Dachibin
Dachibin serves goya champuru, beni-imo tempura, and Orion draft beer in Koenji.
On the door, a handwritten sign reads, “Please close the door. Open your mind.” Inside, near the stairs, one wall is lined with numbered bottles of awamori, each labeled with a regular’s name in bright marker.
“Mensore,” a staff member in a purple tenugui and vest says, gesturing toward a seat. A large mug of Orion draft beer follows. Stickers cover the counter, and a New Year’s card from 2015 remains pinned in place. Two tambourines hang high overhead.
At the counter, servers reach across to pass handwritten orders. Mozuku dressed in vinegar, pochigi sausage, and goya champuru arrive in quick succession. Beni-imo tempura follows, its batter soft and chewy, more like a doughnut than tempura.
From the kitchen, oil bubbles and metal scrapes against a wok. Laughter rises between sips of sanpin-hi as a sanshin is plucked in an Okinawan folk song.
Address: 3-2-13 Koenjikita, Suginami-ku
3-minute walk from Koenji Station
Instagram: @dachibin_koenji
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