01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Tucked along a quiet back alley in Akasaka, Ikkyu is a kappo dining spot offering understated, meticulously prepared Japanese cooking centered on fish. On weekday lunchtimes, nearby workers and solo diners settle along the counter for daily set meals featuring mains such as firm, fresh sashimi or tender grilled fish, accompanied by soup and small side dishes. Beyond the flavorful centerpiece, the kitchen's genuine care extends even to dashi-rich miso soup and house pickles, making a quick midday pause genuinely restorative.
Come evening, the focus shifts to an assortment of savory small plates designed to pair comfortably with drinks. Subtle dishes like delicately seasoned unohana okara and squid tossed with sea urchin join fluffy rolled dashi omelets and lightly fried vegetables in broth, each coaxing another sip of beer or sake. For a complete evening meal, opting for an omakase course lets you surrender to the chef's craft across an orderly sequence of seasonal appetizers, sashimi, grilled items, and simmered dishes.
To close the night, comforting staples await—including fragrant grilled rice balls seasoned with bonito flakes, ground sesame, and red pepper, gentle rice porridge in daily dashi, or warm noodles with a touch of wasabi. With both counter and table seating available and advance reservations accepted, the space works just as nicely for an unhurried solo dinner as it does for catching up with close friends.
