Best Izakaya Nakano: 5 Must-Try Spots Loved by Locals

If you only have one night to drink and eat well in this part of Tokyo, make it count in Nakano.

The best izakaya in Nakano rarely show up on tourist maps. The scene here runs from a 60-year-old counter bar that serves one fish a day to a tuna specialist booked out a month ahead — and finding the good ones takes a bit of local knowledge. We used our BUZZ SCORE method to track down spots with genuine, lasting support from people who actually eat here regularly. This is what we found.

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At a Glance

#	Shop	Best For	Price	Reservations	BUZZ
1	第二力酒蔵 — Dainichikara Shuzo	Sake & seasonal fish at the counter	—	Check before visiting	★★★½
2	酒と飯 でべちょ — Sake to Meshi Debecho	Oysters, sashimi & housemade noodles	—	Recommended — book via TableCheck (see More info)	★★★
3	マグロマート — Maguro Mart	Whole-tuna omakase drinking	—	Recommended — book via TableCheck (see More info)	★★★
4	大衆酒場NONDAKUREジョージ — Taishu Sakaba NONDAKURE Joji	Teppan & yakitori, groups welcome	¥3,000–3,999	Check before visiting	★★★
5	常笑 — Tokiwara	Sake selection & value small plates	—	Check before visiting	★★½

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Why This Izakaya List Is Different

Every guide to Nakano has an opinion. Ours is backed by a score.

The BUZZ SCORE is our in-house evaluation framework. We look at how a restaurant gets talked about across Japanese food communities, specialist blogs, Tabelog, and cross-language guides — then score each venue on five things: source diversity, expertise density, review depth, repeat visits, and staying power over time. A place can be widely known or barely mentioned outside the neighborhood; what matters is whether real, recurring, substantive support exists.

The five izakaya below each passed that test. They cover different styles, price points, and vibes, because a good night out in Nakano doesn’t look the same for everyone.

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1. 第二力酒蔵 — Dainichikara Shuzo

A counter bar that has been pouring sake since 1962 — come here for one fish, chosen daily, and the sake to match it.

Quick Facts

• 📍 Location / Nearest station: Nakano Station (North Exit), JR Chuo Line
• 🕐 Hours: Hours vary — check before visiting
• 💴 Budget: —
• 📅 Reservations: Check before visiting
• 🔥 Why locals rate it: Sake-first counter, 60+ year history
• 🔗 More info: Official site · Tabelog

The Story

第二力酒蔵 has been near Nakano’s North Exit since 1962. That’s the first thing regulars mention, and it’s usually said without fanfare — it’s just a fact about the place. This is counter izakaya in the most straightforward sense: you sit down, and the staff take it from there.

The menu anchor is steamed flounder — hirame — from a single fish, prepared fresh each day. Once it’s gone, the kitchen moves on. That constraint gives the whole visit a certain focus: you’re eating what the season brought in, not working through a laminated menu.

This isn’t somewhere to bring a loud group. It’s a place for one or two people who want to drink properly, eat something considered, and leave satisfied. After more than six decades in the same spot, 第二力酒蔵 isn’t trying to impress anyone — which is part of why it still does.

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🚉 Nearest station: Nakano Station

2. 酒と飯 でべちょ — Sake to Meshi Debecho

From the first oyster to the last noodle — one izakaya that handles a full evening without compromise.

Quick Facts

• 📍 Location / Nearest station: —
• 🕐 Hours: Hours vary — check before visiting
• 💴 Budget: —
• 📅 Reservations: Recommended — book via TableCheck (see More info)
• 🔥 Why locals rate it: Repeat visits, kitchen range from raw to ramen
• 🔗 More info: Tabelog · Instagram · Reserve (TableCheck)

The Story

The phrase that keeps turning up in reviews of 酒と飯 でべちょ is straightforward: “as good as the last time.” That kind of consistency — confirmed by a reviewer with over 600 Tabelog posts — is harder to manufacture than a strong first impression.

The menu follows a clear arc: start raw, finish warm. Fresh oysters and the day’s sashimi set the pace early on; housemade noodles close things out. In between there’s enough range to keep a table going without the kitchen ever losing the thread.

Situated toward the Araiyakushi end of Nakano, でべちょ pulls in diners who plan ahead rather than walk in hoping for the best. If you want one izakaya on your itinerary where the food gets as much attention as the drinks, put this one on the list — and book via TableCheck before you do.

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3. マグロマート — Maguro Mart

A tuna-focused izakaya that goes far beyond the standard cuts — and books out 30 days in advance.

Quick Facts

• 📍 Location / Nearest station: Nakano Station, JR Chuo Line / Tokyo Metro Tozai Line
• 🕐 Hours: Hours vary — check before visiting
• 💴 Budget: —
• 📅 Reservations: Recommended — book via TableCheck (see More info); reservations open at noon, 30 days in advance
• 🔥 Why locals rate it: Tuna specialization, festive group atmosphere
• 🔗 More info: Official site · Tabelog · Instagram · Facebook · Reserve (TableCheck)

The Story

Plenty of izakaya serve maguro. マグロマート serves the whole fish. Beyond the cuts that show up everywhere, the kitchen works through lesser-used parts that most restaurants quietly skip. For anyone who’s actually interested in tuna rather than just ordering it, that range makes a difference — and it’s not something you find often in Tokyo, let alone in a neighborhood spot.

