Torimane Main Store @ Kamata A deep, old-fashioned pub with a strong Showa era atmosphere, just a 3-minute walk from JR Kamata Station West Exit. This place is all about cheap drinks. A large bottle of beer (633ml) is only 490 yen, and sake is 200 yen for a cup. It's like the textbook for a cheap drinking spot. The menu is rich with a variety of snacks, including the famous grilled chicken skewers, young chicken tempura, sashimi, stir-fries, fried foods, salads, and more, all ranging from 300 to 500 yen per dish. They also offer a daily special menu for 200 yen. For the finale, they have rice dishes like ochazuke (rice with tea), grilled rice balls, yakisoba, omelette rice, and spaghetti. The restaurant occupies the entire 5-story building, with a total of 170 seats in a large space. The 1st and 2nd floors have counter and table seats, while the 3rd and 4th floors have large tatami rooms for group parties. It's a popular spot among nearby office workers on weekday evenings, but because of the ample seating, you can usually get in without a reservation. Each table is equipped with paper towels, and mini packs of persimmon seeds or beans snacks. There is a seating fee of 150 yen per person for the towels and table charge, but it's much cheaper than the 300-400 yen charge for appetizers. - Bottle of Beer (Large) 490 yen The bottled beer is Asahi Super Dry. Nowadays, even in popular pubs, a medium bottle (500ml) usually costs around 500-600 yen, so a large bottle (633ml) for less than 500 yen is a rare and fair price in this era of price hikes. - Chicken Thigh Tempura 420 yen I wanted to order the famous "young chicken tempura" (500 yen), but it was sold out, so I opted for the chicken thigh tempura instead. The meat is cut and opened to fry easily. It's about the size of a baby chicken, but at this price, it's quite a generous portion. - Scallop Sashimi 200 yen (Special Menu) The special menu for the day was scallop sashimi. The dried scallop is often seen in convenience stores, but having it raw was a first for me. It has a unique crunchy texture. The black dots around the scallop are its "eyes," and apparently, a scallop can have up to 80 eyes. - Grilled Chicken Skewers 1 piece for 100 yen I ordered two skewers each of chicken thigh (dark meat) and duck thigh. You can choose between sauce or salt, and I went with sauce. The chicken thigh has a tender texture with a light and refreshing taste typical of young chicken. The duck thigh has a firmer texture and a rich flavor compared to chicken, giving it a rustic taste. - Fried Autumn Salmon Milt 350 yen This dish features the milt (sperm sac) of fresh autumn salmon. The classic "milt ponzu" at izakayas usually uses cod milt, but salmon milt is more affordable during this season and can also be found in supermarkets for hot pot dishes. When fried, the crispy coating reveals a creamy and rich milt that melts in your mouth.

Upon arriving at Kamata Station, there is a sign visible from the platform. A few minutes' walk from the station, you will find a traditional popular izakaya called "Torimaru" with a Showa-era atmosphere. Even before 5 pm, the restaurant was already packed with customers. Not only does it have a deep nostalgic vibe, but the cost performance is also great. Yakitori for 100 yen each, deep-fried river shrimp for 320 yen, fried mochi for 320 yen, and cheese tempura for 350 yen. There are also other exciting items on the menu like Napolitan for 380 yen. Just looking at the menu makes you feel excited. I ordered what I wanted to eat. I could vaguely hear the conversations of salarymen, creating a nostalgic and pleasant atmosphere.

"Chicken Karaage" is a must-have menu item for sure. It's crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. However, it's quite big, so if two people share it, you might get full just from eating this. Also, the "Fugu Shirako" was incredibly delicious. It looks simple, but the right amount of saltiness and sweetness can be tasted, and it goes well with alcohol. The shredded cucumber and grated daikon served on the side are a nice touch.

