Izakaya is like a Japanese-style pub or bar, where they offer not only drinks (e.g. sake, beer and shochu) but various foods as well. Some of the izakaya food staples include sushi, sashimi, mentaiko and of course, skewered items regardless of grilled meat, seafood or vegetables. Well, long story short, if you are looking for some recommended Top 10 Izakaya Bars in Singapore, check out the list below!
1) Mono Izakaya
Mono Izakaya is where you can enjoy reasonably-priced aged fish and meat dishes. Their menu also includes some delicious Japanese bowls, namely the bestselling Unagi Truffle Risotto and Meat King Bowl. For sharing, they have mouthwatering dishes like Chicken Nanban and Danggui Peking Duck. Mono Izakaya serves interesting cocktails and fermented drinks too such as the sweet and tangy Umeshu Orange Sour and homemade fruit-based Kompot.
FB: monoizakaya | IG: @mono.singapore
2) The Public Izakaya 2
The Public Izakaya 2 is a sister outlet to the original Public Izakaya, where both locations are just a 2-minute walk from each other. Expect classic izakaya staples like charcoal-flame yakitori, jaga mentaiko and chicken karaage, just to name a few. No doubt they have an extensive list of Japanese dishes on their menu. Best paired with sake or the refreshing Suntory Kakubin Highball.
hachi-group.com | FB: The-Public-Izakaya
3) Neon Pigeon
Here’s a trailblazer that made its mark for introducing the contemporary izakaya in Singapore back in 2015. Boasting a chic restaurant-bar concept, the revamped Neon Pigeon offers various dishes from Togarashi Monkfish to Grilled Duck Breast, the edamame-based Tokyo Hummus with a side of well-seasoned curry chips and Charcoal Grilled Asparagus. For drinks, they have a few selections like Junmai Daiginjo sake, the refreshingly fruity Hitachino Mandarin IPA (India Pale Ale) and cocktails.
neonpigeonsg.com | FB: neonpigeonsg | IG: @neonpigeonsg
4) Shunjuu Izakaya
Located at Robertson Quay, Shunjuu Izakaya is a favourite hangout spot among many locals and Japanese expatriates. The overall cosy ambience, coupled with a wide selection of dishes are easily their main attractions here. The latter offers more than 70 types of charcoal-grilled skewers, covering various meat, seafood and vegetables. And if you are a fan of sake, Shunjuu Izakaya got it all covered with a whopping 60 types to choose from!
shunjuu.com | FB: shunjuuizakaya | IG: @shunjuuizakaya
5) Tomo Izakaya (Clarke Quay)
Tomo Izakaya has two outlets available at Clarke Quay and Esplanade, both of which offer a contemporary izakaya-style dining experience with plenty of quintessential food staples. For instance, they have assorted skewers like Negima, Buta Shiso Maki, Enoki Bacon and Aspara Maki. Diners can look forward to Tomo Izakaya’s large selection of alcoholic beverages too, covering everything from shochu to beer, sake, spirits and whiskeys.
tomoizakaya.com.sg | FB: tomoizakayasg | IG: @tomoizakayasg
6) Yamato Izakaya
Yamato Izakaya made its mark as the first Japanese restaurant in Singapore that houses not one but three different establishments under one roof. The three establishments in question include Man Man Unagi, Hitoyoshi Ramen and Tora Tora, with the latter specialising primarily in sushi and Japanese rice bowls. For starters, try their signature Chuka Hotate (cold-seasoned scallops) and Ikura Chawanmushi (steamed egg with salmon roe). Their menu also includes deep-fried dishes (e.g. Soft Shell Crab Karaage), sashimi, teppanyaki and unagi. They have assorted sake, draft beers, highballs and wines to pair with your favourite izakaya foods.
yamatoizakaya.com.sg | FB: yamatoizakaya | IG: @yamato_izakaya
7) issho izakaya
If there’s one thing about issho izakaya worth mentioning here, they distinguished themselves with their Japanese-style crab dishes. Both of their Crab Nabe and Crab Zosui Nabeyaki are issho izakaya’s among top recommendations here and best of all, they use only the freshest crab possible for the dishes. Not into crab dishes? Well, issho izakaya has plenty of other choices to tantalise your taste buds such as Wasabi Hotate, Kawaebi (lightly salted deep-fried river shrimp), assorted sushi and skewers. Moving on to their beverage selection, they have sake from house pour to sparkling types.
isshoizakaya.com.sg | FB: isshoizakaya | IG: @isshoizakaya
8) Izakaya 95
If you love all things grilled, Izakaya 95’s signature Kagoshima Buta Teriyaki (black pork belly with teriyaki) comes highly recommended. They go well with a bowl of steamed white rice or if you want to level up your dish, order their Niniku (Garlic) Fried Rice. Izakaya 95 serves various types of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages too ranging from sake to beers, highballs and Japanese whiskeys.
izakaya95.com | FB: izakaya95 | IG: @izakaya95
9) Niningashi
Reasonably-priced izakaya foods and it’s only around 3 minutes’ walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT. Plus, Niningashi uses high-quality ingredients for their dishes and customers love the attentiveness of their services. Do try their fresh sashimi and other delicious foods like Chicken Nanban and Grilled Hokke (Fish). They have good selections of sake and Japanese beers too, with the latter including draft and craft options.
FB: izakayaniningashi | IG: @izakayaniningashi
10) MARUGEN Sake Bar & Izakaya
Choices are aplenty when you dine at MARUGEN Sake Bar & Izakaya, beginning with their wide selections of sake. Depending on your respective preferences, they have sakes with different flavour profiles from super dry to smooth as well as sweet & fruity. Food-wise, their menu consists of cold & warm tapas and others like beef tendon soup and oden.
FB: MARUGENSG
That’s not all! More Top 10s in Singapore are waiting to be discovered!
The compilation of this list was made from accumulation of Public Votes at TallyPress.com.