The room itself gets almost as much attention in reviews as the food. Big sharing plates come out steadily, the noise climbs with each round, and the whole thing has a communal feel that’s clearly intentional. It’s the kind of place where the energy is considered part of the experience.

The reservation system tells you where demand sits: TableCheck opens at noon, 30 days out, and fills quickly. If there’s one table in Nakano worth scheduling your trip around, this is a reasonable candidate. Set a reminder and be ready when the window opens.

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🚉 Nearest station: Nakano Station (JR)

4. 大衆酒場NONDAKUREジョージ — Taishu Sakaba NONDAKURE Joji

Teppan plates, skewers of yakitori, and a room that fills up fast — this is the Nakano izakaya that works for almost any occasion.

Quick Facts

• 📍 Location / Nearest station: Nakano Station, JR Chuo Line / Tokyo Metro Tozai Line
• 🕐 Hours: Hours vary — check before visiting
• 💴 Budget: ¥3,000–3,999 per person
• 📅 Reservations: Check before visiting; private hire available for groups of 20+
• 🔥 Why locals rate it: Repeat visits across multiple platforms, group-friendly layout
• 🔗 More info: Tabelog · Instagram

The Story

大衆酒場NONDAKUREジョージ turns up on Japanese izakaya round-ups, English Nakano guides, and Tabelog — a cross-platform presence most neighborhood spots never manage. The offer isn’t complicated: teppan-grilled food and yakitori, both done consistently.

The layout adapts to different group sizes without any fuss. A solo drinker can sit comfortably at the counter; groups of 20 can take the whole place. That flexibility is reflected in who comes back — reviewers with hundreds of posts to their names return regularly, which says more about the kitchen’s consistency than any star rating.

At ¥3,000–3,999 per head, it sits squarely in the middle of Nakano’s izakaya range: not a budget compromise, not a special occasion. It’s the kind of place people return to precisely because it doesn’t require much thought. Walk in on a weekday, or check ahead if you’re bringing a group.

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🚉 Nearest station: Nakano Station (5 min walk)

5. 常笑 — Tokiwara

Over 2,000 Tabelog reviews and a walk-in crowd that proves the point — 常笑 earns its reputation one glass at a time.

Quick Facts

• 📍 Location / Nearest station: Nakano Station, 4-minute walk
• 🕐 Hours: Hours vary — check before visiting
• 💴 Budget: From ¥2,000 (banquet course with drinks)
• 📅 Reservations: Check before visiting
• 🔥 Why locals rate it: Volume of sustained reviews, sake range
• 🔗 More info: Tabelog · Instagram · X

The Story

常笑 has accumulated over 2,000 Tabelog reviews — not from a single burst of attention, but from years of people coming back and writing about it again. The menu is built around Japanese sake and a changing lineup of small plates calibrated to keep things interesting across a long sitting.

One review captured the place well: “It’s supposed to feel low-key, but it’s busy — it stopped being that a long time ago.” That gap between the modest appearance and the actual foot traffic is telling. The people returning are there for the food and the drink, not the novelty.

At ¥2,000 for a banquet course with drinks, 常笑 is also one of the more accessible entries on this list. Four minutes from Nakano Station, it fits naturally into an evening that might stretch in either direction. Come for the sake; the small plates will probably convince you to stay a round longer than planned.

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🚉 Nearest station: Nakano Station (4 min walk)

How We Choose These Restaurants

Our BUZZ SCORE evaluates each izakaya across five things: how many different types of sources mention it, how knowledgeable those reviewers are, how specifically they describe the food and experience, whether repeat visits are documented, and how long the venue has held its reputation.

A high score doesn’t require fame. 第二力酒蔵 scores well on persistence because six decades of continuous operation is verifiable evidence of something working. 酒と飯 でべちょ scores on repeat visits because a reviewer with a 600-post track record said the same thing twice. Whether a Nakano izakaya is widely known or barely mentioned outside the block, the criteria are the same.

We built BUZZ SCORE because depth of support matters more than volume of noise. Any place can draw a crowd once — the ones worth seeking out are the ones that bring the same diner back.

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Nakano’s izakaya scene has real range: a six-decade sake counter, a tuna specialist that needs advance planning, a teppan spot that works for a date or a company dinner. Every guide on this site — Shimokitazawa, Koenji, wherever the evening takes you — is built on the same BUZZ SCORE method, so the standard of selection stays consistent.

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FAQ

Q: Does Maguromart require a reservation? A: Yes, reservations are highly recommended — bookings open on TableCheck at noon, 30 days in advance, and fill up quickly.

Q: How far is Tokiwarai (常笑) from Nakano Station? A: It is a 4-minute walk from Nakano Station.

Q: How far is NONDAKURE Joji from Nakano Station? A: It is about a 5-minute walk from Nakano Station.

Q: Can NONDAKURE Joji accommodate large groups or private parties? A: Yes, private hire is available for parties of 20 or more.