Azasu's owners, Gaku and Christy Shibata, opened this izakaya, or Japanese drinking establishment, on the Lower East Side earlier this month as a lower-priced, more-casual alternative to their sake bar around the corner, Yopparai.
The focus at Azasu is on cup sake, individual glass jars with pop-top lids that Japanese commuters can purchase at vending machines; Japanese-inspired cocktails; and hoppy ($8), a nearly nonalcoholic beer-like beverage that is powered up with a shot of shochu, the Japanese liquor.
Potato salad with oshinko pickles. Agaton Strom for The Wall Street Journal
A cup of Akishika Bambi sake at Azasu, a Japanese restaurant onthe Lower East Side. Agaton Strom for The Wall Street Journal
