Bar&Junk Mikaku

One unexpected dish to find on a bar table is the house-special crocodile karaage. Its flavour is mild and clean, while the meat has a distinctive springy texture. Dip a piece in the accompanying salt and its natural sweetness comes through. The menu also includes unusual game dishes such as kangaroo-meat tataki and pie. It is easy to see why many people choose to stop here for a proper meal as their first venue of the evening.

In the basement of a building in Kanda-Izumicho, Bar&Junk Mikaku is a dining bar where drinks and food come with an easygoing, casual atmosphere. Alongside the more unusual meats, there are familiar bar snacks: jalapeño pizza with a lively kick that pairs well with a drink, chorizo pizza, Chima Chima Chicken and onion rings.

A highlight of choosing a drink is the house-special whisky lottery. Draw a number and the bottle that matches it is poured. The fun is in encountering a whisky you might not usually choose—or an unexpectedly rare one—and the draw can give the table something to talk about. The drinks range from Scotch and bourbon to highballs, cocktails, beer and wine.

With both counter and table seating, the space suits a quiet drink alone as well as an evening of sharing dishes over drinks with a group. Open from 5 p.m. until 5 a.m. the following day, every day except Monday, it is an option for a full meal and drinks late into the night.