B-grade gourmet food

Ishinomaki Senbero

Introducing recommended cheap drinking spots on the Senseki Line, from the east exit of Sendai Station to Ishinomaki! [Miyagi Prefecture]

Development in front of the east exit of Sendai Station has progressed since the professional baseball team Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles made Miyagi Stadium in Miyaginohara their home stadium, and this development has accelerated even further since the station's east-west free passage was renovated

Since 2020, commercial buildings have been built one after another, and pedestrian decks have been constructed, such as at the west exit, and the number of people flowing through the area has increased dramatically, as if the loneliness of the Showa era had vanished

As if responding to this trend, the number of restaurants of various styles has increased from the east exit through Tsutsujioka to Miyaginohara, and unique "senbero" (cheap drinking) bars have also appeared

Here we will introduce the "senbero bars" in Sendai city along the Senseki Line, which starts at Sendai Station, and at its final stop, Ishinomaki

What is the definition of "senbero"?

Originally, the term referred to a bar where you could get completely drunk for 1,000 yen, but now it has a stronger meaning of a bar where you can have some snacks and two or three drinks for 1,000 yen

In this article, we have defined the criteria for certifying a bar as a "senbero" bar as follows:

  • You can order two drinks (any type and amount) and one snack in addition to the appetizer for under 1,000 yen
  • There are set prices of less than 1,000 yen, such as "Senbero Set"
  • Family restaurants where you can enjoy "senbero" (cheap drinking) are excluded from the scope of this rule

Please note that we also introduce sets under 1,500 yen as "high-end senbero," but we hope you will forgive us for this

Unless otherwise specified, prices in the article include tax and are current as of the end of September 2023

Bar Soda

a sister store of "Taishu Sakaba BEETLE Sendai," located near the west exit of Sendai Station.It just opened at the end of July 2023 on the first floor of S-PAL East Building, next to Tully's Coffee, and is a "senbero izakaya" (a type of bar where you can drink for 1000 yen) where you can also drink during the day.

The interior is bright and clean, and it's a casual place to drop in even if you're alone. They mainly serve set meals during the day, but you can also order from the izakaya menu in the evening, which is great

The restaurant has a counter (there is also a face-to-face counter) and tables spaced out in a spacious manner, and although it is an izakaya, all seats are non-smoking, so it is recommended for those who don't like smoking

The shop's most recommended drink is the "Hyochu Soda," priced between 400 and 600 yen.It'slong, pillar-shaped ice cubes made from natural water from Kesennuma, and you can choose from various mixers including sours, whiskey, gin, and shochu.

If there are any icicles left, you can get a small discount on your refills and exchange your glass

bistro dishes that pair well with wine, such as pâté de campagne (490 yen)but also

There is no appetizer charge, so depending on how you order, you can be completely satisfied with just a "senbero" meal, which is highly recommended

Bar Soda ＜Information＞

  • Store name: Sakaba Soda
  • Address: 1F S-PAL Sendai East Building, 1-1-1 Chuo, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
  • Phone number: 022-385-6711
  • Opening hours:
    • Mon-Sat 11:00-14:30・16:00-24:00
    • Sun 11:00-24:00
  • Closed: None
  • Gourmet site

Google Maps

Sakurai Shoten

This liquor store, located next to the Yodobashi Sendai 2nd Building just outside the east exit of Sendai Station, offers a "station-front standing bar" experience.

It's always bustling with regulars, and when there's a game at Rakuten Mobile Park, Eagles fans walking along Eagle Road (Miyagino-dori) drop in, and many tourists using Sendai Station also drop in to enjoy "senbero."

The system involves purchasing meal tickets inside the store. A medium-sized draft beer is 380 yen, and sake is available from 330 yen for a single serving. As it's a liquor store, theyhave a wide variety of recommended sakes, including local sake from Miyagi Prefecture and from all over Japan, making it difficult to choose.

As you'd expect from a standing bar, the snacks include canned goods,as well as Sendai's famous sasakama (fish cake) for 130 yen, Kesennuma hormone (offal) for 380 yen, oden, yakisoba, and more—a variety that rivals a typical pub, and all at reasonable prices.

Sakurai Shoten <Information>

  • Store name: Sakurai Shoten
  • Address: 1-2-48 Tsutsujioka, Miyagino-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture
  • Phone number: 022-256-2255
  • Opening hours:
    • Mon-Fri 10:00-22:00
    • Sat 11:00-22:00
  • Closed: Sundays
  • URL:Sakurai Shoten Official Website
  • Gourmet site

Google Maps

Mori no Curry Restaurant Azir

Located in Higashi Nanabancho, a short walk from Sendai Station's east exit towards Nakakecho, this curry restaurantis a unique "senbero pub" (a bar where you can drink and eat for 1000 yen) that also operates as an izakaya (Japanese pub) in the evenings.

