the first time, which paired perfectly with the sake. If you want to taste the seafood and mountain delicacies of Niigata, I highly recommend stopping by this restaurant.

I have visited the underground shop in Shinjuku Minds Tower nearby before, but this was my first time here. According to a colleague who used to work in Niigata and arranged the social gathering, this place used to be a popular izakaya in his hometown and started expanding to Tokyo recently. The course costs 5,500 yen for a 2-hour all-you-can-drink deal. The sashimi platter looks vibrant, along with other dishes like the ones in the photos, side dishes, steamed sea bream, and rice. Beer is also included in the all-you-can-drink deal, but the first toast is served with bottled beer for speed. It was quite satisfying, but the seating was not traditional sunken kotatsu style, which made everyone's back ache.

"Ika no Sumi Shinjuku Minami-guchi" ▶︎ 2-hour all-you-can-drink course for 5500 yen → From June, it has become a summer menu for 6000 yen, highly recommended! Everything is delicious! All-you-can-drink ✨ Casual kaiseki using Niigata ingredients! You can enjoy appetizers, sashimi, steamed dishes, meat, fried food, rice, and every corner ✨ (quite a lot of food!) And everything is delicious, with plenty of sake for all-you-can-drink! Furthermore, it has complete private rooms. If you're drinking in Shinjuku, this is the place to go! ___ The lunchtime nodoguro bowl for 1848 yen is also recommended! It's tastier than eating in Hokuriku! lol ※ Business hours 17:00-23:00 ※ No regular holidays"

I came to Shinjuku and decided to have lunch here. When I arrived at 12 o'clock, all the single seats at the counter were taken. The system here is that you have to take off your shoes before sitting at the counter. For groups of 2 or more, there are table seats available. This time, I ordered the simmered tuna collar set. It was served in about 5 minutes, which was very quick. The set included tuna collar, miso soup, rice, and pickles, and I was very satisfied. The price was just under 1500 yen. The person next to me ordered a set that came with soba noodles. It was delicious.

I had fresh squid sashimi, blackthroat seaperch, appetizers, and clay pot rice. The squid was big and moving for a long time, indicating its freshness. I was happy with the quality of the squid! We also had tempura made with the squid at the end. The third floor had private rooms, which were quiet and nice!

I wanted to eat fresh squid, so I found this restaurant and made a reservation. I asked if they could reserve some squid for me if available, and they kindly agreed. I visited on a weekday night and the place was packed with a lively atmosphere. Most of the tables were occupied by large groups having a course meal with hot pots, making the restaurant quite warm. The appetizer was a DIY grill where you could choose your favorite seafood to grill, and it was delicious! I was planning to order squid, but to my surprise, they hadn't received any for the past 3 months. It turned out they were not a squid specialty restaurant after all! So, I ended up enjoying sashimi and drinking lots of alcohol before leaving. I hope they let me know when they have squid in stock next time!

I often use it when I travel to Niigata. This was my second time at the Shinjuku branch. It was disappointing that there was no live squid or dancing sweet shrimp. As always, everything was delicious. The country-style rolled omelette, which is not in the photos, had a nostalgic taste and was excellent. Also not in the photos, the Tochio fried green onion miso sandwich was also excellent. The closing dish of hegisoba was also good. I was put off by the staff's strong recommendation, which seemed to be part of the manual. Eating and drinking a lot, the total for four people was ¥32,000, which is quite expensive for an izakaya. If I start to miss the taste of Niigata, I might visit again. Thank you for the meal.

