Cuppage Plaza food scene may not look like one of Singapore’s best pockets for izakaya dining at first glance, but that is part of why it works so well. Located at 5 Koek Road, Singapore 228796, this Japanese restaurant enclave near Orchard Road offers a unique blend of authentic Japanese dining experiences.
From Orchard Road, the building feels almost stubbornly old-fashioned beside the polished malls around Somerset. Inside, though, the mood changes floor by floor. There are sake bottles behind counters, yakitori sticks smoking over charcoal, bowls of obanzai laid out for the evening, and authentic Japanese restaurants that have been feeding the same regulars for decades.
We have kept this list strict. These are places where the izakaya format genuinely matters, whether that means sake and assorted sashimi in a basement bar, Kyoto-style home cooking, or skewers coming straight off the charcoal grill.
For a wider benchmark beyond Cuppage Plaza, our guide to the best izakayas in Singapore compares more drinking-led Japanese spots across the city and helps put these Orchard-area choices in context.
Izakaya Options to Explore:
1. Dosukoi x Donpachi Japanese Izakaya Dining & Sake Bar: Where the Sake List Leads
Address: 5 Koek Road, #B1-23/24/25, Cuppage Plaza, Singapore 228796
Nearest MRT: Somerset MRT, around 5 minutes on foot
Price: Expect roughly S$40–S$80 per person, depending heavily on sake and sashimi. Current dishes include sashimi from around S$12–S$18 and smaller cooked plates from around S$8–S$15.
Signature order: Honmaguro Akami Sashimi (S$18), Mentai Dashimaki Tamago (S$13), grilled salmon belly (S$8)
Best time to visit: Later in the evening when the plan is more sake than supper
Dosukoi x Donpachi is one of the clearest drinking-first izakayas in the building. The basement setting helps. You head below street level, the Orchard Road brightness disappears, and the restaurant turns the evening toward sake fairly quickly.
Current listings put the selection at more than 60 types of sake, alongside counter seating, small tables and private-room options. The food menu is designed accordingly: sashimi, oysters, grilled fish, tamago, agedashi tofu, deep fried dishes, and other dishes that give you reasons to keep the glasses moving.
We would treat Dosukoi differently from Izakaya Nijumaru. Nijumaru can happily be dinner first. Dosukoi makes more sense when the sake itself is part of the reason you came.
Come here for: Sake exploration, assorted sashimi, Japanese drinking food and a basement bar atmosphere.
Skip it if: You want a cheap, fast dinner or one large main course and nothing else.
Worth knowing: Rather than defaulting to beer, ask what sake suits the dishes you are ordering. The depth of the sake list is one of the main reasons to choose this over a general Japanese restaurant.
2. Izakaya Naniwa: Obanzai, Sake and a Very Small Room
Address: 5 Koek Road, #03-13, Cuppage Plaza, Singapore 228796
Nearest MRT: Somerset MRT, around 5 minutes on foot
Price: Expect roughly S$30–S$50+ per person, rising with sashimi and alcohol.
Signature order: Daily obanzai, sashimi, tempura, yakitori, okonomiyaki
Best time to visit: A slower weekday evening, preferably with a reservation
Izakaya Naniwa is where we would go when we do not want dinner reduced to a fixed list of famous dishes. The restaurant centres on Kyoto-style obanzai, the everyday home-style dishes associated with Kyoto. Bowls of prepared food form part of the experience, and the selection can move with the ingredients available that day.
The room itself is tiny, with around 14 seats including counter seating and horigotatsu-style seating. This immediately changes the night. This is not somewhere for twelve people to descend on without warning.
Alongside the obanzai, diners can find familiar izakaya orders such as sashimi, tempura soba, yakitori, and okonomiyaki, with sake naturally woven into the meal.
We would resist forcing one “signature dish” onto Naniwa. The daily selection is the point. Look at what has been prepared, ask what is good that evening, and build from there.
