Taste: ★★★★★ Portion: ★★☆☆☆ Cost performance: ★★★★☆ Recommended dish: Popeye (spinach dish) The restaurant opens around 9 pm and serves a style of cooking called "kaku-uchi." The drinks are cheap, with lemon sour priced at 250 yen. The menu includes simmered dishes and ham, but the standout dish is Popeye. It consists of boiled spinach topped with white sesame seeds, chopped bonito flakes, and soy sauce. Wrapping it in a bite-sized piece of seaweed makes it even more delicious. This dish is so good that it's in the top 10 dishes to eat before you die. The restaurant is a hidden gem with good food, cheap drinks, and a friendly atmosphere created by the owner.

Today's drinking party: After work, I visited a shop that I had been curious about along Meiji Street from Ikebukuro to Nishi-Sugamo. I started with some piping hot water dumplings at Gokuraku, then moved on to a standing bar that caught my eye. When I arrived, there were two women and one woman already drinking, and they seemed to know each other. After that, a pair of a man and a woman, and a man came in one after another, and everyone seemed to be acquainted, chatting casually. Ebisu draft beer (240 yen): Since it was a standing bar, I considered getting a canned beer, but I was drawn to the words "Angel's Foam" and decided to go with the draft beer. The foam was indeed fine and fluffy, and you could see the foam mustache after taking a sip. Good foam makes the beer taste better for longer. Stew (400 yen): I tried the stew from the original menu. The tripe was cooked tenderly and the stew had a surprisingly light and delicious flavor. I asked if it was homemade, but it turned out it wasn't. Lemon sour (320 yen): They made it with a slightly stylish mixer (maybe from Meijiya?). It had a strong acidity and was quite tasty. Thank you for the meal.

I finished work and stopped by for a bit. The previous customer was a regular old man. I was debating between draft beer and bottled beer, but ended up choosing draft beer. It was delicious in a chilled glass. I had some hot gyoza as a snack. Draft beer and gyoza only cost 680 yen, which is quite cheap. I would like to visit again.

Visit date: February 15, 2015 in Ikebukuro. Well, I just bought fishing gear. Since I came all the way to the northern part of Ikebukuro, I decided to visit a place I was curious about. "Sake no Tsunoya" is a bit of a distance from Ikebukuro. You can take a bus, but it's also easily reachable by walking. I arrived in front of the store. Yes, this is definitely a "standing bar". It's a regular liquor store with a small counter at the back where you can drink. In the neighborhood, there is also Sanbei Saketen, which is considered a standing bar, but it's a bit different because it's completely separate. Here, it's just as I imagined. I ordered a drink and some snacks. I had an Ebisu draft beer (300 yen) and liver paste (500 yen). The drinks are reasonably priced. The rule is to order at least one dish per person. Cheers with the beer! It's rare to have liver paste at a standing bar. According to the explanation on the wall, it's an "original menu, a real taste made by a professional!! Liver paste 'Sakai' produced." After confirming that, the staff recommended their most popular dish, so I decided to try that too. I ordered some dumplings (300 yen) and enjoyed them with my beer. Just when I was thinking of leaving after a quick bite, some regular customers arrived and started a fun conversation. ...In the end, I ended up drinking until I was a bit tipsy. It's a great place. It would be even better if the location was more convenient. I will definitely come back!

Today, I visited a local neighborhood sake shop. Inside the shop, there is a standing bar where you can drink, but I always hesitated to enter because it was always crowded and visible from the outside. However, today there was only one group, so I decided to go in. I ordered a glass of Ebisu draft beer (300 yen) and looked at the menu. There were so many options available. A regular customer recommended the roast beef (500 yen) as delicious, so I ordered that. After waiting for about 7-8 minutes, the roast beef arrived. It was delicious, perfectly cooked and juicy. I finished my beer, so I ordered a bottle of Kinmiya (669 yen) and a glass of Hoppy Black (140 yen) at the counter. I also ordered 4 pieces of shumai (300 yen). The shumai arrived hot and juicy, perfect with the Hoppy. Throughout my visit, it was mostly locals, and the fact that the shochu bottles are sold at cost made me happy. I will definitely come back for the Kinmiya.

In the spring, when passing by the liquor store near my home, I noticed that it had been renovated to create a cozy atmosphere for drinking. I had been putting off visiting because I wanted to be the first to post a review, but before I knew it, someone else had already uploaded a review. The store, called "Tachinomi Bunji," is actually a standing bar operated by "Sake no Tsunoya." It is located about 550m straight ahead to the left after exiting the North Ikebukuro Station on the Tobu Tojo Line (towards the crossing). It is just before reaching Meiji Street (a little past the Mini Stop). It takes about 6-7 minutes from the station. It is also within walking distance from Nishisugamo Station on the Toei Mita Line (12-13 minutes), Itabashi Station on the Saikyo Line (11-12 minutes), Otsuka Station on the JR Yamanote Line (13-14 minutes), and Sugamo Shinden Station on the Toden Arakawa Line (9-10 minutes). The closest bus stop is the Kami-Ikebukuro 4-chome bus stop, just a 2-minute walk away, which is very convenient as it is the fourth stop from Ikebukuro Station and serviced by many bus routes. The entrance area of the store is a retail space, with a counter for 4 people on the left, and tables for 12-13 people on the right. The store operates on a standing bar concept, so all alcoholic beverages inside the store are available at retail prices. They offer draft beer as well as other alcoholic beverages, but only sell them by the bottle. So if you want to drink something like Hoppy, you can purchase a bottle of Kinmiya, ice, and Hoppy. They also have carbonated water for chu-hai, priced at ¥50. Bottle keep service is free. Payment can be made cash-on or settled later. They offer a selection of high-quality canned snacks and original dishes. The store is open from 17:00 to 24:30, but they may extend their hours if there are customers. On the day before my visit, they were open until 4:00 in the morning! The lady running the store during my early visit was very friendly, and we had a great time chatting about standing bars. She works a few days a week until 11:00 PM. From 11:00 PM onwards, the store is managed by the male owner of the liquor store. The owner is a fan of black music and plays records at night. I ordered the Liver Paste for ¥500, which was produced by "Sakai," the head chef of a nearby Japanese restaurant named Sakai. The Liver Paste had a smooth texture with a unique liver taste that would appeal to liver paste enthusiasts. I was surprised by the variety of crackers they offered, which included crackers, croquettes, and potato chips that went very well with alcohol. The homemade Shumai for ¥300 had a soft texture and a delicious homemade flavor. They also served Black Label for ¥228, Ebisu draft beer (300ml) for ¥220, and Hyoketsu for ¥151. They provided a small amount of ice for the chu-hai as a service. The draft beer options included 300ml for ¥300, 435ml for ¥300, 1800ml for ¥1300, and 10000ml for ¥7000. The lady who served me mentioned that she once bought the 10000ml size for a group of 10 friends to enjoy (haha). The store has a bright atmosphere and friendly service, making it welcoming even for women. I look forward to returning and trying their roast beef and roasted pork made with A5-grade meat as snacks for my drinks. I'm glad I found such a great place in my neighborhood! ===========