Ever have one of those days when you feel like, “I just want a quick drink,” or “Maybe just one beer”?
Changing things up a bit from our usual 【Izakaya Drinking for 3,000 Yen】 series, 
is also going to try visiting places that seem good for a casual “quick drink.”
The budget is roughly “1,000 yen”
This time, we visited “たこまさ,” located a 1-minute walk from the northwest exit of Nishinomiya-kitaguchi Station.
Exterior of “たこまさ”
It’s located inside the busy Nishikita Shopping Street.（This was my first time learning that this street is called “Nishikita Shopping Street.”）
Inside “たこまさ”
There are table seats, and counter seats on the right as you enter.
There’s a TV too, so you won’t get bored even if you come alone.
Menu at “たこまさ”
※Prices are scheduled to increase from October 1
From this menu, we’re going to order something perfect for a quick drink:
The “Draft Beer Set, available until 8 p.m.” for 680 yen（※Price scheduled to increase to 700 yen from October 1）
For the drink, you can choose from “draft beer,” “chuhai,” or “highball.”
3 takoyaki（you can choose the flavor）+ 1 side dish（the side dish is selected by the shop）
Since we still have room in our 1,000-yen budget, let’s add one more dish.
So this is what we ended up with.
Draft beer set
↓↓
Beer, takoyaki（sauce flavor）, and chilled tofu with nametake mushrooms
Extra dish: “Lightly pickled bitter melon” Total: 880 yen
On our third try, we finally stayed under 1,000 yen!!
The takoyaki was fluffy, and the chilled tofu paired really well with the sweet flavor of the nametake mushrooms. The lightly pickled bitter melon had just the right amount of bitterness and tasted refreshing and delicious.
By the way, the manager apparently likes fishing, so depending on the day, you might even be able to eat fish the manager caught.
On this day, they had this ↓↓
A splendid hamachi was standing by. It seems to be completely up to chance, so if you like fish, try asking the staff!
You can eat and drink inside, of course, but takeout is also available!
There are many cram schools nearby, so you often see students coming in to buy takoyaki between study sessions.
After drinking plenty at your first stop, you may spot “たこまさ” on your way to the station and, even though you meant to go home, find yourself stopping in. I’m sure there are plenty of people like that.
It’s an easy place to use when you just want a small drink, or as a second or third stop for the night.
Store Information for “たこまさ”
★Hours 16:00～1:00(AM)
★Closed Mondays
★Phone 0798-65-9555
★Address 1-6-9 Kofuen, Nishinomiya, Hyogo
★Seats 10 seats
★Related Links
Tabelog/instagram
(※Prices, menu items, hours, and other details are current as of the time of reporting. Please check directly with the shop for the latest information.)
