Aitoku

Step through the noren at dusk into the gentle hum of an unpretentious neighbourhood pub. At Aitoku in Hirai, the best way to start is with an array of affordable small dishes arriving in brisk succession. Sip a draft beer or house Aitoku highball alongside refreshing chicken neck meat with ponzu (seseri ponzu), piping-hot fried tofu, and charcoal-grilled skewers like chicken thigh or pork jowl ordered from just 1 skewer apiece, setting an easy, honest foundation for the night. The shochu portion for Hoppy can be ordered as a single or double, letting you settle in at your own pace.

The blackboards and paper slips lining the walls list dishes almost entirely priced in the few-hundred-yen range. The kitchen handles a wide appetite with ease, covering fresh cuts like Pacific bluefin tuna, amberjack, and horsemeat sashimi alongside comforting fried fare such as the house fried chicken known locally as Aitokara and breaded ham cutlets. Ordering small portions encourages trying different combinations without having to limit variety when dining solo.

Toward the end of a round, regular patrons often turn to the house specialty: mug ramen. Steaming curly noodles and wakame sit in a tonkotsu or miso broth served straight in a beer mug, allowing you to drink the hot soup directly in classic, playful down-to-earth tavern style. Alternating bites of noodles with sips of an icy highball makes for a relaxed finish.

While Aitoku operates with the ease and low prices of a tachinomi standing bar, the room is fully outfitted with proper chairs so you can sit back and linger comfortably. Food and drinks are settled on a cash-on-delivery system, keeping spending straightforward and low-stress. The lively dining room allows smoking throughout, making it an inviting place to sink into the easy camaraderie of Tokyo's shitamachi.