Why Tateishi has a drinking order
Tateishi, Katsushika. The order you visit three places in is the local rule.
Ask which Tokyo neighbourhood starts drinking earliest and the answer is Tateishi. Outside Keisei Tateishi station, seats fill while the sun is still high.
What matters here is not which places you go to but the order you go in. The three have different rules, and those rules dictate the sequence.
First — motsuyaki, and you cannot arrive having drunk
The menu says four characters. You build the order from cut and method.
The first rule applies at the door: anyone who has already been drinking is turned away. That is why this is always stop one. The sequence grows out of the rule.
The menu board carries four characters — "motsuyaki". You order by combining cut and cooking method. Say only "one of each" and the boiled version arrives by default.
Payment is unusual too: settled at your seat, and the number of drinks is self-declared. What is available depends on whether you come at opening or late afternoon.
Second — sushi, standing
No chopsticks — you use your hands. Listed prices are per piece; two arrive.
Coming here after the motsuyaki is the local order. You eat standing, and you use your hands rather than chopsticks.
One thing to watch on the price list: the figure is per piece, but two arrive. Worth knowing before the bill.
Third — oden and wine
Opens at 2pm. Oden paired with natural wine.
Opens at 2pm, noon on Saturdays. Pairing oden with natural wine is this place's own idea. Its character is nothing like the first two, which makes it a fitting close.
Same neighbourhood, different rules
Half a young chicken, deep-fried. You get the carving lesson once per group.
Tateishi also has a place known for deep-fried half chicken. Here too, arriving after drinking means no entry. Prices follow market rate, so you need to catch the per-weight figure first time, and the carving method is demonstrated once per group.
In short
- Start sober — two venues refuse entry after drinking
- Motsuyaki → standing sushi → oden is the local flow
- Bring cash
- This neighbourhood starts in the early afternoon. Evening is already late
Hours and closing days change. Please confirm before travelling.