Chronicles of a Gritty Tavern Tour - "Maruchiba" @ Sanya, Tokyo

This time, I'm sharing a tour story from 2020, just as the signs of the COVID-19 pandemic were emerging, featuring the renowned establishment "Maruchiba" in Sanya, Tokyo.
The following is a record of my visit, so the prices and the state of the shop are as they were at that time (the shop still exists today).

Not just gritty, but a legendary shop

It's in the Sanya area, near Minami-Senju, or rather, close to "Oiwake" which I posted about previously.
The official address is Nihonzutsumi, Taito Ward.
It's also about a 15-minute walk from either Minami-Senju or Minowa.

It's a zone you don't really go to unless you're aiming for it.
It's a tavern I finally managed to land at after thinking, "I really want to go here."

While the area is "gritty," to put it plainly, this place is a legendary shop.
Personally, I think it's one of the top three taverns in Tokyo.
It's a lively downtown tavern. And the food is delicious.
Everyone looks like they're having a great time drinking.
The atmosphere is created by the mood of the regular customers, so
I suppose it's a legendary shop nurtured by Sanya.

Visiting for the first time without a reservation

I visited on a weekday just before the three-day weekend for the spring equinox in March 2020, when the COVID-19 panic was said to have "eased" for a moment.
(As it turned out, the crowds during this three-day weekend became the trigger for the request to refrain from going out.)

With COVID-19 and it being a weekday, I figured it might not be crowded early on, so I
took it for granted and visited with my companion around 2:30 PM without a reservation.
The shop opens at 2:00 PM.

There was a group of about three people, who looked to be around 30, walking in the same direction ahead of us.

I thought, "
Surely it's not Maruchiba," and as we headed there,to my surprise, there were three more people waiting in front of the shop, and they joined up.

It was a group of six.

It seems the group of six was waiting to get in.

Thinking we might not be able to get in, I peeked inside just in case, and
the owner said

Owner: "Do you have a reservation? Oh, none? How many people?"

Me: "It's just two of us, is that okay?"

Owner: "Wait a moment. Oh, I have a reservation at 4:00 PM, but if you don't mind leaving by then, please come in."

Me: "Oh, in that case, definitely!"

We were able to sit at the end of a large table for six.
I had underestimated it, but we were lucky to get in.

The owner was also very humble, full of "sorry for the crowd" vibes.
It felt like a good place.

The group of six also seemed to have no appointment, but they managed to sit at the large table next to us.
Still, they were bolder than us.
Half of them were women, but "Maruchiba"—what were they planning to do if they couldn't get in? There aren't many restaurants around here where you could take women during the day.

Handwritten menu strips on a U-shaped counter

Inside, to the left of the entrance, is a U-shaped counter that seats 18.
To the right are two large tables that seat 6 each.
The counter is almost full.
It's firmly occupied by regulars who look to be over 70.

The walls are packed with handwritten ink-brushed menus.
There are no menus on the tables.

At this time of year, they have hot pots, and the variety is so wide that you can find sashimi, sausage appetizers, katsu-don, mapo tofu, and spring rolls.

It seems the counter side features seasonal recommendations,
while the table side features drinks and standard menu items.

Great taverns have weak sake selections

They have three brands of beer other than Suntory.
I reflexively ordered an "Asahi," thinking of the Super Dry I always drink, but they also had the mark of a great tavern, "Sapporo Lager Akaboshi."
I should have looked around before ordering.
So, for my second drink, I had an "Akaboshi."

By the way,there is no appetizer charge.
That alone confirms it's a great place.

For appetizers, first is the3-item sashimi platter.
I ordered it with pickled mackerel, sardines, and firefly squid.

Everything is delicious.
I thought about getting a hot pot, but considering the next place, I went light with
stir-fried sausage and steamed clams in sake.(By the way, hot pots are available until the end of March. I want to eat one next time.)

Since I had sashimi and clams, I wanted to have some sake, but I could only find
TakashimizuandKenbishi.

For some reason, many great taverns that focus on fish have weak sake selections, and Maruchiba falls into that category.
Perhaps because of the location, many regulars order

Kinmiya shochu bottles.I can't come here that often, and there were two of us, so we skipped the bottle and
each downed two shots of shochu mixed drinks.
(After that, I ended up going many times, and if there were five of us, we could finish a whole bottle of shochu in one day.)

The owner, "Yacchan"

There are 5 or 6 people in the kitchen to handle the massive number of orders.
The floor is run by two people: one woman and the owner, who is called"Yacchan" by the regulars.

Yacchan efficiently handles the orders that keep coming in,
turns away customers when the place is full,
chats with drunken regulars about trivial things,
and even takes care of new customers like us.

I thought his way of speaking sounded familiar, and then I realized it's just like
Beat Takeshi's voice and manner of speaking.
This is Tokyo's downtown, after all.

The bill

When I asked for the bill 10 minutes before 4 PM, it came to about6,500 yen for two people.
Considering the snacks and the atmosphere, I was very satisfied.

Just before leaving, Yacchan said,

"Sorry for being so busy today. Please come back and take your time again."

as he saw us off.
I was impressed by Yacchan's hospitality.

Next time, a reservation is a must.
(And I would end up visiting many more times after this)

Hybrid Excel Art

Finally, here is a hybrid Excel drawing of "Yacchan" that I drew from hazy memory.

An izakaya and tavern I want to visit again.
I wonder when I can go next.

Intoxicated.

Lastly

If you liked this article, I would appreciate your support as it will be used to fund the next tavern report.
Thank you for your continued support.

I also publish another magazine of Excel art drawn with a mouse,
"Dokarefu's Excel Gallery"
. Please take a look at that as well if you'd like.

Thank you for your time.