01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
For an evening of ordering a few small plates and lingering over a drink, Choito Ippai in Higashi-Nakano is a dependable option. Meat dishes anchor the menu, and horse sashimi is a natural place to start. Choose simple lean cuts, or the Batsu set, a red-and-white pairing of lean meat and mane; other options include kalbi and liver. Skewers such as liver with spring onion and sesame oil, seared beef made with shintama, and gatsu sashimi, prized for its texture, make appealing opening dishes. Prices are accessible, too.
Alongside draft beer and Hoppy sets, the drinks list gives plenty of space to shochu. It includes sweet-potato varieties such as Kurokirishima and Tominohozan, barley shochu such as Nakanaka, and bottles from across Japan made with brown sugar, as awamori, or flavoured with shiso, including Tantakatan, and chestnut, including Dabada Hiburi. These can be ordered by the glass. The house-made coffee shochu can be mixed with milk for an extra charge, while several sours are available in a larger size. There are easygoing options for a relaxed drink.
The compact dining room has counter seating and tables, with a calm atmosphere that makes it comfortable to drop in alone. Open daily from 18 until 3 the following morning, it also suits a late dinner or a drink after work. After fried chicken or house-made thick fried tofu, finish with a rice dish such as dashi ochazuke or a menchi-katsu rice bowl.
