Choosing the right izakaya is the first step in ordering food in Japanese. If you've heard of a specific place, that's a good starting point. Otherwise, izakaya are easy to find around town, typically indicated by large signboards with pictures of food and drinks. You'll come across two types of izakaya: large chain stores like Watami, Shirokiya, Shoya, or Isomaru Suisan, and individual stores.

Opting for a large chain store could make communication easier as they usually have menus with pictures and English translations. Additionally, staff members are trained with set phrases and patterns, making it easier to understand them. However, these chain stores may have private rooms, limiting interaction with other customers, which can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on your preference.

On the other hand, small izakaya operated by individuals offer a more authentic atmosphere with an open table space, allowing you to observe what people around you are eating and drinking. While English-speaking staff may be rare at these places, it can be a memorable experience to interact with regular customers and immerse yourself in the local culture.

When you head into a shop, you'll likely be greeted by one of their staff.

Staff: Irasshaimase! Nanmei-sama desu ka? (Welcome! How many people?)

Here, a simple show of fingers is an ample response.

However, if you'd like to try out your Japanese:
- 1 person: "Hitori desu"
- 2 persons: "Futari desu"
- 3 persons: "San nin desu"
- 4 persons: "Yon nin desu"

If there is a seat available, the staff will then direct you there or ask you to wait a moment while a table is cleared.

However if all tables are full (which can happen particularly at a smaller izakaya), they may indicate such to you.

Mission 1 complete! You've been seated. Depending on the izakaya, the staff may bring over a small hand towel (oshibori) with which you can wash your hands. When the staff hands you the oshibori, say "Arigato gozaimasu (thank you)" quietly as a courtesy.

Ordering food in Japanese
Next up: your server will ask you what you'd like to drink. Now if you've been walking around town for a while and could use a beer, say: "Toriaezu, nama o kudasai! (Draft beer, please!)"

Ordering anything is pretty straightforward using the following pattern:

Drink/food + quantity o kudasai. ( ___ please.)

Basic Japanese numbers for quantity
You'll probably want to order two or three of something, such as drinks or yakitori sticks. Here are the basic words to count things:
- 1: hitotsu
- 2: futatsu
- 3: mitsu
- 4: yotsu
- 5: itsutu
- 6: mutsu
- And if you want one for everyone: ninsu bun

Putting it together
Ordering three beers is as simple as saying: "biru mitsu o kudasai".

Once you sit down, ordering a drink first is considered part of Japanese culture. And there are three core reasons why most people would order beer up front. First, it gives you more time to consider the menu - even Japanese take a while to thumb through the menu until they decide on what they want, and ordering a drink first is pretty simple. Second, in Japanese culture it's said that so many things happen with the first glass of beer. And third, it's also said that people who like beer have a lot of influence.

"Toriaezu, nama o kudasai!" - Be sure to remember this phrase!

It generally only takes a few minutes until drinks arrive, but sometimes it can take a while to decide on how daring you'd like to get with your selection. It does not take much time until the beer arrives, but if you have a menu you want to eat before you choose it! I walked all over the place all day and I'm tired and I'm hungry.

Food commonly ordered by Japanese in an izakaya:
Salad, karaage (juicy fried chicken), yakitori, edamame (boiled green soybeans), fried potato (potato chips), potato salad

The food I recommend is no different. But at larger izakaya, you can order pizza - which can be surprisingly delicious. Same goes for hiyashi tomato (chilled tomato slices). The price is also cheap, so I often order.

How much do things cost per person?
Generally, 3,000 - 4,000 yen (~US$30-40) is a reasonable figure to keep in mind. Beer and wine (around 400-500 yen a glass) are usually relatively cheap at izakaya, and you can enjoy a good sampling of food at a very fair price.

In large izakaya chain shops, there are food photographs on most menus, so it is quite easy to order. A simple phrase pattern to keep in mind is to point to different pictures and say: "Kore to kore to kore onegai shimasu (this one [kore] and [to] this one and this one, please [onegai shimasu])". Although many people want to try reading Japanese, sometimes it's easier just to point and ask!

There are generally three ways to order (or to summon staff):

1. Look for a bell button on the table.
Press it and a server will come to your table.

2. At chain izakaya, there may be a tablet on the table.
In this case you are likely in luck: many of these are multilingual and you can make your selection directly on the screen, then press "Order" and your selection will magically arrive.

3. When there is neither a ring nor a tablet.
This is often the case in smaller izakaya. To ask for someone to come over, raise your hand and say, "Sumimasen! (Excuse me!)" After this, you can point to the menu and order with the "kore to kore" approach above.

Once you order the food you want to eat and want to indicate you're done ordering, you can say this: "toriazu, ijyo desu (that's it for now)", and the staff will pass your order along to the chef.

When your drinks arrive, you can clink glasses together with a "kanpai! (cheers!)" and enjoy your delicious meal. Take your time while dining - wherever you are, it'll likely taste amazing!

But remember what you ordered. This is because certain dishes can take a little longer to cook than others, and you don't want to be winding things down right as some delicious items arrive!

Once you've finished your meal and are winding things down, it's time to get the check and head to the next place.

Depending on your izakaya, getting the check can be as easy as tapping on the touchscreen or may involve calling over a server to get the check.

Once you've called over your server, say: "okaikei onegai shimasu (check, please)". They'll either then hand you a piece of paper with the total or motion you over to the cashier. In either case, have a look at the bill and head on over to the register.

Congratulations! With these phrases you're able to negotiate the izakaya - and most restaurants, yakitori shops, cafes and the like as well. If you started with a chain izakaya to make your time easier, why not give a local izakaya a go and improve your skill!

So today we've reviewed a total of 7 sentences in Japanese! To test your memory, what did the following mean again?
1. Futari desu.
2. Arigato gozaimasu.
3. Toriaezu, nama o kudasai!
4. Sumimasen!
5. Kore to kore (to kore) onegai shimasu.
6. Toriazu, ijyo desu.
7. Okaikei onegai shimasu.

Main image credit: Ljiljana Pavkov / Shutterstock.com