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Must Try Hokkaido Izakaya in Shibuya: Kushiroya

Update-Date: Jan 9, 2026

Author: Sydney Seekford

Categories: Izakaya Beer

Must Try Hokkaido Izakaya in Shibuya: Kushiroya

Shibuya is full of so many “hole in the wall” places, but you’ll know you’ve stumbled upon Kushiroya when you come across a real peep hole on an unassuming Dogenzaka building. Down the stairs, past the photographs of guests, Chef Unuma serves izakaya food from his hometown, Kushiro, in Hokkaido. Try rare regional delicacies and experience the fun and camaraderie of the chef’s “perfect” Japanese izakaya.

Sydney Seekford

Gourmet Creator

American living in Japan since 2022. Food writer and gourmet content creator for Japan’s most well known food media. Founder of menu translation and language support service MENUWIZ. Work history includes copywriting for booking platforms, video and media production and appearances, and consulting in F&B for household brands. Passionate about regional revitalization and slow tourism with a focus on local food culture.

Finding Kushiro in Shibuya

The outer wall of Kushiroya’s building, where you can peep and see the counter

Head up Dogenzaka from Shibuya station’s Hachiko exit, past the Don Quijote and H&M. Turn left at the fork and look for a white sign in fat black marker. “のぞき穴” – “Peep hole.” An arrow points down to a tiny, cracked window. Stoop a little and look in the foggy square of glass to discover Chef Unuma’s perfect bar.

Behind the counter full of bottles of sake, you might see Kushiroya chef-owner Norihiro Unuma working the crowd. In his own words, this izakaya is the prideful dream of his youth. In the hearts of regulars, it's something of a second home.

View of Kushiroya through the secret peephole

To actually enter Kushiroya, diners descend via elevator or stairs. Take a good look at the wall of photographs just to the side of the elevator doors – all dated 2011, 2012. These photos tell the story of Kushiroya and its community, a family built over a decade and a half. Seeing them, you feel certain: Kushiro is an izakaya where guests simply love to come together and eat good food.

Izakaya Kushiroya

Open: [Monday - Saturday, National Holiday] Dinner 5:00 pm - 12:00 am
Closed: Sunday
Average price: [Dinner] 3,500 JPY
Access: Five minute walk from JR Shibuya station. Take Hachiko exit and turn right at the intersection down Dogenzaka road. Take a left at Dogenzaka 2-Chome interection, and it is located 50m futher on the left hand side.
Address: Koike Bldg. B1, 2-23-1 Dogenzaka , Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Map
More Details Reservation

Kushiroya is a small, proprietor owned and operated establishment that crafts each dish from scratch. Its popularity has made Kushiroya a community institution, but also makes last minute cancellations and no-shows especially taxing. Please be aware that same day cancellations and no-contact no-show cancellations will incur penalty fees.

How Kushiroya Became Kushiroya

Chef Unuma behind the counter

At 25, Kushiroya chef and owner Norihiro Unuma was working a white collar job. While his coworkers trumped his experience by a matter of decades, then not-yet-chef “Unuma” dominated in sales, becoming a top salesman nationwide. With newfound confidence, he decided to try his hand at something more exciting – like becoming a chef.

Dried fish, photos of customers, signatures, and a TV…the perfect izakaya scene.

He admits that he didn’t have any experience cooking when he started. Much less running a restaurant. But chef Unuma imagined the type of izakaya he’d dreamed of visiting as a regular salaryman and was determined to be the one to create it. His ideal izakaya would be a place where you could stop by on the way home for a pint and chat with the owner or watch tv over otsumami (small plates to enjoy with drinks, kind of like tapas) when it’s too busy to converse. He’d dreamed of creating the exact space diners enjoy at the current Kushiroya.

First, chef Unuma gained experience working at his uncle’s Izakaya and developed strong relationships with other restaurateurs in the industry. His network is still extensive, an echo of his direct but kind personality. He remembers asking chefs how they made certain dishes and still appreciates the way they openly shared with him.

