Toritcho

Toritcho is a real izakaya, one of those bars of the people where customers nibble on tapas-style small plates while having a drink, and one of the oldest and most authentic Japanese restaurants in Paris. Old beer posters, lucky figurines, mock swords and rackets from the traditional game hagoita decorate the walls: madame works the till while monsieur takes a relaxed yet efficient approach to service. On the varied menu you can find yakitori made from chicken meat, liver, gizzards and skin, or from vegetables that you can order salted or in a sweet and sour sauce. Then irreprochably fresh sushi, light and airy tempura, raw tuna, shredded seaweed, sunomono de wakame with calamari, octopus and prawn, or even agedashi-dofu – a fried tofu served in a dashi bouillon. Nothing is particularly well presented, but everything is good. It's busy and popular with Parisians of all stripes, especially at weekends, and in the early evening particularly the Japanese clientele stop by – they'll buy a bottle or something which then waits for them on each visit, a real izakaya tradition.