I dedicate all the incomplete combustion at Itoya here!! I dedicate all my passion here!! I took the position behind the uncle who looked like Kishibe Shiro, smoking with vacant eyes, who was the first in line at the store 15 minutes before opening! Five minutes before opening, there was already a line!! For some reason, the man at the front, who was alone, didn't sit at the counter but went upstairs. Huh! A fairy?? Was he someone who shouldn't be seen?! He even ignored the staff and went upstairs?! Thanks to that, I got the best spot at the end of the counter! "Black liver sashimi," "Squid tartare," "Sand liver karaage," "Shumai." Actually, I wanted to eat the famous chicken karaage, but it looked difficult to eat and was big, so I gave up!! A bold move not to eat chicken at Torimaru! Oh! There's sand liver. Lemon sour! Shikuwasa sour! Lemon sour! I drank and by the time I left the restaurant, I was quite well done w. As we were doing that, I received a message "Is there no second round?" and replied "There's always a second round!" and headed to Yurakucho! The party continues!!

Today, I was planning to visit a shop near Keikyu Kamata Station, but when I arrived at the intended shop, the "preparing" sign was hanging... Unfortunately, I will have to try again another time. So, I apologize for the inconvenience, but I decided to visit the old-fashioned izakaya called Toriman, which I had visited before. Personally, it reminds me of the atmosphere of Yopparai in Jimbocho, which unfortunately closed down during the pandemic. When you come here, you must absolutely order the chicken karaage for 500 yen. It is absolutely delicious. I can't express or describe how tasty it is. It comes with a generous portion, including thigh, wings, and wing tips, all freshly fried and piping hot. This alone can keep you satisfied for over an hour... haha. If you love karaage, you can even come here just to eat this dish without drinking alcohol. The waitresses on the floor are friendly and kind, making it a very comfortable place to dine. The cost performance is also excellent. Thank you for the meal. I will definitely visit again.

Yesterday and today I had a business trip to Tokyo. Since I have work early this morning, I stayed overnight yesterday. The work location is near Toranomon, but last month I found a charming shop in the Kamata area, so this time I went all the way to Kamata to enjoy some drinks. The first place I went to was "Torimane," where I had a bottle of beer (large bottle: 490 yen). Before pouring, the glass was chilled properly, so it had tiny water droplets on it. I also had the simmered chicken skin (300 yen), which was delicious and affordable. Next, I tried the fried chicken (500 yen), which is a popular dish at the restaurant. It was a huge piece of fried chicken, and it was enough to make me full. Since I was already quite full, I decided to take a short break before heading to the second place.

It seems to be a popular restaurant, so I walked quickly under the scorching sun to arrive by 4 pm. There were 2 customers waiting before opening time, and by the time the restaurant opened, there were 7-8 people in line. I was seated at the counter and ordered a large bottle of Super Dry beer for 490 yen. The appetizer was a "scallop vinegar miso" as today's special, and for the yakitori, you can order 4 sticks (you can choose 4 different types individually). I ordered chicken thigh, liver, tsukune, and duck leg. After sweating, the beer was refreshing, and the scallop vinegar miso and yakitori were delicious. I resisted ordering more because I had another place in mind, but the simmered dish I ordered next was also delicious. Truly a long-standing establishment. The bill came to 1590 yen! Thank you for the meal.

Located behind Don Quijote in Kamata, this long-established single-storey restaurant is a popular spot for day drinking. It gets crowded early, possibly because the bottled beer, which is not too cold, takes a while to be restocked. However, considering the prices, this is not a big issue. You can order dishes for around 400 yen each, and the taste is consistently good. Highly recommended for those who enjoy going on pilgrimage to sacred drinking spots.

It's been a while since I came to Kamata, so I chose a highly rated restaurant on Tabelog. The first bottle was a bit warm, but all the appetizers were delicious. They have a wide variety of shochu-based drinks, and I enjoyed shochu highballs, lemon sours, and many others. Definitely worth a revisit!

I visited while feeling a bit tipsy. Started off with a "draft beer," but the glass seemed a bit dirty. It had a faint smell of vinegar... Forcing myself to drink it, I ended up ordering a draft beer set haha. As always, there was a lot of beer in the glass, making me feel more and more intoxicated. The grilled salmon belly had a good portion size, and the grilling was perfect. It had the crispy texture I like. Thank you for the meal.

