The In-Room Izakaya: 6 Classics from the Konbini

Some nights in Japan, the best table is the one waiting for you back at your hotel or rental. Stop by a konbini on the way, and you can bring back the makings of a little izakaya.

Pick up a few familiar izakaya dishes, spread them across the desk or table in your room, and settle in. No kitchen. No cooking. Just konbini.

1. Edamame: The Classic Starter

Edamame is an easy first dish while you unpack the rest. Look for chilled, ready-to-eat edamame, or head to the frozen section for a pack that can be thawed under running water. Seven Premium’s shioyude edamame is one example. Check the directions before buying: some frozen packs need a microwave.

2. Potato Salad: The “Toriaezu” Staple

At an izakaya, potato salad is a leading choice for toriaezu—roughly, “let’s start with this.” It’s something to order right away while everyone decides what else to have. Look for Lawson’s kokusan jagaimo no potato salad or Seven Premium’s potato salad. It may come in a clear deli pack or a sealed pouch; either way, it’s ready to eat.

3. Hiyayakko: Open, Top, Eat

Hiyayakko is chilled tofu served with toppings and seasoning. Lawson’s hiyayakko set is a useful example of what to look for: it includes silken tofu, soy-based sauce, grated ginger, and bonito flakes. Add what’s provided, and the dish is ready—no knife or extra ingredients needed.

4. Dashimaki Tamago: Everyone’s Favorite Izakaya Egg Dish

Dashimaki tamago is a soft Japanese rolled omelet flavored with dashi. Seven Premium, FamilyMart, and Lawson all list packs of kireteru dashimaki tamago—rolled omelet already cut into pieces. Look for them in the chilled section and choose one that’s ready to eat as sold.

5. Yakitori: Hot Snack or Can?

For the first meat dish, you have two routes. FamilyMart sells warm skewers such as sumibi yakitori momo tare (charcoal-grilled chicken thigh with sauce) and a salt-seasoned version. For the can route, look on the shelf for its kogashi shōyu sumibi yakitori tare or Setouchi no moshio sumibi yakitori shio. The can needs no cooking and makes a fun counterpart to a fresh skewer.

6. Karaage: One Last Hot Snack

Finish at the hot-snack counter with karaage: Japanese fried chicken served in generous, individual pieces. FamilyMart’s Famikara comes in soy sauce and salt flavors, both sold by the piece. Pick up a few and you’ve got the kind of fried chicken you’d order for the table at an izakaya.

That takes care of the food. Pick up a beer or chūhai if you’d like a drink, and grab a pair of waribashi—disposable chopsticks—before you leave the store. Tonight’s izakaya has no last call—unless you set one.

Products and availability vary by store and region.