Yatai

Rating: Very good
Meal: Dinner for 2
Price:  5900 yen
Payment: Cash only
Dishes:  4 beers and several dishes, see below
English Menu: Yes (most of the items on the wall are translated)
Smoking: Yes

So the liquor store/teishoku restaurant Marunaga on my block has been replaced by a new izakaya called Yatai, although you might be confused as the only English on the sign is "Suka Yeahhhh!!" The kanji on the sign (confirmed by asking) is in fact Yatai and it's a reference to the little portable food stalls that used to be more common back in the day. It's a warm, welcoming spot that is friendly to English speakers.  They have a ton of different dishes all plastered up on the wall with English translations.  I ate there with a friend last night and we tried several.  The food was an Ok overall, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere and am looking forward to coming back frequently to try everything on the menu, so I'm bumping it up to a Very Good.

Garlic shrimp, not very garlicky

Gyoza

Vinegared fish

Menchi, deep fried meat

Nagoya style miso oden - my favorite dish

Ox tongue sausage - meh

Gyoza soup