Bar hopping around Aomori Station! A satisfying experience at a yakitori takeout shop and a standing bar where you can enjoy drinks and snacks for under 1000 yen! [Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture]

In addition to the articles I previously wrote about izakayas and standing bars around Aomori Station where you can enjoy a cheap drink and snack, I discovered that there are many other establishments located around the station

I had the opportunity to visit Aomori City at the end of September 2026, and I went to two bars and had drinks, so I'd like to report on what happened then

Please note that the prices listed in this article are inclusive of tax and are valid as of the end of September 2026

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

Introducing 5 "senbero" style izakayas and standing bars lining the streets in front of Aomori Station! [Aomori Prefecture]

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/26356

Aomori City, a port town at the innermost edge of the vast Mutsu Bay and the prefectural capital with a population of approximately 270,000, will be revitalized in early August 2023 with the return of the long-awaited Nebuta Festival, which had been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was once a hub for the flow of people and goods between Hokkaido and the Seikan Ferry, and was also the terminus (departure) for overnight trains and Blue Trains departing from Ueno. The city's downtown areas are located in two areas: the traditional Honmachi (Yanagimachi) area, located away from the station, and Shinmachi, which stretches east from Aomori Station. Many of the bars offering "senbero" (cheap drinking) are concentrated in the Shinmachi area. This article introduces long-established izakayas near the station and stand-up bars where you can casually drop in for a quick drink...

Yakitori Nao Shinmachi Store (Shinmachi 1-chome)

This shop is located on the corner of an intersection where a Daily Yamazaki convenience store used to be, about a 5-minute walk from Aomori Station

Yakitori Nao has its main store in Yasukata, within the city limits. This particular store opened in 2021 as a takeout-only shop, and later added an eat-in area

In addition to yakitori, their squid cutlets and salted offal stew are also highly rated, and you can enjoy them at your leisure in their bright and spacious eat-in area

The eat-in area consists entirely of tables and is not a "standing bar," but it's a popular spot where you can drink at reasonable prices with no cover charge or seating fee. On this particular day, the bill for two people, including a medium draft beer, a lemon sour, and four dishes, came to a total of 3,344 yen

Furthermore, the establishment is committed to international contributions, including employing international students as staff, and on the day I visited, the floor staff member was a female international student

Sakurahime Chicken Liver (with sauce) & Chicken Gizzards (with salt) (330 yen each)

"Sakurahime Chicken" is a breed of chicken whose production is managed by Nippon Ham, and it is said to be tender, have little odor, and have a high vitamin E content

The yakitori is a bit pricey at 330 yen per skewer, but the liver was large, perfectly grilled, and the sauce was delicious, and the gizzards had just the right amount of saltiness

Freshly made squid cutlet (1 piece: 330 yen)

The owner, a native of Hirosaki, has recreated the authentic taste of his family's homemade squid cutlet. The crispy batter encases a generous amount of squid, and the balance between the savory flavor of the squid and the sweetness of the vegetables is exquisite

The menu offered both individual squid cutlets and a "Squid Cutlet Plate (1,628 yen)" which included two squid cutlets, simmered hijiki seaweed, and an omelet

Salted offal stew (660 yen)

The wooden bowl is filled with plenty of tender, well-cooked offal

The light salty flavor really brings out the deliciousness of the offal, and the ginger, garlic, and sesame oil provide a nice accent that makes you want to drink more

Standing Bar Center Komusubi (Furukawa 1-chome)

This shop is also located about a 5-minute walk from Aomori Station, and it's an all-standing bar with no cover charge or seating fee

As the shop name "Komusubi" suggests, the store is filled with sumo-related goods

The interior has a counter that seats about 10 people, two small standing tables for two people attached to the wall, and one table for three people on the terrace outside

When I arrived, the restaurant was full, but I was told that "a table will be available if you wait a little while," and within a few minutes I was shown to a table for two

The shop was overflowing with the energy of young men and women, and in the middle of a quiet Sunday night, it felt like a world apart

Orders for both drinks and food are placed by writing them on a slip of paper hanging near the table and handing it to a staff member; the food is served very quickly

In addition to the standard menu posted on the wall above the tables, there are also recommended dishes written on a whiteboard above the counter, and most are reasonably priced at under 300 yen including tax

The drinks are reasonably priced, with bottled beer at 600 yen, sake at 400-800 yen per serving, and sours at 400 yen, but they also have an extremely expensive bottle of Romanee-Conti for 3 million yen!

