【Reading】すしいざかや

【English Name】Sushi Izakaya

A dining business format that places nigiri-zushi and sashimi as its signature menu items while also offering à la carte dishes and a wide range of alcoholic beverages is called a sushi izakaya. In the Japan Standard Industrial Classification, "sushi shops" (764) and "bars and beer halls" (765) are sorted into separate categories, and the sushi izakaya corresponds to a business style that integrates the characteristics of both.

A representative example of chain development is the "Hana no Mai" brand of Chimney Co., Ltd. Chimney Co., Ltd. was founded in 1984 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Jusco (the predecessor of Aeon), an izakaya franchise company that initially positioned the "Western-style izakaya Chimney" as its core brand. Its first store in the sushi izakaya format opened in Kyobashi, Tokyo, in January 1995, and thereafter expanded nationwide. It passed the milestones of 100 stores in 2003 and 200 stores in 2006, respectively.

Tracing the history of the izakaya, its origin reaches back to the Edo period. The nizakaya (simmered-food shops) that catered to laborers working in the urban reconstruction after the Great Fire of Meireki (1657) are regarded as the prototype of the izakaya. Meanwhile, sushi too was rooted in the street-stall culture of the same era and permeated the tables of common people. The sushi izakaya is what melded these two food cultures into a single space, and the prominent appeal of this format can be said to be the ability to enjoy, all at once, nigiri served across the counter together with izakaya-standard dishes such as grilled and fried items and salads, along with a diverse array of drinks.