01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Tucked into basement level 1 in Kachidoki 1-chome, Senpuku is a neighborhood izakaya known for serving seafood-focused small plates at modest prices. A centerpiece of the chalkboard menu is the whale nakaochi (meat scraped along the bone), tender and free of sinew, featuring a balanced touch of fat that pairs naturally with grated raw garlic and ginger. With selections like whale bacon, tuna nakaochi, and chunky hon-maguro toro butsu priced around the one-coin mark, sampling quality seafood stays remarkably wallet-friendly.
The raw fish options continue with wild flounder, bigfin reef squid, chopped octopus, silver-stripe round herring sashimi, and vinegared horse mackerel. Cooked options are equally varied: grilled salt-cured sea bass, grilled redfish collar, and dried atka mackerel join warm plates like ginger-fried flying squid, grilled satsuma-age fish cakes, and fried chicken thigh karaage (5 pieces). Light vegetable sides like quick-pickled white gourd, long yam in wasabi marinade, and grated yam over fish provide crisp counterpoints for building a customized spread.
For drinks, the house pours its namesake Senpuku sake alongside labels such as Fuki, Urakasumi, and Hakkaisan, as well as medium bottles of beer, Hoppy, highballs, and Mitake shochu. The modest counter and tables suit solo diners well; watching the proprietress run the floor and timing your orders with the rhythm of the kitchen is part of the shop's charm. Payment is cash only.
