Ajito

Save the signature mackerel sushi for the end, or start with sashimi and small plates to accompany a drink. At Ajito, an izakaya on Shijo-dori, west of Shinmachi-dori, dinner can be built around fish, one dish at a time. The menu’s selection of the day’s sashimi may include conger eel, wild bluefin tuna and live octopus, and shime saba—vinegared cured mackerel—is another option.

One diner described starting with a three-kind platter of whelk, bonito and octopus, then choosing Gangi sake before moving on to chicken wings, seared Japanese Black wagyu and a gently simmered dish of Kujo spring onions and fried tofu. They finished with seared mackerel sushi. The simmered onions and tofu stood out: the diner said the broth was so good they wanted to drink every drop. The fatty mackerel, lightly seared, was another highlight. A separate diner noted that the mackerel sushi was not too strongly vinegared, and that searing brought out its richness.

A sample menu lists two pieces of mackerel sushi for 700 yen. Seared mackerel sushi is also noted as a popular dish, though one diner reported that it had sold out on their visit; if it is what you have in mind, it may be worth checking when you book. Other small plates include taro dumplings with yuba sauce, deep-fried Kamo eggplant and nama-fu, and egg simmered with conger eel and mitsuba. For Kyoto-style flavours between fish dishes, there are also options such as grilled Kyoto red chicken, miso-marinated grilled cod and Kamo eggplant dengaku.

The sample sake list ranges from Kyoto labels such as Soku and Tamagawa to Kaze no Mori from Nara and Furoizumi from Shiga, with different origins and tasting notes. Choose a dry junmai sake to go with the fish, or try a yamahai junmai or an unfiltered, unpasteurised genshu. Wine by the glass and beer are available, too.

For a group sharing several dishes, there are set courses that include mackerel sushi, sashimi, grilled dishes and fried dishes, with the option of a course that includes free-flow drinks. The listed prices are 5,000 yen and 6,500 yen respectively. Dishes may change with the season and ingredient availability, so check the course details when booking.