I used this restaurant for a drinking party with three colleagues from my previous company. One of them was recently promoted to section chief, so it was also a celebration. It seems that a Niigata restaurant has opened an outlet in Tokyo. The seafood is the main focus. The freshness of the seafood was outstanding, and the specialty "dancing sashimi of live squid" for 3,179 yen had transparent squid. You can choose to have the squid legs and innards as tempura or grilled at no extra charge. The assorted sashimi platter for 4,279 yen was gorgeous with a boat-shaped presentation. Every piece of fish was delicious. The cover charge was 660 yen per person, which is a bit high, but you can choose one item from several options, and I chose the steamed scallops with shells (cooked on the spot), which was delicious. I think it's a unique system. I took about two photos. The total cost was 32,054 yen, with the drink tab at 17,325 yen (26 drinks in total), averaging 6.5 drinks per person. We may have had a bit too much to drink. The food overall is on the expensive side. There were certainly good dishes that matched the price, but for example, the Kurosaki tea beans (essentially edamame) for 858 yen and the grilled shishito peppers for 858 yen were not worth it (I wouldn't have ordered them). Since it was a celebration, we each contributed 10,000 yen, but it ended up being costly, so we had the person being celebrated chip in an extra 2,000 yen. If you carefully select high-quality dishes and go easy on the drinks, the satisfaction level will be even higher. They accept credit cards. Thank you for the meal.

The appetizer includes options like scallops, shrimp, and turban shell, which you can choose to have grilled at your table. Additionally, when you order alcohol, they bring a selection of dishes that pair well with the drinks. Since it's a restaurant in Niigata, there is a wide variety of seafood available. They also serve thick Tochio fried tofu, which reminded me of my hometown. All the dishes were freshly made and very delicious.

Visited for lunch. Sat at the counter and watched the fish being prepared right in front of me. Got excited! The seating space was spacious for one person, which was reassuring. I splurged a bit and ordered the seared nodoguro rice bowl set. The miso soup called "banya soup" had a rich flavor from crab broth, very satisfying. The nodoguro was incredibly fatty and the seared aroma added a nice touch... However, I felt like the portion of nodoguro was a bit small. The sashimi lunch set at the neighboring table looked delicious with thick slices, so I've decided to come back again.

I discovered a stylish and reasonably priced Japanese restaurant near Shinjuku South Exit. They offer all-you-can-drink courses starting from 5,500 yen, but this time I ordered the 6,500 yen course which included nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch). It is a brand under the YONEKURA GROUP, which has multiple locations in Niigata and has even made it into the top 100 restaurants in the area. In Kanto, there are 3 locations - 2 in Shinjuku South Exit and 1 in Omiya. The sashimi platter in the course included tuna, sazae (turban shell), yellowtail, and golden eye snapper, beautifully presented and fresh. The vegetable steamed in a seiro (bamboo steamer) was cooked individually on a solid fuel stove, adding to the atmosphere. The nodoguro with seaweed salt grill was juicy and perfectly seasoned with salt and fat. The giant fried oyster was a bit heavy on the stomach. The final dish, eel rice bowl hittsumabushi, was cooked in a clay pot, making the rice shiny and flavorful. It tasted better eating it as it is rather than with the broth. Despite being a weekday, the restaurant was bustling with reserved customers arriving one after another by 6:00 PM. It seems like a versatile restaurant with good usability, so I will definitely visit again. Thank you for the meal.

When you crave Japanese food, this is the restaurant that comes to mind. The plump salmon is almost boneless and full of meat. The crispy seared skin is irresistible. The combination of sake lees, miso, and fermented foods is a double treat. To combat summer fatigue, I want to actively incorporate hearty Japanese cuisine.

I enjoyed a relaxing lunch at the counter seat with an open kitchen in front of me. I ordered the recommended lunch special of blowfish tempura set. The tempura was crispy and fluffy, and the rice, although generous, was delicious with a sweet taste. I ended up finishing all the rice on its own. I wished I could have made onigiri with the seaweed salt in front of me! The miso soup with a flavorful broth was also a luxurious touch. Thank you for the delicious meal.

I used this restaurant for a company drinking party. The restaurant has private rooms and high ratings, yet the prices are not too expensive, which is really valuable. On this day, we ordered a course with all-you-can-drink for 6,000 yen per person. (The photos are not all of them.) It was great that some dishes were brought first and then divided for each person. We had steamed cherry snapper and scallop cooked rice divided for us on this day. The staff were also clean and professional, making it a perfect place for official drinking parties.

I used the 5,500 yen course. I have been to various restaurants before, but this course was on a different level. The food was very delicious and had a good portion size. I even took the clay pot rice to go. There were over 15 types of sake in the all-you-can-drink menu. I would love to use this place again.