What Makes the Best Izakaya Nakameguro Has? 6 Spots Reveal the Answer

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Best Izakaya Nakameguro: 6 Must-Try Spots Loved by Locals

Ready to drink and eat like a Nakameguro regular? These six izakaya earned their place through genuine local buzz — not just fame.

Nakameguro’s izakaya scene is thick enough that knowing where to start matters more than most people admit. The places worth going to aren’t usually the ones with the biggest signs or the most Instagram tags — they’re the ones people slip back to on a Tuesday, then tell their friends about later. This guide covers six of them, picked using Oishii Japan Food’s BUZZ SCORE, which tracks real conversation across Japanese food communities, social media, and specialist blogs. Whether you’re planning ahead or deciding on the night, here’s what’s worth your time.

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At a Glance

#ShopBest ForPriceReservationsBUZZ
1鳥小屋 本店Grilled chicken & lively atmosphere—Recommended★★
2阿弥頭 AmuseCreative izakaya with visual flair—Recommended★★
3にもの 中目黒店Simmered dishes & seasonal small plates—Recommended★★
4はし田屋 中目黒店Chicken hot pot (tori nabe)—Recommended★★
5ちゃんこ芝松 中目黒店Chanko nabe (sumo-style hot pot)—Check before visiting★★
6のみしろStanding-bar casual drinks & bites—Recommended★

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Why This List Is Different

Every izakaya here was selected using our BUZZ SCORE — a five-axis evaluation that looks at how enthusiastically a place gets talked about across Japanese social platforms, food blogs, specialist communities, and accounts from repeat visitors. A spot earns its place not by being famous or deliberately under-the-radar, but by generating sustained, genuine interest among people who eat out seriously in Tokyo.

You’ll find both long-running neighbourhood staples and newer arrivals, because the method measures the quality of the conversation around a restaurant, not its marketing spend. If locals keep coming back and keep writing about it, it shows up.

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1. 鳥小屋 本店 — Tori Goya Honten

A Nakameguro institution where the yakitori smoke, the signed celebrity photos, and the crowd all tell the same story: people love this place.

🚉 Nearest station: Naka-Meguro Station (2 min walk) 🕐 Hours: 17:00–24:00 (L.O. 23:00) (as of Sep 2026)

Quick Facts

  • 📍 Location / Nearest station: 2 Chome-14-1 Kamimeguro, Meguro City, Tokyo 153-0051, Japan / Nakameguro Station
  • 🕐 Hours: Mon–Sat 17:00–24:00; Sun 16:00–23:00 (confirm before visiting)
  • 💴 Budget: —
  • 📅 Reservations: Recommended — book via TableCheck (see More info)
  • 🔥 Why locals rate it: Yakitori classics, packed house, celebrity regulars

The Story

Tori Goya Honten has been in Kamimeguro long enough that anyone who eats around Nakameguro regularly already knows the name. The walls covered in signed photos from entertainers and athletes tell you something about the history, but what keeps it full on weeknights is more basic than that: the yakitori is good. Thigh, tsukune, liver — all charred over binchōtan in the way that comes from doing it the same way for years. The atmosphere is loud, the counter is easy to settle into, and the crowd runs from old regulars to people finally acting on a recommendation. Book ahead on weekends; TableCheck is the quickest way.

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2. 阿弥頭 Amuse — Amuse

An izakaya on the second floor of a quiet Aobadai building, where the food is as photogenic as the concept is thoughtful.

🚉 Nearest station: Nakameguro Station (Tokyu Toyoko Line / Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line) (5 min walk)

Quick Facts

  • 📍 Location / Nearest station: エルアルカサル中目黒 2F, 1 Chome-28-3 Aobadai, Meguro City, Tokyo 153-0042, Japan / Nakameguro Station
  • 🕐 Hours: Hours vary — check before visiting
  • 💴 Budget: —
  • 📅 Reservations: Recommended — book via autoreserve.com (see More info)
  • 🔥 Why locals rate it: Visually creative dishes, repeat-visitor buzz after renovation

The Story

Amuse is up a flight of stairs in the El Alcazar building in Aobadai — a short walk from the canal, but away from the busier stretch near the station. After a renovation, people who’d been before started coming back and writing about what had shifted, and that kind of repeat-visitor momentum is exactly what the BUZZ SCORE is designed to catch. The menu is creative izakaya: small plates with considered presentation, seasonal ingredients, combinations that feel current without working too hard at it. It’s for when you want the relaxed pace of an izakaya but also want the food to actually hold your attention. Hours can move around, so check before you head over. Bookings through autoreserve.com.

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3. にもの 中目黒店 — Nimono Nakameguro Ten

A calm, food-focused izakaya where the kitchen’s attention to simmered dishes and seasonal ingredients keeps regulars loyal.

🚉 Nearest station: Nakameguro Station 🕐 Hours: Sun 15:00–24:00 (L.O. 23:30) / Mon–Sat 17:00–24:00 (L.O. 23:30) (as of Sep 2026)

Quick Facts

  • 📍 Location / Nearest station: 1 Chome-6-16 Higashiyama, Meguro City, Tokyo 153-0043, Japan / Nakameguro Station
  • 🕐 Hours: Mon–Fri 17:00–23:00; Sat–Sun 12:00–23:00 (confirm before visiting)
  • 💴 Budget: —
  • 📅 Reservations: Recommended — book via autoreserve.com (see More info)
  • 🔥 Why locals rate it: Well-executed nimono (simmered dishes), consistent quality

The Story

The name is a plain statement of what to expect: nimono, the slow-simmered cooking style that takes patience and decent sourcing to get right. At this Higashiyama spot, the menu follows through — seasonal small plates, unhurried preparation, a kitchen that isn’t chasing covers. It’s the kind of izakaya where you order in rounds, work through the drinks list at your own pace, and notice two hours have gone by. Nakameguro has plenty of places designed to impress on a first visit; this one earns its following by being the same quality every time. Book through autoreserve.com.

