In Ginza, right under the expressway overpass on Chuo Dori, there is a reliable izakaya I have been going for years. It is called Uoya Iccho (うおや一丁 銀座本店) and it is part of a chain from Hokkaido specializing in seafood. This review is based on a visit in October 2019.
You can see the entrance above: it is the restaurant with the blue sign.
The visit
The actual izakaya is upstairs and it is huge. They have both a smoking and a non-smoking section. Most customers looked like salarymen (and women) after work.
They do have an English menu and you can call the waiter’s attention by pushing a button.
I usually go for their assorted sashimi. On the paper it is for three or four people, but I had it all by myself.
In this assortment there was a whole squid, already finely cut.
Then salmon, prawns, tuna (two types), octopus, and what must have been some kind of amberjack were there.
Finally I had some croquettes with crab meat on top. In the menu they have a lot of fried dishes and crab options.
The classic soft-serve ice cream made from Hokkaido was tempting but I did not try it.
The check
I spent around 4,000 yen or 36 USD including a drink.
I would describe this izakaya as “average”, but average skewed toward the good part of the spectrum. It is a large operation and everything seems to be fresh. Service is ok. They also have course menus and all you can drink options. It is open daily until 11pm, so it can be a good place if you come back to Ginza (presumably to your hotel) quite late (it open for lunch on weekdays).
Where in Tokyo:
1-2-3, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0061.
In Japanese: 〒104-0061 東京都中央区銀座1-2-3 2F.