Come here for: Kyoto-style obanzai, sake and one of Cuppage Plaza’s most intimate izakaya experiences.
Skip it if: You are bringing a large group or want a predictable menu planned before arrival.
Worth knowing: Reservations are strongly recommended. With so few seats, this is one of the places where simply turning up can be a gamble.
3. Skewers Yakitori Izakaya: Come Hungry for Chicken Parts
Address: 5 Koek Road, #04-01, Cuppage Plaza, Singapore 228796
Nearest MRT: Somerset MRT, around 5 minutes on foot
Price: Most skewers currently sit around S$6–S$9 each. Expect roughly S$35–S$60 per person after enough skewers and drinks to make a meal.
Signature order: Chicken Oyster, Neck Skin, Tail, Meatball with Egg Yolk, Signature Chicken Ramen
Best time to visit: Book either the 6 PM or 8:30 PM seating rather than trying your luck during peak dinner hours
At Skewers Yakitori Izakaya, the menu starts familiarly enough and then gets much more anatomical. Chicken oyster, neck skin, tail, cockscomb, windpipe. We like that.
The fourth-floor restaurant is explicitly a yakitori izakaya, with a small, slightly smoky space, counter seating and a menu built around chicken parts grilled one stick at a time. Current 2026 reviews particularly note the range of cuts and innards, with each skewer labelled so diners know exactly what they are eating.
Recent pricing places Chicken Oyster at S$9, Neck Skin at S$7, Tail at S$6 and Meatball at S$7, with egg yolk available for another S$2. The Signature Chicken Ramen is around S$13 if the table eventually decides skewers alone do not count as a complete dinner.
The official restaurant opening hours are currently Monday to Saturday, 6 PM to 11 PM, split into a 6 PM–8:15 PM first seating and an 8:30 PM–11 PM second seating. That seating structure tells us not to be casual about reservations.
Come here for: Charcoal-grilled chicken, lesser-used cuts and a focused yakitori izakaya night.
Skip it if: You dislike offal, want lots of space, or need a huge menu spanning sushi and sashimi.
Worth knowing: Do not order only thigh and meatball. The less familiar cuts are what separate Skewers from an ordinary yakitori dinner.
4. Kerria Japanese Izakaya & Sushi Bar: Sushi Downstairs, Drinks Alongside It
Address: 5 Koek Road, #B1-28, Cuppage Plaza, Singapore 228796
Nearest MRT: Somerset MRT, around 5 minutes on foot
Price: Budget roughly S$30–S$60 per person, depending on sashimi, sushi and alcohol.
Signature order: Sushi platter, salmon sashimi, yakitori, izakaya pasta
Best time to visit: Weekday dinner or later in the evening when you want something calmer than the busier grill restaurants upstairs
Kerria does not need us to stretch the definition anymore. Its own current positioning explicitly calls it a “Japanese Izakaya & Sushi Bar”, inspired by traditional izakaya culture and built around sushi, sashimi, drinks and shared dishes.
That makes its personality slightly different from the grill-heavy places elsewhere in Cuppage Plaza. Seafood plays a bigger role here, and the restaurant lists sushi platters, salmon sashimi, chicken teriyaki, yakitori, ramen, izakaya pasta, and Japanese cocktails among its signatures.
We would describe Kerria as a sushi-forward izakaya rather than a classic yakitori tavern.
The basement location keeps the room tucked away from the main Orchard Road flow, while current opening hours run as late as midnight from Tuesday to Saturday, making it useful when dinner starts later than planned. Sunday closes at 10:30 PM, while Monday currently runs from 4 PM to 10:30 PM.
Come here for: Sashimi, sushi and drinks in a quieter basement izakaya.
Skip it if: Your ideal izakaya means charcoal smoke, endless skewers and a grill dominating the room.
Worth knowing: Kerria is one of the better options on this list when the group wants proper sushi without giving up the sake-and-small-plates format.