Childhood friend members attended a memorial service and decided to offer a toast at a new place in Kamata! [Exterior] Ta-da! It looks like this... Arrived at JR Kamata Station at 4 pm on a weekday! Headed to this place near the west exit! [Interior] Ta-da! It looks like this... Although it was just opened, the interior was almost full! We were led to the top floor here! The lighting has a nice Showa era feel to it! Please refer to this scroll menu for the menu details! [Bottled Beer] On a scorching hot day, I avoided beer and selected this one! The party has started! [Chilled Sake] Ta-da! It looks like this... I quickly switched to this one! (laughs) [Chilled Tomato] Ta-da! First, I chose my favorite this one! It was delicious! [Chilled Tofu] Ta-da! Next, I chose this one! It was delicious! [Edamame] Ta-da! Next, I chose this one! Had a little bit! [Fried Chicken] Ta-da! Next, I chose this dish, which can be called the specialty dish here! The big-sized fried chicken is almost like a whole fried chicken! [Eating the Fried Chicken] Scooped some onto a small plate... took a bite... crunch! Hmm... the well-fried fried chicken allows you to enjoy the flavor of the chicken! [Grilled Chicken Skewers] Ta-da! Next, I chose this one! I didn't order the specific part, so I will skip that part due to the possibility of incorrect information! 100 yen per skewer is super cheap! After this, although I didn't take photos, I enjoyed chilled sake while nibbling on red clam sashimi, thick tofu, pickled cabbage, and more! Kamata, where such a classic Showa era izakaya still exists, is a fantastic area! I had a great time teasing and playing with the lady in charge of the third floor here while enjoying the sake! (laughs) I had a delicious meal and was happy on this day too!

Kamata is a place where I can relax and unwind. I decided to have dinner right in front of the hotel, as I'm not in the mood to go out exploring. There are plenty of dining options around, but I chose a place where I can have a budget-friendly meal. I ordered their specialty, which is fried chicken similar to KFC. It's a bit difficult to eat, but it's quite addictive. Overall, it was a satisfying meal.

I visited a restaurant with a senior colleague who recommended their delicious fried chicken. The place had a lot of snacks that seemed perfect for drinkers, with menus covering the walls. The fried chicken was amazing, freshly cooked and satisfying. We also enjoyed yakitori, jellyfish, and blowfish skin with beer, highballs, and lemon chu-hi. For dessert, we had some tasty spaghetti. However, the only downside was that highballs at these traditional restaurants are not always great.

I visited the famous izakaya restaurant "Toriman" in Kamata that I had been curious about for a while. I arrived at the restaurant around 7:30 pm on a Friday night, expecting it to be full, but luckily I was able to sit at the counter on the first floor as a solo customer. The retro Showa era atmosphere of the restaurant was charming, with various menus posted all over the walls, all priced in the 300 yen range. From the wide selection of menus, I ordered the specialty dishes of fried chicken, yakitori, and hoya sashimi. Unfortunately, the chicken skin and liver skewers were sold out, so I also ordered grilled sweetfish, salt-grilled ayu, complimentary sasakama, cabbage, grilled rice balls, bottled beer (large), highball, and lemon sour. The large bottle of beer was 490 yen, and the sasakama was 200 yen. The portion of cabbage was surprisingly large for 320 yen, and the fried chicken, which was the restaurant's specialty, was as big as a fist and unlike anything I had seen before. The hoya sashimi was fresh, tender, and delicious. The total bill, including the drinks, was in the 3000 yen range, and I was satisfied with the amount of food. The menu variety and affordable prices make me want to come back again.

I had ramen at Mahoro Basya around 4 p.m., then checked into the hotel to rest before heading out into the city. Around 6 p.m., I wandered around the bustling JR Kamata Station area and decided to try the "Torimanhonten" restaurant. The interior was almost full, but there was one seat available at the counter where I was seated. I started with a bottle of beer, which was only 490 yen for a large bottle. Quite affordable. Now, onto the food. You can order yakitori starting from 4 skewers. I had 2 tsukune and 2 duck thigh skewers. The tsukune was fluffy, while the duck thigh was juicy and flavorful. And of course, when drinking in Tokyo, you can't miss out on simmered dishes. It's usually just written as "simmered" on the menu, so as a Kansai person, I always wonder "what kind of simmered dish?" while ordering. It was only 280 yen, incredibly cheap but very delicious. It would probably be tasty poured over rice as well. Looking around for the next dish, I noticed that most people were ordering fried chicken. However, the fried chicken was huge. It seemed like it would be too much to eat anything else after that. Since I wanted to visit another restaurant, I decided to skip the fried chicken and ordered chicken nanban instead. It was like chicken nuggets with tartar sauce and a lot of cabbage underneath. The place was constantly full of customers, and I was turned down multiple times due to it being fully booked. After a seat next to me became available, a young woman sat down alone and quickly drank two large bottles of beer. I quietly left and headed to the next restaurant.

