[Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture] 3 recommended sake restaurants where you can enjoy the locally loved Morioka!

Sake bars in Morioka are mainly concentrated around the city's busiest streets, ``Odori'' and ``Movie Theater Street,'' as well as in ``Yawatacho,'' the town in front of the gates of Morioka Hachimangu Shrine., around Morioka Station, where an increasing number of new stores have opened in recent years.

While the number of major chain izakaya restaurants is increasing not only in these areas but also in the city, there are sake places that are loved by the locals and offer a taste of Morioka in many ways.

In this article, we will introduce three such quaint sake restaurants in Morioka.

All prices introduced here are as of June 20, 2023.

Hirako Shoten (Hirako Shoten: Konyamachi)

Heiko Shoten is an old-fashioned liquor store located in Konyamachi, where you can feel the atmosphere of a Morioka townhouse, and where you can drink the local sake ``Kiku no Tsukasa'' in Kakuuchi, and is always crowded with regulars.

It was directly oppositeRelatives of Kiku no Tsukasa, Iwate's oldest sake breweryYou can taste all kinds of sake from Kiku no Tsukasa.

Kiku no Tsukasa Sake Brewery moved to Shizukuishi Town in 2022, but Heiko Shoten still has a wide selection of Kiku no Tsukasa.

Also, if you're lucky, you can greet the store's signature male black cat, Mimi-chan.

What is Kakuuchi?

This is a system where you can purchase alcoholic beverages sold by weight at a liquor store and drink them inside the store.It is said to have originated in Kitakyushu, and is said to have started when workers in coal mines and factories stopped by liquor stores on their way home from work to drink.

In Morioka, it is called "Mokkiri"However, this name seems to have come from the fact that sake is served in a cup in a ``horizontal'' manner, and at Heiko Shoten, a glass (1 cup) of sake costs 200 to 450 yen, and you can have it warmed. You can also.

In addition, while Kakuuchi at liquor stores are generally for drinking while standing, Morioka's Kakuuchi, including Heiko Shoten, have seats inside the store where you can drink while sitting.

What is the etiquette when drinking alcohol at Heiko Shoten?

There is no difficult etiquette to enjoy Kakuuchi.

Basically, we use cash-on-delivery or advance payment, and we buy snacks such as canned goods, fish sausages, and dried foods sold in the store.

You can also bring in prepared foods that you bought at a nearby store, and we also have original fresh cucumbers, chilled yakko, and oden.

Kakuuchi is such a comfortable way to drink, but it's a good idea to be a little careful about where you sit.

At the Kakuuchi store, many regular customers from the neighborhood visit, and these people usually sit in the same place.

When visiting for the first time, the only etiquette is to show respect to the regular customers by asking the staff, "Is this a good place?" instead of sitting quietly.

INFORMATION

• Store name: Heiko Shoten
• Location: 6-2 Konyamachi, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 019-622-2753
• Business hours: Monday to Saturday 9:30 to 20:30, Sunday and holidays 12:30 to 20:30
• Closed: New Year's Day
• URL: Kiku no Tsukasa Sake Brewery official website

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WINE SHOP ACCATONE 539 (Accatone 539: Konyamachi)

``Accatone'', which was a pioneering wine bar in Morioka, has been reborn as a shop where you can drink wine by making use of the exterior of a Morioka townhouse.

The owner, Sommelier Osamu Matsuda, trained as a sommelier in Italy.We opened in a renovated section of Gozaku (currently Morikyu Shoten), an important Morioka city landscape building built in the Edo period in the city's Konyamachi district.

In a calm and relaxing space with an old-fashioned atmosphere, you can easily enjoy a glass of wine in the style of a liquor store, along with light meals that pair well with recommended wines.

The wines you can pick up and purchase here include high-quality wines selected by the owner and sommelier Matsuda himself, as well as low-priced but high-quality wines, and Morioka's wine lovers always gather in the store.

How to enjoy wine shavings

There are 5 counter seats and 16 2-seater tables, and at least 3 types of white, red, and rosé wines are always available for drinking.has been,We recommend the reasonably priced 3-drink comparison set.

There are also premium wines that are a bit more expensive, and Matsuda's owner, the sommelier, will choose the wine that best suits your taste.

While many snacks are simple,The daily ``Kakuuchi Zen,'' an assortment of 6 to 7 types of snacks, is popular.So, one way to enjoy it is to order this and leave the wine that goes well with it to you.

There are also non-alcoholic drinks such as red apple juice and Italian juice.Even those who don't like alcohol can enjoy the Kakuuchi atmosphere.

Travel around the world with wine carefully selected by a sommelier

The shop is filled with low-priced, high-quality wines selected from all over the world by the owner and sommelier Matsuda, and just looking at them makes you feel like you're traveling around the world.

If you're having trouble choosing, consult a sommelier and they'll help you choose the best wine that fits your tastes and budget.

Wine purchased at the shop can be drunk inside the store for a 1,000 yen fee per bottle, so it's a good idea to enjoy the wine you purchased on the spot.

INFORMATION

• Store name: WINE SHOP ACCATONE 539 (Wine Shop Accatone 539)
• Location: Sawaya 1F, 1-33 Konyacho, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 21:00019-624-3310
• Business hours: Tuesday to Thursday 14:00 to 21:00, Friday and Saturday 14:00 to 23:00
• Closed: Monday
• URL: Wine Shop Accatone 539 Official Website

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Seafood Shimaka (Chuodori)

Morioka is an hour and a half drive from the Sanriku coast, which is known as a good fishing ground.In moderation,Despite being an inland city, there are many restaurants where you can enjoy fresh seafood from the Pacific Ocean.

Among them, this "Umi Gohan Shimaka" isShimakaoten is a shop that purchases seafood from Miyako in Sanriku.Therefore, it is a very popular sake restaurant in Morioka where you can enjoy seasonal fresh seafood sashimi, boiled dishes, and grilled dishes whenever you visit.

Before moving to Chuo-dori, it was a small shop with about 18 seats attached to a fish shop in a residential area in Odate Town, but since then it has become popular as a drinking place where you can enjoy fresh seafood and carefully selected Japanese sake. did.

If you want to drink in Shimaka, we recommend seating at the counter.

We have a variety of courses to suit your budget, including an all-you-can-drink omakase course, all of which are reasonably priced and can be enjoyed in a relaxed manner at the spacious and bright table seats on the second floor.

However, what we recommend at Shimaka is the 10 counter seats on the first floor.

This is a seat where you can have a drink while enjoying a conversation with the master or the proprietress, but if you strike up a good conversation, you may be served seafood delicacies that are not on the menu or a special Japanese sake.

VIP room where you can relax and enjoy nigiri sushi

This is also on the first floor, but it's a private room with a counter that can seat 10 people a little further back.

The sushi course has a reputation for being delicious, with fresh seafood prepared with special care, and the private rooms are popular, so reservations are recommended.

INFORMATION

• Store name: Umigohan Shimaka
• Location: 1-11-15 Chuodori, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 019-652-9123
• Business hours: Mon-Sat 11:30-14:00, 18:00-23:00　
• Closed: Sunday
• URL: From Umigohan Shimaka official website

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summary

In addition to these three, there are many other popular drinking establishments in Morioka City where local residents gather.

In addition to Heiko Shoten introduced here,Two liquor stores are running Kakuuchi: Hosoju ​​Liquor Store in Hatayacho and Kagiya Liquor Store in Kagamicho Arcade Shopping Street.

Both are unique and loved by the locals, so I would like to introduce them to you if I have another chance.