01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Just steps from Shin-Okachimachi Station beside Satake Shopping Arcade, Masumi has sustained local appetites through lunch and dinner for decades. Tracing its roots back to 1955, this long-standing tavern offers a spacious dining room of counter and table seating where solo diners and after-work groups can unwind with ease.
The midday draw is a roster of fish and meat set meals that arrive at your table with remarkable efficiency. Highlights include the crisp-skinned tai kasuzuke (sea bream grilled in sake lees), deeply seasoned mackerel simmered in miso, and salted grilled salmon, alongside meatier options like pork ginger stir-fry and simmered hamburg steak. Each set comes accompanied by small side dishes like mozuku seaweed in vinegar, natto, or potato salad, with options to customize your tray with a raw egg or additional small plates.
As evening sets in, paper strips lining the walls showcase the tavern's extensive nighttime repertoire. Diners typically graze on fresh sashimi or assorted nuta dressed in tangy vinegared miso before moving to skewered yakitori glazed in savory-sweet sauce, thick grilled shiitake mushrooms, or crispy ham cutlets. The natural match for the food is the house's namesake brew from Nagano Prefecture: a glass of Masumi's crisp, bone-dry junmai sake sets the tone for a thoroughly relaxing izakaya evening.
When it comes time to wind down, comfortingly simple rice options include fried rice, toasted onigiri, and dashi-steeped ochazuke to suit whatever appetite remains. Keep in mind that payment is strictly cash only when planning a weekday lunch or evening stop.
