Moonrise Izakaya Opens On The UWS, Complete With A 'Bottle Keep'

Moonrise Izakaya opened on the Upper West Side last week with a big, cartoony splash, thanks to Japanese muralist Shiro, who covered pretty much every available surface, inside and out, with her signature, manga-style characters. The bathroom, in particular, is pretty amazing. It was a shrewd (and fun!) design decision; change doesn't come often to this particular stretch of Amsterdam Avenue, and Shiro's spray-paint aesthetic makes Moonrise feel both fresh and exciting and comfortably familiar. Like it wouldn't have seemed out of place here back in the early-1980s, when I lived a few blocks away.

That said, Moonrise is clearly gunning for the Columbia crowd. Jacob Poznak is the operator here and for this, his first restaurant, he wanted a place that not only served good, satisfying meals but also allowed people to linger and drink for a while. Which is why, after a particularly memorable night in Tokyo, Poznak chose the izakaya format for his debut. "It reminds me of fun times in college," Poznak says. "The only difference is rather than hanging with friends at a frat house, I’m sharing food with others that warms my soul.”

The casual, clubhouse vibe is further enhanced by a few things. The soundtrack (the playlist during a press dinner I attended earlier this week was 1980s MTV hits, with the staff all having fun singing along) and the loft-like space Poznak put up over the room's row of tables. Already covered in stickers, this false ceiling provides coziness and functions as the restaurant's "bottle keep," where regulars can store their private bottles of booze (purchased at Moonrise) between visits. Yes, it's a bit of a gimmick to encourage repeat business, but it's also an integral part of izakaya culture in Japan.

The Moonrise menu is impressively lengthy, even ambitious, and most of the dishes I sampled were good. There are snacky things like Charred Edamame, Vegetable Gyoza, Ankimo ("chilled steamed monkfish liver"), Shrimp Shumai, and a Pork Belly Bao Bun, which probably could have used more of the former and less of the latter. A couple of Sashimi appetizers make an appearance here as well.

The best thing I ate was the Monkfish Kaarage, a sixer of juicy fried fish nuggets that packed a surprising amount of flavor, especially when dipped in the spicy mayo. You can find these in the Hot Dishes section, as well as the likes of Eggplant Agedashi, Chicken Wings, a Soft Shell Crab Sandwich, and that Korean BBQ favorite, Cheesy Corn, which basically deploys a sizzling-platter's worth sweet kernels (and some edamame) to deliver a ton of melted cheese, mayo, and butter into your mouth.

Both of the Large Sharing Plates I saw were, in fact, plenty large enough to share, and the Mapo Tofu was quite good, thick with ground pork and studded with numbing peppercorns. The Japchae Beef, another Korean dish, was too sweet for my tastes, though the vermicelli noodles were appropriately slick. Other big dishes include Tomkatsu Curry, Yaki Udon Beef, and a Teriyaki Striploin Steak. Most everything is priced in the single digits and low teens, leaving you with room left over for liquor.

Moonrise Izakaya is located at 774 Amsterdam Avenue, at the corner of 98th Street, and is currently open on Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., on Thursday from 5 p.m. to midnight, and on Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight. Closed Sunday and Monday, though expanded hours are coming soon (646-791-5512; moonriseizakaya.com)