I was drawn in by the aged appearance of the restaurant and decided to go in. I ordered a draft beer and was served a pickled plum as a complimentary side dish. I was worried because everything was so cheap, but the freshness and taste were better than I expected. It was a Friday night when I visited, and the first floor was full with several groups of people waiting.

A long-established izakaya located near the west exit of Kamata. The restaurant has three floors and is always bustling with customers. The interior has a retro izakaya atmosphere, with pickled vegetables placed on the table as a complimentary starter. The menu is very affordable, with most items priced in the 300 yen range. I started with a Super Dry draft beer and some Korean seaweed. The yakitori skewers were only 100 yen each and were decent for the price. The mackerel for the closing dish was absolutely delicious. It had a strong flavor but was well-balanced and had a high level of quality typical of a long-established restaurant. The curry croquette was creamy and satisfying. This old-fashioned izakaya in Kamata offers great value for money. It seems like a popular spot for people to have a quick drink and then head home.

After 6 years, I visited the restaurant on a Saturday at 5 PM. It was packed, so I had to wait for 15 minutes. I was guided to a tatami room on the third floor. The atmosphere inside was very calm. The waitresses were quick to assist. I ordered mackerel, simmered dish, fried chicken, and a large draft beer. They had a mega size for the beer, but it was too late. The mackerel was just to my liking. The fried chicken was incredibly delicious. Feeling good, I added grilled chicken liver, thigh meat, gizzard, stir-fried mushrooms and eggs, and another large draft beer. Was this restaurant always this good? I've come to understand better as I've gotten older. The fried chicken was gentle on my old man's stomach. I will definitely come back.

Just near Kamata Station, there's a super cool atmosphere izakaya called Toriman Honten. The main store has up to the 4th floor. I went in right after it opened and managed to squeeze into one of the two available seats, as both the counter and table seats were already full. The interior is really cool. The menu is filled with a variety of dishes like sashimi, fried skewers, simmered dishes, perfect for pairing with drinks. While enjoying bottled beer, my friend's favorite dish arrived - crispy chicken skin! So good with beer, right? We also ordered simmered dishes and fried tofu. After having sake, the next thing I wanted to try was squid sake! Full of squid flavor - even the squid shiokara was delicious. My mouth was filled with squid squid squid. Amazing! Despite the rainy weather, I wanted to order more dishes. So many tempting options. I'd love to come back and take my time next time.

I came to Kamata for a daytime drink on my day off. When it comes to Kamata, it has to be the long-established Torimaru. It's been quite a while. It's almost full on the first floor near evening, but I managed to secure a table. I ordered a Hoppy. There are numerous paper strips on the wall, making it hard to choose a side dish. Tuna sashimi, marinated horse mackerel, and since I'm here, I decided to go with chicken dishes, so I ordered cartilage karaage and chicken karaage. The chicken dishes had the usual satisfying texture. Truly a great chicken restaurant. There are many bars in Kamata, but if you come here, you'll leave satisfied.

I visited a restaurant that was also featured in Yoshida Rui's "Sakaba Hourouki" for my second stop. We were greeted with a warm towel and complimentary edamame. Our order for the day included draft beer, blowfish skin ponzu, chilled tofu, and young chicken Karaage. The vinegar dish was particularly delicious that day, so we added octopus vinegar. The specialty Karaage at Torimaru was bone-in and had a generous amount of tender and juicy meat. It was delicious. It's recommended to order it early as it can sell out quickly. Thank you for the meal. I will visit again.