01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Steps from Nakai Station, Simonya welcomes guests beneath its noren curtains for affordable, charcoal-grilled skewers in an easygoing tavern setting. The dining room offers both counter and table seating, making it equally convenient for dropping by solo after work or gathering with a small group. Seats exposed to the outside breeze are also available, offering the open-air pleasure of raising a glass outdoors whenever the weather is pleasant.
Pork skewers (yakiton) anchor the selection, covering familiar cuts like kashira (temple), harami (skirt), and nankotsu (cartilage), alongside less common cuts such as hatsumoto-abura (fatty heart base), chire-abura (fatty spleen), and shibire (sweetbread). Skewers can be ordered from just 1 piece, giving diners the freedom to match each cut to crisp, savory salt that accentuates the meat's flavor, or a sweet-and-savory tare sauce that calls for another drink. Skewered liver drizzled with sesame oil and salt, as well as carefully grilled vegetable options like asparagus and garlic chives, make great additions to any spread.
Between rounds of grilled meat, slow-simmered staples like motsuni (offal stew) and stewed tofu are essential. Richly flavorful without feeling overly heavy, their hearty profile pairs neatly with cold draft beer or a refreshing lemon sour, gently piquing the appetite for the next skewer. A variety of quick small plates rounds out the experience, from chilled meat selections like chilled liver to crunchy fresh cabbage that serves as an ideal palate cleanser.
The beverage lineup stays true to classic izakaya traditions, pouring draft beer, highballs, and assorted sours alongside Kinmiya shochu mixed with plum syrup (umewari). Operating from late afternoon on weekdays and opening early at 13:00 on weekends, Simonya fits nicely into any schedule, whether for a leisurely daytime toast or a spur-of-the-moment late-night bite.
