Shinsuke

I could not believe how incredible the food was here. Particularly the curry confit chicken liver and the fried "sardine rock" (sort of a sardine/herb/vegetable fritter). Our server (who I'm guessing was also the owner, but we didn't ask) made perfect sake pairings for us. The next time I'm in Tokyo this is the first place I'll be heading back to.

Traditional Japanese pub called Izakaya. Almost people in there order Japanese sake and simple dishes. Ground floor is for 1 or 2 ,very friendly space but always crowded with sake lovers. Second floor is for 4 people or more. It’s suitable for talking with friends.

Sardine Rocks are a must-try! Service was thoughtful and friendly. Great atmosphere.

We had the most wonderful meal here! I have celiacs disease, and the owner was very familiar with gluten-free and took very special care of me and my meal. They have gluten free soy sauce and will fry things with corn starch and fresh oil! Everything we ate was delicious, but it was the hospitality that really made the experience memorable. Thank you!

Excellent food with perfect sake pairings. We tried a variety of dishes with several sake, and they were fantastic, especially thr sardine balls and of course the raclette tofu. The staff is very friendly, and overall and excellent atmosphere. Maybe not the cheapest option, but you get what you pay for. Highly recommended!

Lovely place! Great atmosphere and incredible service. Both the sake and the food were very good. Very friendly and helpful, also great english speaker. Would definitely recommend!!

We came here for food because of the reviews and lonely planet. The food was good, but the portions were very small. We had the tofu raclette, black cod and kara-age. The food was quite expensive compared with other restaurants we ate at. We did not drink any sake though.

I recommend this restaurant. It has very good dishes and drinks.

A wonderful izakaya experience. It can be reserved in advance, and is fairly quiet inside though there's background music and the servers are friendly. There are no photos allowed so just concentrate on enjoying the grub and drinks. Sake first: they have a small selection of sakes. Aside from one available only from October to April, there are two larger size sakes, both from Ryozeki in Yuzawa, Azawa, one dry (hon jyozou), the other sweet (jun mai), both of which are quite good. You can have it cold, as we did, warm, or hot. There's also reiyo sake on the rocks which is just divine, really flavorful and balanced and more medium bodied it seemed to me. And if you like plum wine, which is sweet yet a bit funky and frankly not for me, they also have that on the rocks. Order food as you go. I was quite happy with the fried daikon radish with sesame sauce and pickled onion which was really balanced and fresh yet unlike anything I've ever had, nutty, really perfect with the sake. I also loved the fried tofu with stuffed raclette cheese as bizarre as it sounds. The tofu was light and perfectly crispy, the cheese oozing and almost alcoholic in flavor. Also a standout was the yamakake raw tuna chunks with grated yam and seaweed which is white sticky and unusual, but refreshing and lovely with the sake, and can be seasoned with wasabi and soy. Also good was the sea bream sashimi, and the simmered eggplant and herring was solid. I did not really care for the deep fried sardine "rocks" which were falafel like. It was just a little lacking in flavor and texturally unremarkable. All in all though a great experience!

Izakaya is often translated as "Japanese pub" but it's not always an accurate translation. Shinsuke is an izakaya, but it's light, bright and clean. But it is a "Japanese pub" in the sense that it is a great place to go after work for drinks and small dishes of food. They have a good range of nihonshu ("sake") and serve it at a variety of temperatures. The quality of the dishes is excellent. The service is friendly (though English is very limited). It can be rather pricey but that is really down to how much you drink.

Don't miss this hidden treasure, especially if you're interested in Japanese cuisine. Order one item from each section to get a broad experience of izakaya food. This is a foodie's izakaya -- menu changes often for seasonal offerings. It is clear that everything they offer is carefully curated. We had fig tempura, saury sashimi, fried tofu stuffed with raclette cheese, sea cucumber guts (hard core), pickles (delicate and fresh rice bran nuka zuke), and dried sardine crackers. The people were super nice and all guests seemed to be having a good time enjoying their food. It's a quiet izakaya, not raucous. Focus was on the food and a small selection of drinks. The cedar sake was also wonderful, get it room temp. A highlight of our week in Tokyo.

I'd recommend the sake and food at this izakaya - the fried tofu with raclette cheese in particular was amazing. The herring with eggplant was also tasty. But the atmosphere, at least in the upstairs room where we sat, was casual, with no particular personality - the bright lights, and plain furniture and carpeting reminded me of an elementary school library.