太乃志（たのし） （東京都狛江市／nearest station: 狛江） The izakaya 「太乃志」 is about a 10-minute walk from 狛江 Station on the 小田急線, on 本町通り beyond 狛江第一小学校. The owner was born and raised in 狛江市. Apparently, dreaming of opening his own place in his hometown of 狛江, he worked as a chef at restaurants across various genres, including Italian, Japanese, and regional cuisine. He originally worked in French and Italian restaurants, but switched to Japanese cuisine after discovering delicious sweet-potato shochu. In 2006, he opened the izakaya 「太乃志」 in his hometown of 狛江. Loved by locals, this restaurant serves creative cuisine without genre boundaries, using ingredients the owner personally seeks out and selects, including seasonal fresh fish bought daily at 川崎北部市場, meat dishes, and local vegetables. The drinks include beer, sours, fruit liquors, sake, wine, and shochu. Particular care goes into sourcing shochu: the owner, a certified shochu adviser, personally selects more than 70 varieties from across Japan, including sweet potato, barley, rice, and awamori. To help guests enjoy shochu at its best, they use 鹿児島 hot-spring water 「寿鶴」 for dilution, and serve hot-water mixes in the traditional 鹿児島 drinking vessel 「黒千代香」. For drinks on the rocks, they use slow-melting ice made from natural water. I visited that Saturday just after opening, shortly after 17:00. About half the seats were already occupied by customers who had come in as soon as it opened. I had no reservation, but they could accommodate me, so I sat at the counter near the entrance. Around 19:00, customers with reservations began arriving one after another, so booking is generally advisable on weekends. Inside are counter seats, a raised tatami area with recessed kotatsu seating, and tables, totaling about 20 seats. Since it was early, there were families with children, giving it a homey atmosphere. Smoking is prohibited inside, with a smoking area outside. There's no otoshi appetizer, but the seating charge is 200円 per person. Menu prices exclude tax. The pricing is closer to an independent kappo Japanese restaurant than a budget izakaya. ●キリン一番搾り(中瓶) 880円 The bottled beer selection includes major manufacturers' brands: キリン一番搾り, キリンハートランド, サッポロラガー, アサヒスーパードライ, and サントリープレミアムモルツ. I chose 一番搾り. The beautiful Edo-kiriko-style glass made it feel stylish. ●刺身　活〆カワハギ 1280円、トロニシン 900円 The カワハギ sashimi comes with liver; eaten with the rich, creamy liver, it's fantastic. True to its name, トロニシン is full of fat and melts in your mouth. The grated ginger is freshly grated, too, with a fresh aroma. ●太乃志特製ジューシー唐揚げ 880円 Juicy karaage made with skin-on chicken thigh seasoned in a special soy-based sauce. The thin coating is fried crisp and crunchy, while the meat is plump and full of juices. This comes close to my ideal chicken karaage. ●自家製赤しそサワー 580円 A vivid reddish-purple sour made with homemade red-shiso juice. Its refreshing flavor is perfect with fried food. ●アジの南蛮漬け 680円 Nanbanzuke made with tiny horse mackerel that can be eaten whole, from head to tail. I love nanbanzuke and often eat it at different restaurants or buy it from supermarket deli counters; this is another version I really love. ●ガツの葱塩マリネ 580円 Springy, chewy pork stomach marinated in a dressing with plenty of green onions. A snack that keeps the drinks flowing. ●白ミル貝 1280円 The 白ミル貝 in the live tank above the counter stretches out its large siphon. Exceptionally fresh, with a crunchy bite and rich sweetness that spreads through your mouth the more you chew. ●北海道産大きなアサリ酒蒸し 980円 Sake-steamed large asari clams with a satisfying bite. The simplicity lets the quality of the ingredients shine. The remaining broth has that striking shellfish-stock umami and a long finish. ●黒マー油豚骨ラーメン 980円 The finishing ramen is another specialty, with quality that rivals dedicated ramen shops. The 黒マー油, burnt-garlic oil made with garlic from 青森県, has an exceptional aroma. In May 2022, they also opened a second location, a ramen specialty restaurant called 「鶏白湯麺 樹(いつき)」, along 桜堤通り near 日活調布撮影所. ●自家製豚味噌おにぎり(2ケ) 480円 Onigiri with 「豚味噌」, a regional 鹿児島 dish. Its slightly sweet, rich flavor pairs perfectly with white rice. ●具だくさん食べるきのこ汁 480円 A very satisfying red-miso-based soup packed with various mushrooms, including shimeji, maitake, and hiratake. Perfect to finish with.

+3

This was my first visit. The restaurant felt easy to enter, and I didn't feel like an outsider, which was nice. The food was delicious, too. The tonkotsu ramen I had to finish was delicious. I got so absorbed in eating that I forgot to take a photo. I'd like to visit again.

+2

Such gentle flavors! There's sweet soy sauce, too, and sakura shrimp kakiage! So crispy! The satsuma-age is slightly sweet, and the pork kakuni has such a gentle flavor that you want to drink the broth! Without a reservation, it fills up even on weekdays.

+3

If you're drinking in 狛江, it's 太乃志! My first review of this special favorite of mine. 太乃志 appears out of nowhere in an alley with no other drinking places. Apparently they've opened a ramen shop in 調布, and I'm curious about that, too. The menu is full of recommendations. There are more recommendations posted inside. First, a toast with draft beer! They have 麒麟 and ハートランド on draft. Today it's 麒麟—cheers to a day's hard work. We ordered 2 salads. Sashimi salad and nagaimo salad. The sashimi has a rich nam-pla dressing. The nagaimo is refreshing with plum dressing! The トロたく snack keeps the sake flowing. This is fantastic; definitely ordering it again! 海老塩焼きそば was today's recommendation on the posted notice! The shrimp flavor runs through the whole dish—an invincible fleet at this point. The gin on the rocks was fantastic, too. To finish, meat-miso onigiri. Of course it's delicious. So, if you're drinking in 狛江, this is the place!

+3

During a trip to 東京, I dropped in because it was near my accommodation. Even though the restaurant was already full of reservations and regulars in the 5 o'clock hour, they brought out chairs so ５ of us could sit at a small table. After some drinks, we had sashimi, fried dishes, and more. Everything was truly delicious and kept impressing me. Personally, the カンパチのカマ焼き, サツマイモのスティック, and 唐揚げ were the best. Everything struck an exquisite balance: not overly assertive in seasoning, too rich, or too showy. I'd like to make another opportunity to visit.