Want a proper Japanese night out around Somerset? Look past the shiny malls. Some of Orchard’s best izakaya spots are tucked inside older buildings like Cuppage Plaza and Midpoint Orchard, where the rooms are smaller, the drinks keep coming and the food has more personality.
That is what makes the Somerset food scene so useful. Step out of Somerset MRT station and you are surrounded by restaurants, shopping and some of the busiest parts of Orchard Road, with Orchard Central and Orchard Gateway right there. But hungry after a long day in the malls? Do not automatically grab the first restaurant you find. Some of the better Japanese places sit inside the older buildings just beyond the obvious retail route.
If you want to zoom out from Somerset, Orchard’s best izakaya spots make more sense when you see how the wider neighbourhood stacks up, from smoky Cuppage counters to more polished rooms further up the road.
So, what kind of night are you after? Smoke and skewers? Start with Kazu. Oden and slow drinks? Sumida. Serious sake? Toku. Something smoother for date night? Ishinomaki.
Must Try Somerset Food Picks for Different Nights
Not every izakaya here suits the same plan. Want smoky grilled meats and a table full of skewers? Kazu is the obvious start. Want a warming soup, sake and a slower meal? Sumida fits better. Toku works when drinks matter more than mains, while Ishinomaki is the polished option when you want more variety on the menu.
Different mood, different move. That is the easiest way to choose where to eat around Somerset.
1. Kazu Sumiyaki Restaurant: Come for the Charcoal, Stay for Another Round
Address: 5 Koek Road, #04-05, Cuppage Plaza, Singapore 228796
Nearest MRT: Somerset MRT
Price: Roughly S$30–S$60+ per person, depending on skewers, seasonal dishes and drinks
Best time to visit: Dinner with a reservation
If charcoal smoke is what gets you excited about an izakaya night, Kazu Sumiyaki should be high on the list.
This is one of Cuppage Plaza’s long-running grill specialists, with more than three decades in the building and a menu centred on sumiyaki, kushiyaki and dishes that make a cold drink feel necessary.
And yes, you should come hungry.
Current 2026 coverage highlights Pork with Apple (S$5.50), wagyu preparations from around S$6, lamb from around S$15 and Garlic Fried Rice (S$8). The charcoal menu moves with seasonal availability too, so there is usually a reason to look beyond the safest chicken skewer.
The Pork with Apple is exactly the kind of combination that makes Kazu fun: rich pork, sweetness from the fruit, gone in a few bites.
Want beef? Wagyu can appear as steak, hamburg or skewers. Want more grilled meats? Keep looking across the charcoal menu rather than stopping at chicken. Kazu works best when you build a mix of skewers, seasonal dishes and one carb for the table.
That mix is the whole appeal. Chicken, pork, wagyu beef, lamb and other grilled meats all appear across the charcoal menu, while rice gives the table something substantial between rounds.
That back-and-forth keeps your taste buds busy: smoke, fat, sweetness, then another cold drink before the next skewer lands.
Going with friends? Even better. Order across the menu instead of treating each skewer as your own private dish.
That regular following is part of why Kazu remains a popular Cuppage Plaza eatery. If the craving is charcoal-grilled meat, this is the location we would put near the top of the list. Order a mix of chicken, pork, wagyu beef and seasonal skewers, add rice for the table, and keep going until everyone agrees the next plate really is the last one.
Who should go: Charcoal obsessives, small groups and after-work dinners built around skewers and drinks.
Skip this one if: Sushi and sashimi are the whole point of your Japanese dinner.
The move: Ask about the seasonal grill items before ordering. Kazu gets much more interesting once you move beyond the obvious skewers.
2. Shitamachi Sakaba Sumida: Oden, Sake and a Slower Kind of Night
Address: 5 Koek Road, #03-01, Cuppage Plaza, Singapore 228796
Nearest MRT: Somerset MRT
Price: Casual izakaya pricing; your total depends heavily on drinks and how many small plates you order
Opening hours: Current listings generally show 4pm–10:30pm, with Saturday closed; check before visiting
Not every izakaya night needs to be loud.
