JR Kitami Station is an 8-minute walk away. It is a standalone house with a storefront. It seems like it used to be a sushi restaurant, but after taking over from their parents, it was changed to an izakaya. Therefore, the interior has a sushi restaurant feel. The place is run by a couple. There are counter seats, sunken kotatsu seats, and even a party room on the second floor. I visited on a weekday evening. There were no other customers at first, but some came later. As it used to be a sushi restaurant, the sashimi platter was delicious. And cheap. I also ordered their specialty taco rice, which was both generous in portion and tasty! And again, very affordable. The yakitori was also good, and reasonably priced. The owner is very attentive, making it a place where you can enjoy even by yourself.

It is a cheap and delicious restaurant. The grilled squid intestines are delicious, and I added white rice for only 100 yen more. The chicken wings are 100 yen, and the chicken wing dumplings are 150 yen. They were delicious. My favorite is the grilled squid intestines with white rice, chicken wings, and chicken wing dumplings. Delicious! (^^♪

A place that is cheap and delicious. The alcohol is also delicious.

It was a small izakaya started by the son of a sushi restaurant owner. They don't offer all-you-can-drink, but the food is really cheap and delicious. Skewers like yakitori are very popular. When we went, they were sold out of skewers for the day, showing how popular they are. We tried the "bomb tsukune" instead, which was really tasty. It was like a small apple-sized meatball with a soft-boiled egg on top. They also had a mini-sized frying pan of garlic shrimp for about 500 yen, which was cheap and delicious. The master was very polite and humble, always bowing when entering or leaving the private room. He had a cute, smiley, and humble demeanor.

Recommended dishes include takozangi, hokke, pork belly tomato skewers, homemade pizza, true halibut tempura, tamagoyaki, tebasaki gyoza, takoyaki, and various fish dishes. The pork belly skewer sauce is also delicious. Everything I've tried here has been good, with no disappointments. The hokke was especially tasty. I always order the takoyaki, which goes well with highballs. The highballs here are made with strong carbonation, which I believe is the best in Kitami. The food here is surprisingly affordable, and the portions are generous. The fish and shellfish ajillo is only 400 yen, which is a great deal. The salted fish roe appetizer was delicious. The slightly sweet tamagoyaki was fluffy and very tasty. Even though I usually don't like vinegar miso, I can eat it here. It goes well with alcohol. The draft beer is also cheap at 380 yen. The sake I recommend is Imakane from Saga, and the shochu is Shichida from Nogata. The Imakane from Niseko Sake Brewery is easy to drink. I asked why everything is so cheap here, and they said it's because they don't have to pay high rent. They took over a sushi restaurant and turned it into an izakaya. It's run by a couple who are very friendly and create a cozy atmosphere. The prices are fair and they are open from 4 pm, which is convenient. This izakaya in Kitami is highly recommended. Definitely give it a try!

"First Visit in June 2018" This is a izakaya located in the entertainment district of Kitami City. I must apologize in advance as I completely forgot to take a picture of the exterior of the restaurant... or rather, I thought I took a picture before entering but it didn't come out at all. So, this time I only have images of the food and drinks, I hope you can forgive me for that. On the first night, I had the craft beer I've been wanting at the Okhotsk Beer Factory, so for the second night, I decided to go to an izakaya within walking distance from the hotel. The criteria for choosing this place were simply that it seemed like a good place within walking distance from the hotel and it opened early. The opening hours for izakayas are generally around 5 or 6 pm, but this one opened at 4 pm, which was a bit earlier. It may be a simple reason, but encounters with restaurants often start with such simple things (laughs). Since I had already indulged in beer the night before and had plans for another place later, I decided to go for Hokkaido sake this time. When it comes to sake, sashimi is a must, so I ordered a sashimi platter and eggplant dengaku. The boiled asparagus served as an appetizer was quite delicious. The sashimi platter was quite generous with a variety of fish like tuna, shrimp, and scallops. The eggplant dengaku was made with regular eggplants, not the kind usually used for dengaku, so the texture may vary depending on personal preference. I also ordered two pork skewers, which were also quite substantial for the price. Overall, the pricing was very reasonable for the portion sizes you get, almost like a popular izakaya chain. The talkative owner mentioned that the place used to be a sushi restaurant originally, passed down from the previous generation, and later changed to an izakaya. The counter seats still have a bit of the sushi restaurant vibe. If I have the chance to visit Kitami again, I would like to take my time and enjoy the place."

This is a drinking spot in Kitami for two people. We let the bride choose the restaurant, and we don't say a word. The first place we went to was "Chikauemon," which serves beer for 380 yen starting from 4 pm. The food is also cheap here, making it the best! When we arrived, it turned out to be a place we wanted to visit. It's become quite popular, so we didn't make a reservation. Thankfully, it wasn't crowded. We were recommended to sit in a raised area, but there were noisy old men at the counter. We take off our shoes. The background music is the noise from those old men. It's still early, but they've been drinking since opening. We order a beer first and then take our time looking at the menu. We like to take our time, so we press the order button. We order "Chicken Skewers x2, Pork Skewers x2, Mochi Bacon, Cheese Fried Natto, and Octopus with Vinegar Miso Dressing." The bride, who is already eating, says, "It's delicious." I don't always trust her "delicious." It has a citrus scent, maybe yuzu. Well, it's delicious. The octopus is also decent. This place used to be a sushi restaurant. We came here because they were on Tabelog, and then we found out they were closing in a month. The son took over after that. We ask if they want to trade this restaurant for the one near our house. The "Mochi Bacon" is not the worst I've had. It's fine for 120 yen. The "Cheese Fried Natto" doesn't have much cheese at first, but it comes through eventually. It's delicious for 200 yen. The "Pork Skewers" are delicious. The ingredients are good, and the onion is tasty. This is amazing. The "Chicken Skewers" should have been eaten before the pork. It's a bit dry, but still good. The "Garlic Shrimp" was actually Baby Scallops. Bacon with shrimp for 400 yen is a good deal. The octopus is a bit tough. The baguette is overcooked. The owner is a really nice person, but his wife is just okay. Overall, considering the price, there were no issues. We spent 4,000 yen, which didn't feel cheap, but we will definitely visit again.

Next to the yakiniku and shio restaurant, there is an izakaya that recently opened. I think it used to be a sushi restaurant before. The interior of the restaurant is bright with a counter and private rooms. It seems like they can also host parties on the second floor. I was surprised when I looked at the menu - beer for 380 yen, and most dishes are under 500 yen. I thought the first place we went to was cheap, but this place is incredibly reasonable. I wonder if a young couple runs the place? The service is friendly and left a good impression. Since we ate quite a bit at the first place, we ordered today's simmered fish and cheese-fried natto as our two dishes. For drinks, we got beer and a strong carbonated highball. The appetizer was octopus with vinegar miso dressing, I think. The fish was simmered Atka mackerel. It was bigger than I expected and very satisfying. And all this for 400 yen, which is cheap. The cheese-fried natto was not warm enough. The natto and cheese inside were not heated. But it's cheap, so I don't mind (laughs). I'm also interested in trying the yakitori, zangi, and ajillo. All this for 1,700 yen, which is surprisingly cheap nowadays. I would like to visit again. It's the kind of place that makes you want to support them.