Hokkaido Akkeshi is an izakaya in Nihombashi, Tokyo, specializing in oysters from the namesake town. Akkeshi, in Hokkhaido, is a famed oyster producer and its oysters are the only one in Japan available all year round (but in limited quantities and they are regarded as a gourmet dish; they are small but rich in flavor, see more in this article).
I was there during my October 2019 trip with a group of other 11 people and we had their course menu. These menus are quite common in izakayas, sometimes they are called banquet menus and are a perfect solution for large parties. We also had the all you can drink deal.
The visit
The izakaya is located in a basement and the oyster theme is evident since the entrance where a selection is on display.
Thanks to a local friend who managed the reservation, we had a private room all for ourselves.
The first dish was an appetizer sporting egg custard with seafood and two slices of sashimi (karei, Japanese flat fish).
Then we shared a salad with lotus root.
The third dish was a bucket of fresh oysters. Unfortunately, only one per person…
The fourth dish was clams and more oysters that were boiled at the table.
The content was perfectly measured to give everyone one oyster and three clams.
We then had another pot with salmon (two slices per person), mushrooms, and vegetables.
But the most exquisite dish was their kake furai (deep-fried oyster). It was simply delicious with all the sweet and salty flavor of the oyster intact beneath the frying.
Then, what was left of the hot pot with salmon and vegetables was used to cook noodles. The broth was very delicious.
The last dish reserved a surprise… it was a sort of chestnut Montblanc with the shape of an oyster. Very elegant.
The check
The costs of the course menu was 4,000 yen for the food and 1,500 for the all you can drink option. Taxes included. It was around 50 USD per person for a very satisfying meal that included some surprisingly good dishes. I highly recommend this place but a warning: there were no English menus or English speaking staff. But if you order the course menu you might just do fine even if you do not speak Japanese.
Where in Tokyo:
2-2-15, Nihombashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0027.
PS: there is a oyster bar operated by the same company in COREDO Muromachi shopping center that serves excellent lunch sets with fried oysters. They have English menu and may be a safer bet to enjoy this kind of oysters.