Sometimes you want oden, sake and enough quiet to actually finish a conversation. That is where Shitamachi Sakaba Sumida comes in.
Sumida moved from International Plaza to Cuppage Plaza in 2025. The Japanese-run restaurant takes its name from shitamachi, Tokyo’s old-town neighbourhoods associated with everyday local life.
The food follows that mood.
The current menu and 2026 coverage highlight oden from S$9, homemade tsukune at S$11, wagyu motsunabe from S$33 and mentaiko mochi cheese monja at S$13.
Start with the oden. Daikon, egg and Japanese fishcakes sit in broth long enough to soak everything up, making this the hot, comforting side of an izakaya night. Still hungry? The wagyu motsunabe brings a much richer hit of beef and offal and turns a few small plates into a proper dinner.
And that homemade tsukune? Current coverage highlights it as one of the dishes not to miss, describing the chicken meatball as light, fluffy and tender, with gentle seasoning.
Come hungry enough to enjoy a few different plates. Sumida has enough variety to turn drinks into dinner without making the night feel over-planned.
This is not a giant dining room and that works in its favour. Sumida makes more sense with one or two people than a birthday group taking over half the restaurant.
The energy stays close, relaxed and easy.
Who should go: Date nights, oden, sake and conversations you actually want to hear.
Skip this one if: You are bringing a big group or want an enormous menu.
The move: Check the seasonal dishes before settling on your order. The changing plates are part of the fun.
3. Toku Izakaya Bar: When the Drinks Are the Main Event
Address: 220 Orchard Road, #B1-06, Midpoint Orchard, Singapore 238852
Nearest MRT: Somerset MRT
Price: Around S$70 per person is a useful current reference once food and alcohol are involved
Opening hours: Tuesday–Wednesday 4pm–11pm, Thursday 6pm–11pm, Friday–Sunday 4pm–11pm; closed Monday.
Want dinner?
Maybe Toku is not your first move.
Want sake, shochu and enough small plates to keep the drinks company? Now we are talking.
Toku Izakaya Bar is hidden in the basement of Midpoint Orchard and feels built for people who came to drink properly.
The room is tiny. Current coverage puts it at around 14 seats.
And yes, that basement setting matters. When the bar is packed, you feel close to everything: bottles behind the counter, small plates arriving, somebody choosing the next sake. This is not where most people come for big mains. The drinking sets the mood, and the food keeps pace.
You are not disappearing into some giant restaurant. Everyone is close to the counter, the drinks and each other. Toku is reported to carry more than 35 sake and shochu labels, which makes its drinks-first personality even clearer.
Food? Keep it sake-friendly. Think compact plates, bright sauces like ponzu, warming oden and seafood that gives the sake something savoury to push against.
Better-documented orders include Ankimo with Ponzu Sauce (S$12), Simmered Oyster with Ginger (S$9 for three pieces) and oden around S$18. Recent 2026 coverage describes the oysters as plump, briny and brimming with ocean flavour, while the oden brings meatballs and daikon in a warming miso soup.
This is where Toku wins: the food stays compact enough that the sake still leads. If your palate is leaning savoury and you want something fresh rather than heavy, the oysters and ankimo make more sense than chasing a big main.
That is exactly the kind of food Toku needs. Salty, savoury, rich enough for another sip but not so heavy that dinner takes over the evening.
There has also been longstanding reporting that diners are expected to order alcohol here. Policies can change, so if you do not drink, check directly before visiting rather than assuming.
Who should go: Serious sake and shochu drinkers, couples and tiny after-work groups. It is close to perfect when the plan is drinks first and food second.
Skip this one if: You do not drink or you want a big food-first dinner.
The move: Decision fatigue? Skip it. Tell the staff what you are eating and ask what they would pour with it.
4. Ishinomaki Grill & Sake: The Polished Date-Night Option
Address: 390 Orchard Road, Palais Renaissance, Singapore 238871
Nearest MRT: Orchard MRT is more convenient than Somerset MRT
Price: Roughly S$50+ per person is a useful starting point, with seafood, premium dishes and sake pushing the spend higher
Opening hours: Current Ishinomaki Group information lists 11:30am–3pm and 6pm–10pm daily
Now change gears.
