Minshuto is an izakaya style restaurant located conveniently close to Matsuyama City Station, right next to the entrance to Gintengai arcade. It's very easy to spot at night due to its abundance of red neon and lanterns, and the light streaming from its glass and wood doors.
If Minshuto looks like something from 1950s Japan, that's exactly the intention. Everything about the place is meant to evoke Japan in the Showa period, which lasted from the 1930s to the 1980s. The restaurant is decorated with posters from the early days of Asahi beer, with rosebud lipped beauties with dreamy eyes. The background music also has a Showa era theme. When I last went, I was greeted by Blondie's Heart of Glass which sounded very good after all these years. This segued into some enka from earlier in the last century, which was also pretty good.
The main point about Minshuto besides its Showa theme is its prices. Everything is priced at 300 yen, including all the drinks, which makes choosing really easy. This is pretty cheap for an izakaya. But the low prices don't mean low quality or small portions—everything is prepared with care and tastes good.
Recently I popped in for a light evening meal. I chose the oden moriawase, a selection of goodies stewed in fish broth including cabbage roll, boiled egg, squid dumplings, and beef tendon on a skewer. I also had a dish of asari shellfish cooked in butter, and a glass of chilled Nikitatsu sake from Dogo in Matsuyama.
The menu is quite extensive with all the usual meat, fish, tofu and vegetable offerings of your typical izakaya. You can also order a helping of Bon Curry in spicy, moderate, and sweet varieties. Bon was the first packaged curry roux from the Showa Period, and you can really show your Showa cred by hungering for some. There are also a good variety of cocktails, as well as the usual sake, beer, shochu, and umeshu plum liquour.
For a cheap and reliable izakaya experience in Matsuyama, Minshuto is hard to beat.
Name in Japanese
民酒党 minshutō Minshuto
