One of those places that only "people in the know" know about!
If you're in or around the Nishinomiya city area visiting the many sake breweries, you may be interested to know about some of the best bars and restaurants in the vicinity that are somewhat obscured... like "Tai No Tai" Izakaya. Just 430 meters from Hanshin Nishinomiya train station, getting there on foot or by bicycle is very easy.
What may seem like a rather inconspicuous entrance is the entry to one of the best Izakaya (traditional Japanese pub or tavern) in Nishinomiya. From the street you could be forgiven for walking past without taking a second look.
Often these 'side entrances' are the entryways to the apartment buildings. But upon further inspection we find that there's an entrance towards the back. The entrance of the Izakaya is similar to many others. The seats beside the front door and room for people to wait outside might just give a hint as to how popular this Izakaya can get during busy times.
So let's go in!
It must be said... with 24 seats it's not the roomiest of Izakayas. But you just know that with limited space available, the emphasis is going to be on quality, not quantity! Sure enough that is exactly the case here at Tai No Tai.
Now the question must be asked, where to start on the menu? For anyone not familiar with Japanese language, the staff can help you order if needed. But unless you have an allergy to, or particular dislike of specific ingredients, you really can't go wrong with any choice on Tai No Tai's menu. We ended up choosing dishes at random and were pleasantly surprised with each one.
*Please note that the menu changes daily and what is shown in the images may or may not be available during your visit.
Our first order (after ordering some Gin based cocktails) was Sashimi salad with sliced chicken which was enough for two people.
Next was deep fried potato salad and dried seaweed. This very unlikely(?) combination must be tasted to be believed. Absolutely delicious!
After that was Tai No Tai's "pièce de résistance"! None other than the deep fried corn! Do yourself a favour (flavour?) and try this dish. It would be a monumental shame to leave Tai No Tai without trying it. The combination of fried corn and the salt provided is so simple yet so delicious.
Next was the Tempura fired oysters. Each of the four oysters are quite large and picked from Tai No Tai's on-site aquarium, guaranteeing freshness. If you love oysters then this dish is also a 'must order' item on the menu.
Lastly we ordered the rice soup. As a 'main dish' it's a wonderful accompaniment to the other smaller items on the menu. For those more experienced with Japanese cuisine, a rice dish such as this towards the end of the meal will definitely satisfy. There's enough for 2+ people, depending on the serving sizes.
Aquariums housing the oysters.
Attention to detail is something that is really nice to experience in any restaurant or pub, and Tai No Tai definitely make sure of that with their lovely origami toothpick holders.
With that we bid farewell to Tai No Tai... until next time!
Business hours: 5:00pm - 11:00pm
Closed on Tuesdays
URL: https://www.tainotai415.com/
[How to get there from Umeda in Osaka]:
- Take the Limited Express train bound for Sannomiya on the Hanshin Main Line from Hanshin Osaka Umeda station and on the third stop get off at Nishinomiya station.
- Exit Nishinomiya station using the South Gate.
- Turn left immediately as you exit the station taxi stand area and follow the street perpendicular to the station until you arrive at the intersection with the yellow building "Hana Densya".
- Turn right at that intersection and walk 360m (going under an expressway overpass) until you arrive at Tai No Tai on the left side of the street just after a public park area (walking south).
Directions via Google Maps