Ishinomaki Grill & Sake is what happens when you take the grilled-food-and-sake formula and give it more breathing room.
It is farther from Somerset, up Orchard Road at Palais Renaissance, but worth including because the basic pleasures are familiar: seasonal Japanese ingredients, grilled food, sake and dishes designed to work together.
Just without the squeeze.
Palais Renaissance describes Ishinomaki around five core preparation styles: raw, grilled, simmered, fried and steamed. Robatayaki sits at the centre, but sashimi and other seasonal Japanese dishes broaden the table. Not everyone at the table has to live on skewers either. The wider menu moves into sushi, sashimi and noodle dishes, so there is room to switch gears once the robatayaki starts stacking up.
That gives the food menu more range than just skewers, featuring different cooking styles across seafood, meat and seasonal Japanese ingredients.
Seasonality matters here. Fresh seafood plays a major role, while robatayaki, sashimi and other cooking methods broaden the menu.
Bringing a group with different appetites? Ishinomaki suits mixed appetites more easily than the specialist bars above, simply because its menu moves across robatayaki, sashimi and other Japanese cooking styles.
The sake programme deserves attention too.
Ishinomaki Group carries artisanal sake, shochu, whisky, wine and champagne, with co-owner Janice Chi overseeing sake curation as a Master Sake Sommelier.
So do not treat the drinks list like an afterthought.
Start with the food. Ask what seasonal seafood or robatayaki items are strongest. Then ask what sake fits.
Want the easy ordering move? Start with something fresh, add one grilled dish, then let the sake follow. Recent coverage of the restaurant’s robatayaki also notes juicy seafood and tender meat, which is exactly the balance you want when the table is planning to indulge rather than rush.
That is where Ishinomaki makes the most sense.
The room itself is more composed and spacious than the Cuppage Plaza spots above, which makes this the easiest recommendation here for a date, business meal or group that wants izakaya flavours without sitting shoulder-to-shoulder.
Who should go: Dates, robatayaki, seasonal seafood and sake pairings in a more polished room.
Skip this one if: You specifically want a cramped, smoky, old-school izakaya atmosphere.
The move: Ask about the day’s seasonal ingredients first. Build the sake around the food, not the other way around.
Somerset MRT Station Food: How to Pick the Right Izakaya
The best Somerset food choice changes with the mood. Want a charcoal-heavy meal with friends? Start at Kazu. Want something hot and comforting? Sumida makes more sense. Want sake to lead the night? Head down to Toku’s basement. Want a broader menu and more polished setting? Ishinomaki gives you the widest variety.
The good news is that these places are all within the wider Orchard area, so you can plan around your budget, appetite and evening rather than choosing whichever restaurant you find first.
Orchard Road Izakaya: Pick the Night You Actually Want
Here is the easiest way to decide.
Want smoke? Kazu Sumiyaki.
Want oden and an easy conversation? Shitamachi Sakaba Sumida.
Want the drinks to lead? Toku Izakaya Bar.
Want something more polished for date night? Ishinomaki Grill & Sake.
That is what makes the Somerset and Orchard stretch interesting. These restaurants are not doing the same thing with different signs over the door.
Kazu is about charcoal. Sumida is about neighbourhood-style comfort. Toku is unapologetically drink-first. Ishinomaki takes grilled Japanese food and sake into a smoother, more composed setting.
So forget trying to find the one “most authentic” izakaya.
Ask a better question: What kind of night do you actually want?
Then book accordingly.
Author’s Note:
I’ve kept this guide focused on the kind of night each place actually delivers. Kazu stays for the charcoal and skewers, Sumida for the slower oden-and-sake mood, Toku for serious drinking, and Ishinomaki for a more polished Orchard option. I’ve also tightened the practical details around current prices, opening hours and menu examples so you can choose quickly without turning the night into homework.