I was curious what would happen if I ordered this, but I forgot to ask the staff. If you have some extra money in your budget, you should definitely try ordering it

The atmosphere inside the shop is so welcoming and homey that you feel like all the customers drinking there are old friends

When orders from two-person tables are placed and the staff are busy, they are passed to customers at the counter and then delivered to us, which always sparks lively conversations between the customers

Enticed by the comfortable atmosphere and delicious food, the two of us shared a beer (Sapporo Akaboshi) and a glass of the daily special sake, ordered lots of food, and ate until we were full. The bill came to 3,850 yen

Depending on how you drink, this is a place where you can even have a cheap drink and snack for around 1000 yen

Komusubi Miso Chanko with Egg (250 yen)

The restaurant's top recommendation, "Komusubi Miso Chanko (180 yen)," is packed with pork offal, meatballs, daikon radish, tofu, shirataki noodles, burdock root, and more, making it a great snack. We recommend adding a soft-boiled egg to it

Octopus sashimi (300 yen)

I had read reviews saying the sashimi was delicious, so I chose the octopus sashimi from today's menu, and it was a great choice in terms of both the size of the slices and the taste

Marinated bluefin tuna (300 yen)

Marinated bluefin tuna has a sticky texture and a concentrated flavor that makes it the perfect snack for tuna lovers

Grilled cheese fish cake (200 yen)

It consists of two round, large-sized pieces of fish cake (hanpen) that are nicely browned, and filled with plenty of melted cheese

Chives and herring (200 yen)

The simmered dried herring and chives are seasoned with just the right amount of soy sauce, making them perfect not only as a snack with sake but also as a side dish with white rice

Tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) as a snack (100 yen)

A large slice of tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) is filled with roast ham and Camembert cheese, and the accompanying wasabi provides a nice accent

Chili oil thick bamboo shoots (200 yen)

Today's special offer included large pieces of bamboo shoots that had absorbed the broth well and were seasoned with chili oil. They were very satisfying and made a great snack

Soba rice (200 yen)

This dish is like yakisoba but with rice instead of noodles. I ordered it as a finishing dish, but the flavor of the rice soaked in the sauce made me want to order another beer

Grilled rice ball (100 yen)

The other dish to finish off the meal is a grilled rice ball topped with dried seaweed flakes. The savory aroma of soy sauce and the aroma of seaweed blend together, making it easy to eat several at once

Other standing bars and corner bars around Aomori Station

In addition to the two establishments introduced in this article, there are other standing bars and pubs around Aomori Station where you can enjoy local sake

I wasn't able to visit this time, but I'll report back on it next time

• Sorori Aomori: You can enjoy grilled seafood, but this time I didn't make it in time for their 9 PM closing time.
• Standing Bar No. 17: Highly rated for daytime drinking; although it wasn't their regular closing day, they were closed on the day of the interview.
• Jizake-an Sato: You can enjoy drinking local sake at the counter, but it's closed on Sundays so we couldn't do an interview.
• Sannosuke Sake Shop: You can sample approximately 60 types of sake from all breweries in Aomori Prefecture at their sake vending machine (closed on Sundays).

summary

I had the opportunity to stay in Aomori on a Sunday night, and I visited and introduced a yakitori restaurant and a standing bar where you can enjoy drinks and snacks for around 1000 yen

The downtown area around Aomori Station is a "drinker's paradise" with many establishments where you can enjoy local sake and delicious food at reasonable prices

DaiwaConsilio

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!