Takokyu

This stalwart of the oden scene (located in Ikenohata, not far from Ueno Park’s Shinobazu Pond) is well-known and well-loved by oden fans. If you'd like a taste of nostalgia to go with your stew, you'll appreciate the polished copper pot and well-used ‘kantoko’ (equipment used for warming saké with hot coals), which you'll spot as soon as you step in through the door. The oden here has a dark, shitamachi-style soup with a simple flavour, and is best accompanied with the superb negima (skewered pink fatty tuna and leek), chikuwabu (tube-shaped cakes of flour and fish paste) and iidako (small octopus). Speaking of which, if you're wondering about the eye-catching octopus motifs that are stamped on the beer glasses, they're a play on the shop’s name ('tako' also means ‘octopus’ in Japanese). The much-loved proprietress, who used to greet customers from her spot in front of the oden pot, has sadly passed away, but we’re certain that the charm of Takokyu will live on.