Ohashi Kita-Senju
大はし · Ohashi Kita-Senju
- Ward
- Adachi
- Price
- ¥1,500~3,000
- Hours
- Mon~Fri 16:30-20:30approx. (su
- Closed
- Sat and Sun
- Getting there
- 5 min from Kita-senju Stn west exit, on the old Shukuba-dori road
- Founded
- 1877
- Open the door when it is full and you are told there is no room
- Once seated, drink orders are taken from the far end inward, and only when everyone has
- Founded in 1877 and counted among Tokyo's three great stews
We do not republish copyrighted photographs. Use the links below to see the actual venue.
Obvious to locals, invisible to visitors
There is a simple reason guidebooks leave this out: to the people who live here it is too obvious to be worth explaining.
Open the door when it is full and you are told there is no room. But if the waiting seats inside are free, you are effectively in — sit there quietly and they will place you as soon as a spot opens. Not knowing this, people simply turn around. The ones who leave smiling are the ones who know the rule.
Once seated, drink orders are taken from the far end inward, and only when everyone has a glass do the stewed dishes go round. You simply answer yes or no as they reach you. Regulars hold off on ordering anything else until the stew has gone all the way round — not interrupting that flow is the etiquette here.
Founded in 1877 and counted among Tokyo's three great stews — yet what most customers actually order is the niku-dofu. Simmered in the same pot as the beef stew but with less meat and a large block of tofu, it costs the same. The taste is close to sukiyaki, sweet and salty with soy and sugar. There is a tofu-only version too.
No photography inside — which is why every account of this place shows only the exterior. It also opens on weekday evenings only and closes at weekends. A queue forms before opening and the room fills the moment the doors part, so for anyone visiting Tokyo over a weekend there is simply no opportunity.
What it is
Adachi is a ward famous for the Kita-Senju drinking alleys. Cash only, and a seating charge on top. Know those two things and nothing will catch you out. Start with a draft or a highball, then ask the owner where to go next. Monday closures are common in this line of business — check especially if you plan an early-week visit. Carry a little cash for peace of mind — cards are still not universally accepted. It would be a waste to stop at just this one — there is more of the same density within five hundred metres.
What to order
Why locals keep coming
Having few seats became the strength: a different combination of people every night, and no two nights alike. The owner works the bar personally, so the quality of conversation is the quality of the place.