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4. はし田屋 中目黒店 — Hashidaya Nakameguro Ten

Tori nabe (chicken hot pot) is the signature here — warming, deeply savoury, and worth planning a visit around.

🚉 Nearest station: Naka-Meguro Station

Quick Facts

  • 📍 Location / Nearest station: 1 Chome-15-8 Kamimeguro, Meguro City, Tokyo 153-0051, Japan / Nakameguro Station
  • 🕐 Hours: Hours vary — check before visiting
  • 💴 Budget: —
  • 📅 Reservations: Recommended — book via TableCheck (see More info)
  • 🔥 Why locals rate it: Chicken hot pot, rich broth, neighbourhood stalwart

The Story

Hashidaya’s reputation in Kamimeguro comes down to one dish: tori nabe, cooked at the table in a clear broth that deepens as the evening goes on. Chicken thigh, meatballs, seasonal vegetables — it’s not complicated, but it’s the sort of thing that’s genuinely hard to stop eating. The setting is unpretentious, the staff know the menu, and the format naturally makes a group want to linger. People who recommend this place tend to mention the broth specifically, which says something about where the kitchen’s focus is. Autumn and winter tables fill fast — book ahead through TableCheck.

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5. ちゃんこ芝松 中目黒店 — Chanko Shibamatsu Nakameguro

A specialist chanko nabe restaurant in Nakameguro where the sumo-style hot pot is the undisputed main event.

🚉 Nearest station: Naka-Meguro Station

Quick Facts

  • 📍 Location / Nearest station: 3 Chome-12-19 Nakameguro, Meguro City, Tokyo 153-0061, Japan / Nakameguro Station
  • 🕐 Hours: Hours vary — check before visiting
  • 💴 Budget: —
  • 📅 Reservations: Check before visiting
  • 🔥 Why locals rate it: Authentic chanko nabe, specialist focus

The Story

Chanko nabe — the protein-heavy hot pot sumo wrestlers eat in training — rarely gets taken seriously outside specialist restaurants. Chanko Shibamatsu is one of those places. The broth, usually chicken or soy-based, is built up over time and served with generous helpings of meat, tofu, and vegetables. It’s substantial, no-nonsense food that suits a long evening. The restaurant sits away from the canal crowds, which makes it noticeably quieter than spots closer to the station exit. There’s no online booking link at present, so it’s worth calling ahead or checking their current setup before making a dedicated trip.

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6. のみしろ — Nomishiro

A standing-bar newcomer in Kamimeguro that opened in May 2025 — watch this space.

Quick Facts

  • 📍 Location: Japan, 〒153-0051 Tokyo, Meguro City, Kamimeguro, 3 Chome−16−4 山下ビル 1F
  • 🕐 Hours: Hours vary — check before visiting
  • 💴 Budget: —
  • 📅 Reservations: Recommended — book via autoreserve.com (see More info)
  • 🔥 Why locals rate it: Accessible standing-bar format, early local interest

The Story

Nomishiro opened in May 2025, so the BUZZ SCORE here is built on early signals rather than any kind of established track record. The format is tachinomi — standing bar — which keeps things loose and the barrier to entry low. You don’t need to commit to a full evening: drinks, a few small plates, the easy back-and-forth that standing bars tend to produce. It’s on the quieter residential edge of Kamimeguro, a short walk from the main station area. Still new, so hours and the menu may still be finding their shape — the autoreserve.com link is the most reliable way to check what’s current before you go.

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How We Choose These Restaurants

Our BUZZ SCORE evaluates each venue across five axes: source diversity (how many different platforms and communities mention it), expertise of the voices involved, depth of individual accounts, frequency of repeat mentions, and persistence of buzz over time. Each axis is scored, and the totals guide our selection.

For this Nakameguro izakaya guide, we tracked conversation across Japanese food blogs, Instagram location tags, specialist dining communities, and local review platforms. A restaurant earns its place by generating real enthusiasm among people who eat out regularly in Tokyo — whether that’s a long-established neighbourhood favourite or a recently opened spot attracting early attention. Fame alone doesn’t move the needle; what matters is the quality and consistency of what people are actually saying.

We apply the same BUZZ SCORE framework to every area guide we produce, so the selection standard stays consistent across the site.

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These six spots represent some of the most genuinely talked-about izakaya in Nakameguro right now. Every other area guide on Oishii Japan Food is built on the same BUZZ SCORE standard — so wherever you’re headed next in Tokyo, you’ll find the same level of local-sourced scrutiny waiting for you.

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FAQ

Q: How do I get to Torigoya Honten from the nearest station? A: Torigoya Honten is a 2-minute walk from Naka-Meguro Station.

Q: What are the opening hours of Torigoya Honten? A: Torigoya Honten is open from 5:00 PM to midnight, with last orders at 11:00 PM.

Q: What are the opening hours of Nimono Nakameguro? A: Nimono Nakameguro is open Monday through Saturday from 5:00 PM to midnight (last order 11:30 PM), and on Sundays from 3:00 PM to midnight (last order 11:30 PM).

Q: Which train lines serve Nakameguro Station for Amuse? A: Nakameguro Station is served by both the Tokyu Toyoko Line and the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, and Amuse is a 5-minute walk from the station.

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