Old fashioned hand-written menu planks (repurposed to hang your coat)

After training and copying the work of his mentors, chef Unuma opened Kushiroya. But at that time, he didn’t have a stable way of gathering new customers. Instead, thanks to his people skills and strong network, he was able to rely on industry connections as reliable patrons. He continued to serve his immediate community, even though that meant staying open until 7am, so friends could visit after their own bars closed at 5. That said, now that Kushiroya has its own steady clientele, Chef Unuma closes at a reasonable 12 am midnight, instead.

Over time, the connection between Kushiroya and Hokkaido itself grew stronger. Chef Unuma is from Kushiro, Hokkaido, making it a natural progression, though not necessarily an intentional one. Since he only had 3 days to choose a store name, it just happened to be that he could make a good name out of “Kushiro” using Japanese number word-play. The pronunciation of 9,4,and 6, whose kanji are used in the store’s name, sound similar to the name of Hokkaido port city. Nowadays, Hokkaido-born athletes and actresses come in their private time. A Kushiroya fan community of sorts has sprung up around shared Hokkaido heritage.

Menu recommendations are offered in English, Korean.

While the bar has a unique story that speaks for itself, guests come from around the world to share this special place. Chef Unuma has fond memories of one-time customers who visit years later and rave that the flavor and space is just as they remember. Private parties and big groups are just as welcome as solo diners coming in to loosen ties after work.

The Space

A whole preserved salmon hands from the ceiling over the bar

The decor, collected over time, consists of dried fish (once food…now fashion!), vintage ads and ship flags like the kind seen in Kushiro’s history museum. These reflect the city’s long history as a port city, logging and shipping hub. If you imagine hard enough, you could even conjure images of Kushiro’s famous fog in the steam and grill-smoke that fills the dining room after an hour of non-stop cooking. Tables are simple, true to the izakaya style, and the bar is stocked with shochu and nihonshu (Japanese sake). The walls are tacked with hand-written menu tags, “the old fashioned way.”

Chef Unuma wanted his izakaya to be a departure from Shibuya, despite being located on the tourist and chain store-heavy Dogenzaka. He styled his restaurant to be more akin to the kind of gritty, locals-only izakaya with 50 years of wear and tear that Tokyoites expect to find in suburbs like Asagaya or Ogikubo. One look around and it’s clear that he’s achieved that over Kushiroya’s 16 years in business. Even with its characteristic patina and local appeal, Kushiroya remains open to newcomers and passerby. It’s easy to feel at home here, which is one aspect that keeps people coming back.

The Food

Dinner for two at Kushiroya, a selection of classic and signature dishes

Hokkaido is defined by its Northern location as much as by its food. Potatoes, milk, seafood, fruit, wheat, soy and red beans, rice – you name a staple product and there is likely a major industry for it in Hokkaido. Thanks to this, the whole prefecture has earned a reputation for delicious, high quality, and rib-sticking (thanks frigid winters!) cuisine.

Kushiro, being a major fishing port, has some unique food culture of its own, such as the local market’s katte-don a do-it-yourself seafood bowl, and many rare species of fish. It’s also well-known for Hokkaido’s original style of fried chicken, zangi.

Izakaya Kushiroya

Note same day cancellations and no-shows will incur penalty fees! Please reserve responsibly.

Hokkaido Specialties

Gotappe (640 JPY), fried crispy to be eaten whole

At Kushiroya, you can enjoy a dish that even most Japanese people haven’t ever heard of: Gotappe. The fish themselves are called komai, a name which refers to their tendency to swim in icy waters. They’re eaten throughout Russia and Japan, yet haven’t made it into the public canon the way tuna and uni (sea urchin) have. After gutting, the hand-length fish can be fried and eaten whole on their own or with a spritz of lemon, right down to the tail.

