Noge Izakaya Hopping: Round Two
I already wrote about Noge once — Noge Hormone Center, Anpei, and Hachi. That was never going to be the whole story. Noge has more izakayas than anyone could cover in one post, and I've been back a few more times since. Here are three more worth knowing about, each doing something a little different.
Noge Sutaba — One Ticket, Four Stalls
Noge Sutaba isn't a single restaurant. It's four stalls under one roof — yakitori, Italian, oden, and sushi — sharing the same seating and the same system.
Here's how it works: you buy tickets at the counter, then trade them for drinks and food at whichever stall you want. During happy hour, ¥1,000 gets you 4 drinks and 4 dishes. Happy hour runs until 16:30 on weekends — worth timing your visit around if you want the deal.
It's cash only, and it was busy both times I went. That's part of the appeal, honestly — everyone's mixing between stalls and striking up conversations. I ended up talking to people at the next table without really trying to. If you're travelling solo and want an easy way into a conversation, this is a good place to end up.
Budget around ¥1,000 per person if you're sticking to the happy hour deal.
Icchaga Sakuragicho — Miyazaki Cooking, Charcoal-Grilled
Icchaga Sakuragicho specialises in Miyazaki cuisine — food from Kyushu's Miyazaki Prefecture, which isn't something you run into often in Yokohama. Charcoal grilling is the main technique here, and the standout for me was the grilled sadowara nasu — a Miyazaki eggplant variety, grown around the town of Sadowara. Soft, simple, and a good showcase for the ingredient itself.
Pair it with something from the sake list. It's a good stop if you want to try regional Japanese cooking you won't find at most izakayas in Noge. Budget around ¥4,000 per person.
Noge Kadohei — Write Your Own Sushi Order
Noge Kadohei has a system I hadn't seen before: you write your order on a piece of paper — whatever cuts you want — and hand it to the chef. No pointing at a menu, no guessing at pronunciation. You just write it down.
I ordered chutoro (medium fatty tuna), and it was worth building the visit around. It was busy when I went, so don't expect to walk straight in and sit down — but it moves.
Budget around ¥2,000 per person.
Getting Between Them
Noge isn't a big neighbourhood. All three of these are within about a 5-minute walk of each other and of Sakuragicho Station, so there's no real logistics to plan — just start at whichever one appeals most and walk to the next.
Quick Tips
- Cash: Bring yen — Noge Sutaba is cash only, and smaller places generally are too
- Noge Sutaba's happy hour: Ends at 16:30 on weekends — go early if you want the ¥1,000 deal
- Crowds: Noge Sutaba and Kadohei get busy, especially on weekends — go in with a bit of patience