The perfect Izakaya for someone who's never been before?

[mikka]

I've been scouring the board and looking at all the previous posts re:Izakaya's in Manhattan, and while most reviews have been great to help me narrow down the good from the bad, not many have been informative on which would be a good place for a first-timer who doesn't speak a word of Japanese.

I'm looking for a place in mid-town only where we can sit at the bar, order a few small plates and sample some pretty good sake. I orginally thought either Sakagura or Aburiya Kinnosuke, but not sure where they stand with the small plates and/or how welcome we'd feel with this being our first time.

Any input or other suggestions that might fit the bill are greatly encouraged. Thanks!

[nobody special]

There are probably other izakayas with better food or a fancier sake/soju selection, but Hagi has a fun, convivial atmosphere (esp. during a baseball game), cold draft beer by the pitcher, and is now quite friendly to non-Japanese speakers and izakaya beginners (the recent write-up in the NYT probably helped). The menu is translated and the staff are bilingual.

It's hard to go there with a group of friends, drink, order half the little dishes on the menu--some hit, some miss--remember to take a look at the specials behind the bar, and not have a really good time--and that's what izakayas are all about, no?

[E Eto]

First, I don't think you can go too wrong at Sakagura. Aburiya might be a good choice as well, though it's slightly different than a traditional izakaya. The most user-friendly izakaya in mid-town might be Oga (on 47th St). It's mostly neo-Japanese and as it calls itself a Japanese "tapas" bar, it's good and accessible to non-Japanese. Riki is also a good choice as a good straight-ahead version of an izakaya.

I like Hagi as well, but it might be the least user-friendly of the bunch, as I find some of the staff kind of on the surly side. As for the NYT write-up, shortly after the article, there was a spike of non-Japanese patrons, which I'm sure they appreciated at Hagi, but when I asked one of the servers I've gotten to know there, there was a bit of eye-rolling when she expressed that everyone orders exactly the same thing that Peter Meehan described in the NYT. So if you do go to Hagi, be a little adventurous, order off the specials. (I think Meehan kind of missed the mark in his ordering).

[designerboy01]

Riki on 45th is a good Isakaya btw lex and 3rd.

[Dave Feldman]

I just posted about Aburiya http://www.chowhound.com/topics/342979. I think it would be a splendid place for an Isakaya novice. Exceptionally friendly service. Some plates are more substantial than you might expect -- you can tell by the prices.

[xigua]

I had the best time at Riki last night with 7 friends, a lot of great dishes and 2 pitchers of draft beer for a little under $20 bucks each, all in with 20% tips. Only downside is the teeny tiny dessert menu which we did not order from.
We had:
- A tonne of fried rice. We love fried rice! Kimchi, the one with small fish and the regular, all great
- Crispy rice pancakes
- Mayo based dishes (alittle too much for me but the mentaiko omelette and okonomiyaki were both well received)
- Stews (soft beef tongue in a flavorful broth, great atop plain rice)
- Skewers (we like the duck with wasabi for some kick)
and a lot of other random things
Besides great food and low prices, it is also cheaper than Sakagura, more spacious than Hagi with private rooms, has a larger menu than Kasadela, less raucous than the yakitori places on St Marks, and they take reservations unlike my other favorite, Yakitori Totto. Service was great and we felt like we could sit there forever and not be rushed, which in this city doesn't happen that often!