Joi Izakaya

A new project by Gleb Marach, Iliodor Marach, and Alexander Kan has opened on Georgian Embankment: Joi Izakaya.

Joi is a unique interpretation of the izakaya format, combining the traditions and ingredients of Japanese cuisine with modern cooking techniques. This moderately casual restaurant, with its rebellious interior designed to resemble a residential neighborhood in Tokyo, is located in the "Belka" gastronomic cluster on Belorusskaya Street.

The designers have created a space that bridges different eras, transforming it into a city with its own cultural layers and a constantly evolving appearance. An old laundry, a motorcycle workshop, a cafe, and the ticket booth of an old cinema – a small Tokyo district seems to have settled within the walls of Joi Izakaya. Bright posters, signs, neon lights, carelessly strung wires, and a bicycle seemingly left behind by a guest – these familiar features of a big city are organically woven into every corner of the new project.

"Our izakaya is meant to resemble a back alley somewhere in Tokyo – it's not high-tech, and it's not a glossy version of Japan," says Gleb Marach, co-founder of the Joi Team restaurant group. "Joi is more of an intimate place, where you have to turn a couple of times to find it. It's an izakaya format adapted for Muscovites. Our goal was to respect Japanese traditions while also making the izakaya accessible. It's a democratic place, but not overly so. While we've built the menu around affordable dishes, we've also left room for guests to try interesting and more expensive items."

One of the main dishes at Joi Izakaya is ramen: a hearty, flavorful dish with a rich broth that is simmered for two days. The noodles are made in-house, and to give them their elasticity and unique flavor, katsuy, a highly mineralized water, is added to the dough. In addition, there's udon, gyoza, fried rice, and karaage – everything you'd expect from a casual Asian gastro-bar. The kitchen is headed by Dmitry Shurshakov.