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Yamagata City, the castle town of Kasumi Castle (Yamagata Castle), known for Yamadera Temple (Risshakuji Temple) and the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival held every summer, is home to many popular bars, including stand-up bars
In this article, we will introduce five of our most recommended restaurants
Yamagata City is home to a variety of establishments, from standing bars to pubs, and many of them offer a wide selection of sake, including some where you can enjoy local sake at reasonable prices, such as the nationally popular Yamagata sake Juyondai
Autumn is the season for Yamagata's famous "imoni" (simmered sweet potato), so why not try some "senbero" (cheap drinking) while savoring some imoni?
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
Standing bar Yen
Located just a 2-minute walk from Yamagata Station, where many izakayas are lined up, this standing bar offers Mokkiri, a local Yamagata sake, for 550 yen.If you tell them your preferences, they will help you choose a local sake that suits you
The snacks are also reasonably priced,with potato salad and ham cutlets for 300 yen, whale bacon and grilled squid guts for 630 yen, and seasonal wild vegetable tempura and Yamagata's famous imoni (taro stew) for around 500 yen.
You can opt to skip the 220 yen appetizer, but depending on the season, you may be served rare dishes such as "Oka Hijiki," a seaweed unique to Yamagata, so it may actually be better value to think of it as being able to enjoy a delicacy for 220 yen
It's a standing bar so it's not suitable for long stays, but it is a "senbero bar" where you can enjoy local sake while enjoying once-in-a-lifetime encounters with other customers at the counter
Standing bar Yen ＜Information＞
Store name: Standing bar Yen
Address: 1-6-1 Kasumicho, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Thisanother standing bar located in the downtown area, about a 3-minute walk from the east exit of Yamagata Station. However, it's a rather unusual place because the complimentary appetizer is a large quantity of peanuts in their shells, and the interior is decorated with a huge collection of LP records and album covers.
As the name of the restaurant suggests, they mainly serve grilled pork skewers, with grilled skewers starting from 180 yen, and the classic vegetable-wrapped skewers, made with pork, costing 280 yen. If you order the chef's choice platter, the price per skewer will be slightly cheaper
The recommended drinks are the various highballs, which they proudly boast are "the best in Yamagata!", and you can enjoy them at reasonable prices, with a Kakubin highball for 450 yen and a Toris highball for 300 yen.
They also have great value set menus whereyou can choose one of the popular "minced meat cutlet," "fried liver," or "beef tendon stew" to go with a highball. The Kaku Highball set is 950 yen, and the Toris setis 800 yen.
Standing bar Manekiton ＜Information＞
Store name: Standing bar Manekiton
Address: 2-5-1 Kasumicho, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Kigaru ni Taishu Sakaba is a casual pub located in front of Yamagata Station, an area with many izakayas (Japanese pubs), and specializes in "Yamagata Chicken Shumai." The name "Yamagata" comes from its shape and the fact that it's a shumai from Yamagata Prefecture.
The chicken shumai, priced at 99 yen each, is juicy, with meat juices bursting into your mouth with every bite. Other popular itemsinclude unique shumai (5 pieces for 682 yen) and steamed pork (836 yen).
Most drinks are in the 500 yen range, but what I would especially recommend to "senbero" (cheap drinks and snacks) loversis the 550 yen per hour all-you-can-drink highball and lemon sour option.
This is a great pub where, when you add five chicken shumai, the price is almost the same as "senbero" (cheap drinking)
Kigaruni Taishū Sakaba ＜Information＞
Store name: Kigaruni Taishū Sakaba
Address: 2F, 1-1-1 Kasumicho, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
When it comes to Yamagata's famous B-grade gourmet food, many people probably think of "dondonyaki."
"Dondonyaki" is a type of okonomiyaki that is made by placing ingredients such as nori seaweed, green laver, and fish sausage on wheat dough, grilling it, and then wrapping it around chopsticks and coating it with sauce
This shopis located near Kajo Park, the site of Yamagata Castle, and is close to the west exit of Yamagata Station. It specializes in dondon-yaki (a type of Japanese pancake) and has an eat-in space inside during the daytime.
, ittransforms into a casual pub where you can enjoy a "senbero" (cheap drinks and snacks) experience with dondon-yaki (a type of savory pancake) and draft beer.
From Oyatsuya Sakaba's official Facebook page
Our recommended evening drink set includes two mugs of draft beer, highball, or sour, along with meat tofu and two small side dishes chosen by the chef, all for 1,300 yen. Even if you add Dondon-yaki (from 280 yen), itwill still be under 2,000 yen.
Oyatsuya Sakaba ＜Information＞
Store name: Oyatsuyasan Sakaba
Address: Bellcity Kasumi Castle, 2-6-16 Jonancho, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Phone number: 023-646-1344
Business hours: Sunday and Monday 9:30-19:00, Tuesday-Saturday 9:30-21:30
Finally, we will introduce liquor stores that offer "Kakuuchi" (drinking at a counter) service, where you can enjoy local sake at a "senbero" price, although the atmosphere is slightly different from that of "Senbero Sakaba."
Located between Yamagata Station's west exit and Kajo Park,this 106-year-old established liquor store offers a selection of local and regional sakes and wines in a casual, standing-room-only style.
Alcohol and wine are priced from 200 yen per glass, and snacks start from 100 yen, so you can casually drop in during the day and enjoy some "senbero" (cheap drinking)
It's not just locals who use it;many tourists also use it as a rest stop during their sightseeing in Yamagata City or to sample local sake to buy as souvenirs. Reservations are accepted in advance, especially if you have a short wait for your Shinkansen train.
Kanamori Liquor Store＜Information＞
Store name: Kanamori Liquor Store
Address: 1-9-10 Jonancho, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Phone number: 023-647-2484
Business hours: Monday to Saturday 10:00-19:00, Sunday 10:00-18:00
Recently in Yamagata City, the number of "senbero" bars has been increasing in the downtown area in front of the east exit of Yamagata Station
In addition to the items introduced here, there are many other canned goods lined up inside the store, and there is also a canned food bar where you can enjoy "senbero" with these snacks, and it is fast becoming one of the leading "senbero" towns in Tohoku
All of these places are within walking distance of Yamagata Station, so why not try some bar hopping?
I'm a former Edoite (Tokyoite) who loves Morioka and the six prefectures of Tohoku, and I'm a big fan of history, gourmet food, travel, sports, alcohol, and choral singing.
I'll introduce you to interesting things, delicious food, and great places in Tohoku!
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