Ohiriya

Browse the menu and you will find familiar izakaya standards given clever, unexpected touches. Potato salad is enlivened by crunchy pickled takuan radish and fragrant curry powder, while wood-ear mushroom namul delivers a brisk, pleasing snap—both designed to spark conversation from the very first bite. Small plates that invite another sip are plentiful, including creamy avocado with chili oil and thick cuts of octopus with cucumber bathed in a green chili sauce.

Grilled and fried dishes show a similar flair. Sausages grilled with sake lees pair savory char with a rich, fermented depth, leaving a lasting impression. Crisp tulip fried chicken wings, crab cream croquettes, and deep-fried Tochio tofu topped with natto and Chinese chive soy sauce round out the cooked selections with reassuring substance.

Served year-round, the oden is simmered in a light, clean broth driven by aromatic bonito flakes. Rather than sticking strictly to tradition, the kitchen finishes each ingredient—starting with tender simmered daikon—with distinct sauces or toppings. Alternating bites of broth-soaked ingredients with slowly simmered chicken skin stew makes for an easygoing rhythm over drinks.

The beverage selection includes draft beer and fresh lemon sours, as well as sake poured chilled or at room temperature, natural wines, and characterful shochu distilled from brown sugar or chestnuts. To finish, diners can opt for a soft, fluffy egg hot dog or a comforting bowl of broth-poured kake-meshi rice.

The dining room is a compact, understated space made up of a counter and a few tables, accommodating solo drinkers as comfortably as small groups. Because evening seats tend to fill up quickly, making an advance reservation is recommended.