Even though it's a curry restaurant, the menu offers an evening drinks set (1,000 yen), which includes one glass of draft beer or shochu and five small side dishes such as cold tofu and rolled omelet

In addition to this,they have a good selection of snacks, such as chicken wings (5 for 550 yen), so it seems that many office workers stop by for a quick drink before heading home instead of having curry.

Mori no Curry Restaurant Azir ＜Information＞

  • Store name: Mori no Curryya Ajiru
  • Address: 2-3-22 Tsutsujioka, Miyagino-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture
  • Phone number: 022-292-3220
  • Opening hours:
    • Mon-Fri 11:30-14:00・17:30-23:00
  • Closed: Saturdays and Sundays
  • Gourmet site

Google Maps

Motsuboshi Ichiban - A popular bar where alcohol and offal never disappoint

From the official Motu Ichiban website

Located between Sendai Station and Tsutsujigaoka Station on the Senseki Line, this restaurant offers delicious dishes such as stewed offal, grilled skewers of offal, and fresh offal sashimi. The restaurant has an open terrace and a bright, clean white interior。

The drinks are reasonably priced overall, with. The food includes motsu stew with plenty of offal for 590 yen, and the offal skewers are a unique type grilled on a griddle, with pork offal skewers and pork liver skewers for 99 yen.

From the official Motu Ichiban website

Motsu sashimi (490 yen to 590 yen) is made from fresh motsu cooked at low temperature, so it is safe, secure and delicious

The "Senbero Set" (1,100 yen) is a great deal, including two drinks and one snack, and they also offer a 100-minute all-you-can-drink option for 1,320 yen, making it popular for those who want to get completely drunk with just "2 Senbero".

Motu☆Ichiban Public Bar ＜Information＞

Google Maps

Ishinomaki Tempura Nagomi

From Ishinomaki Tempura Wa official website

Located in Ishinomaki, the last stop on the Senseki Line, this tempura specialty restaurant is known for its delicious and affordable food. In addition to dishes like the "Three Kinds of Mushroom Tempura Platter (575 yen)," they also offer appetizers such as stewed offal (385 yen) and an assortment of oden (759 yen).

From Ishinomaki Tempura Wa official website

The "Tipsy Tempura Set" is priced at 1,980 yen, which is a great deal as it includes two drinks (draft beer, highball, sour, cocktail, etc.), a three-item assortment of daily special tempura (shrimp, etc.), and two daily special side dishes.

Ishinomaki Tempura Wa ＜Information＞

  • Store name: Ishinomaki Tempura Nagomi
  • Address: Ohashi Building 2F, 3-6 Chusenba, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture
  • Phone number: 0225-25-5612
  • Business hours: Monday to Saturday 11:30-14:30, 17:30-22:00
  • Closed: Sundays
  • URL:Ishinomaki Tempura Nagomi Official Website
  • Gourmet site

Google Maps

summary

Perhaps taking advantage of the recent "senbero" boom in the Tokyo metropolitan area, the number of "senbero" bars has increased in Sendai city

In particular, there are many casual pubs around Sendai Station, which is frequented by many office workers on their way to work. Many cheap drinking establishments have opened not only in Kokubuncho and in front of the west exit of the station, but also in the east exit, where development is progressing

In addition to the Ishinomaki restaurants introduced here, there are other unique restaurants along the Senseki Line from Sendai to Ishinomaki that are focused on "senbero," so I hope to introduce them to you again sometime

Miyagi Senbero Bar Series

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Introducing recommended cheap drinking spots on the Senseki Line, from the east exit of Sendai Station to Ishinomaki! [Miyagi Prefecture]
https://jp.neft.asia/archives/26764
The area around the east exit of Sendai Station has seen rapid development since the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, a professional baseball team, adopted Miyagi Baseball Stadium in Miyaginohara as their home stadium. Development further accelerated after the station's east-west free passage was renovated. Since 2020, a succession of commercial buildings have been built, and pedestrian decks, like those at the west exit, have been installed, resulting in a rapid increase in foot traffic, as if the dreary atmosphere of the Showa era had vanished. In response, a variety of restaurants and bars have proliferated from the east exit through Tsutsujioka to Miyaginohara, including unique "senbero" (cheap drinking) bars. Here, we'll introduce the Sengoku Line, the first stop on the Sendai Line...
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