The meat is properly meaty, like cod (a close cousin) but less flakey, and almost sticky in its chicken-tender-like bite. They have the same kind of mild sweetness that makes a fish stick beloved by children and adults alike, wrapped in a thin layer of batter. Gotappe is a rare dish and true hallmark of Hokkaido, something people from chef Unuma’s home town come here to enjoy but which is easily overlooked by those not in the know. It’s something that might not exist in all the rest of Tokyo. Make the leap and try it while you’re at Kushiroya.

Imo mochi (potato dumpling with cheese, 600 JPY) a Hokkaido classic

While gotappe is a rare delicacy, another Hokkaido specialty at Kushiroya is a perennial favorite with guests from all over. Lightly grilled, stretchy imo mochi are made of Hokkaido-grown potatoes stuffed with soft cheese. The whole dumpling is savory and crave-worthy, going down great with a sip of beer. The mild cheesy flavor is appealing to just about everyone, and the uniquely soft texture of the “potato mochi” is similar to gnocchi but much more pliable. Take a bite and pull it apart with your teeth, or split it in half with chopsticks if you’re an expert.

Chicken

Kushiroya’s signature fried chicken (1,280 JPY)

A whole half chicken, called the “Kaburitsuki Wakadori” is served with original zantare and a slice of citrus is both authentic to Hokkaido and approachable for first time guests. The meat is left bone-in and fried to a light crisp. Both white meat and dark meat portions are left intact. The bird is flash-fried at a high temperature so that even the fine bones become light and crisp, like a meaty cracker.

Chef Unuma serves it with small a dab of yuzukosho, a bright, spicy and salty condiment that’s perfect against the winter cold. While the chicken is already seasoned and delicious on its own, a little yuzukosho or a dip in the intensely peppery zantare (which is thicker than it looks) takes the flavor one step further. The outside of the chicken is fried to a satisfying crisp while the inside remains fresh and meaty.

Pub favorites

Fried octopus (690 JPY), a Hokkaido-inspired substitute for classic karaage

Of course, many guests come for the standard pub favorites. Edamame are served warm and made to order, a subtle touch that regulars appreciate. Normally, edamame are chilled and come out as soon as the drinks are served, but here extra care is put into preparing the Hokkaido-grown soy beans.

The tako kaarage, fried morsels of soft octopus, are popular with both domestic and visiting guests. They’re similar to the calamari at popular chains overseas, but with an addictively soft texture and flavorful batter.

Kushiroya has a wide selection of secret menu items that chef Unuma is happy to offer guests who are able to speak a little Japanese. Think of it as a reward for knowing the secret password. However, he says that if you can find photos of the dish you’d like to try on Kushiroya’s official Instagram account, he might be able to make it for you, assuming he has the ingredients.

Closing

Kushiroya tablescape

Fans of the television series Midnight Diner might find some similarities between Chef Unuma’s style and the master’s kitchen. Regulars come in and sometimes request off-menu items that bring back important memories. People stroll in off the street, are met with a taste of Hokkaido and recall their childhood there or find new friends in the fellow strangers at the counter.

For visitors coming in from overseas, Kushiroya represents many of the ideal aspects of visiting an izakaya. From the authenticity to the intimacy, and even the characteristic roughness that makes it feel like a place people genuinely visit and love. Kushiroya isn’t stuffy or inflated, it’s just a place where the chef cooks the food he likes and works to make people feel satisfied and welcome.

If this kind of authentic experience is something you’re looking for while visiting Japan, there are few better spots to try it than Kushiroya. With convenient reservation options and station access, a menu full of both unique regional foods and crowd-pleasing favorites, and the kind of familiar community atmosphere that makes anyone feel welcome, Kushiroya is a one of a kind Izakaya in Shibuya.

Izakaya Kushiroya

Note same day cancellations and no-shows will incur penalty fees! Please reserve responsibly.

Disclaimer: All information is accurate at time of publication.

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