5. Kazu Sumiyaki: Charcoal Smoke and Three Decades of Regulars
Address: 5 Koek Road, #04-05, Cuppage Plaza, Singapore 228796
Nearest MRT: Somerset MRT, around 5 minutes on foot
Price: Around S$30–S$60 per person is a realistic starting point. Current 2026 coverage lists lamb from S$15, wagyu preparations from S$6, pork with apple at S$5.50 and garlic fried rice at S$8.
Signature order: Pork with Apple, Wagyu Skewers, Lamb, Garlic Fried Rice, seasonal charcoal-grilled specials
Best time to visit: Dinner with a reservation; the room remains busy with regulars
Technically, Kazu Sumiyaki Restaurant is the most specialised inclusion here. It is fundamentally a sumiyaki and kushiyaki restaurant, built around charcoal grilling rather than trying to cover every possible izakaya category.
But if what we care about is how an izakaya actually feels to eat in, Kazu Sumiyaki earns its place.
The restaurant has been at Cuppage Plaza for more than three decades and remains one of the building’s established charcoal-grill institutions. Current 2026 coverage points to a menu of yakitori, wagyu, lamb, pork, seasonal items and sake-friendly grilled food, with reservations recommended because the restaurant remains busy most nights.
The Pork with Apple (S$5.50) is one of the longstanding combinations worth trying, balancing fatty pork with sweetness. Wagyu dishes currently start around S$6, while lamb starts from around S$15. The Garlic Fried Rice (S$8) is exactly the sort of end-of-meal carb we want after several rounds of skewers.
Kazu is not the place we would choose for sushi. It is where we would head when charcoal-grilled food is the entire point of leaving the house.
Come here for: Sumiyaki, yakitori, wagyu and a long-running Cuppage Plaza charcoal-grill experience.
Skip it if: Sashimi and sushi are the main reason you are going out for Japanese food.
Worth knowing: Ask about seasonal specials. The regular menu is extensive, but the changing charcoal-grilled items are part of what keeps repeat visits interesting.
Cuppage Plaza Food Guide: Choosing Your Izakaya
Cuppage Plaza food is a treasure trove for lovers of Japanese food in Singapore, especially those who prefer authentic Japanese dining experiences away from the glitz of Orchard Road malls. This compact area along Koek Road offers a variety of Japanese restaurants, from sushi counters with fresh seafood to izakayas serving grilled items and deep fried delights.
Whether you prefer sushi, sashimi, yakitori, or set meals featuring miso soup and rice, Cuppage Plaza delivers excellent value and flavour with careful attention to traditional cooking techniques. The small tables and counter seating found in many of these eateries add to the intimate dining atmosphere.
Additionally, the chefs at these izakayas bring skillful preparation to each dish, ensuring tender and chewy textures where appropriate, such as the plump octopus served at some locations. The lunch offerings at certain izakayas include salads and steak options, catering to varied tastes. Service is attentive throughout, with many venues noting the importance of the last order times to manage dining flow. The sweet notes in some dishes balance savory flavors, creating a memorable dining experience.
If you are planning a visit, check the opening hours of your preferred spots and consider making reservations, especially for popular restaurants like Kazu Sumiyaki and Izakaya Nijumaru.
Enjoy your meal at Cuppage Plaza and explore the rich variety of Japanese dining options in this slightly smoky space that captures the spirit of Tokyo in Singapore.
Author’s Note:
We have kept this guide focused on Cuppage Plaza restaurants where the izakaya format genuinely shapes the experience. That includes drinking-led spots such as Dosukoi x Donpachi, more specialised concepts like Skewers for yakitori and Kazu Sumiyaki for charcoal grilling, and Kerria for sushi alongside izakaya-style dishes.
We also reviewed the practical details throughout the guide, including addresses, price ranges, menu examples, opening hours and seating information where current sources were available. As menus, prices and operating hours can change, we recommend checking directly with each restaurant before visiting, especially for smaller venues and restaurants with timed seatings.
