Tuna Bar: Photo by Drink Philly

What do you know about sake, the Japanese fermented drink made from just four basic ingredients: water, rice, koji (a mold), and yeast? A little? A lot? Somewhere in between? We talked with Lala Zeimski, podcaster and head of education at Oishii Sake, and asked what advice she would give to those unfamiliar with the category.

“There are three types of sake classifications, and what these classifications refer to is the rice polishing ratio.” Polishing, when it comes to sake, refers to how much of the outer layers of the rice’s grain is removed.

- Junmai is pure rice, the least polished of the three, with no specific requirements for how much gets polished away.
- Junmai Ginjo is made from rice that’s had 40% of its outside polished away and 60% of the rice remaining.
- Junmai Daigingo is made from rice that’s had 50% of its outside polished away and 50% of the rice remaining.

Double Knot: photo via Schulson Collective

“With rice polishing ratios, polishing more of the rice away doesn’t necessarily mean better; it just means a different stylistic choice, and it does mean it’s going to taste different,” says Zeimski. “For instance, if you’re drinking a Junmai, and there’s less of the outer rice husk that’s polished away, you’re going to get more toasty rice notes because more of the outer part remains.”

The higher the rice polishing ratios, the more outer husk is polished away, and you get to the shimpaku, or heart, of the rice.

“The more you get to the heart, the more floral, the more elegant, the more of those layered flavors will come out,” she says. In general, the more the rice is polished, the more expensive a sake will be because it’s more work to make, but Zeimski advises that doesn’t mean Junmai Daigingo is necessarily better than Junmai.

“It really just comes down to flavor profile and what you like,” she says.

dancerobot: photo by Drink Philly

Armed with that basic education, it’s time to head out into Philadelphia’s neighborhoods, where you’ll find a lot more sake than you may have a decade ago. From the super casual, family-friendly Mecha Noodle Bar in Fishtown, a chain restaurant with a small sake menu designed with the beginner in mind, to Rittenhouse’s neon-lit dancerobot, which opened last fall with an extensive menu of the brewed beverage, to Michelin-recommended establishments, there’s a place for everyone’s comfort level.

And, if you’re still unsure of what to drink once you get there, or you see something on the menu that doesn’t fit into the three basic classifications (because you will), “Ask the server or bartender,” says Gianna Spatoulas, dancerobot’s general manager. “All of our staff have had a chance to try everything at length and are well trained on it, so they always have their suggestions about what may go well with what a customer is ordering or just fun things to try in general.”

Where to Drink Sake in Philadelphia

While not an exhaustive list, these establishments will help you discover where the sake is pouring throughout Philadelphia’s vibrant neighborhoods.

Photo by Drink Philly

dancerobot
With an extensive sake menu that covers the three classifications, plus variations of them all, this Neon-lit '80s Japanese izakaya—a sake bar with small bites (think pub or tapas bar where you meet friends)—in Rittenhouse opened in 2025. Sake is offered by the glass, carafe, or full bottle (except for the reserve bottles), and dancerobot also offers cups, which aren’t physical cups but rather what single servings come in.

“A lot of the sake on our menu is in little glass cups, and if you buy them, you can take them with you. We use the ones that are left behind as candleholders,” says Spatoulas. “We do have some that come in juice box form as well. It’s fun, and it’s cute. People love the idea of drinking alcohol out of a juice box.”
(1710 Sansom St)

Photo via Schulson Collective

Double Knot
Double Knot has a dedicated cocktail bar upstairs and a “hidden” candlelit sushi bar and robatayaki (quickly cooked foods over hot coals) below. With a list designed to complement their food menu, they don’t mess around with their sake menu at Double Knot. Even the by-the-glass Happy Hour options at this Gayborhood institution start above $15. The bottle menu—which includes a sparkling sake—has both 300ml and 720ml size options (plus a few odd sizes thrown in), and servers can guide sake novices through the choices.
(120 S 13th St)

Photo via Ogawa

Ogawa Sushi & Kappo Philadelphia
Choose from the six-course beverage pairing sake menu selected to accompany the 23-course omakase experience, or choose a carafe or full bottle from the menu. Pay attention to the dessert-style sake on the menu, too, at this Old City establishment. The 3-ounce pours of sweet, but not too sweet, options—which currently include a sake vermouth—are the only way to end an experience that’s never the same from one visit to the next.
(310 Market St)


Photo via Mecha Noodle Bar

Mecha Noodle Bar
If you’re just looking to dip your toe in the water and not get overwhelmed by a large menu of sake options, Mecha Noodle Bar may be right for you. With about 10 choices on its sake menu, and a sake flight of four pours of different styles, you can pair your sake with bau buns, pho, ramen, and KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) at this chain restaurant with its Philadelphia location under the El in Fishtown.
(1700 N Front St)

Photo by Royal Izakaya

Royal Izakaya
Also included in the Michelin Guide from its recent foray into Philly, this Queen Village mainstay— helmed by Jesse Ito (who is also behind dancerobot), the newly minted James Beard award winner of Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic—proves you can be everything to everyone. It has takeout and delivery. It has a walk-in, dine-in seating area in the front of the establishment with an izakaya vibe. And it has a very hard-to-get reservation-only $355 omakase experience at the intimate 8-seat sushi bar in the back that you can pair with sake from a well-chosen menu, not included in the omakase price. Royal Izakaya also has a varied selection of shochu, a fermented Japanese beverage made from grains or vegetables such as rice, sweet potato, barley, or buckwheat, served in various ways, including neat, on the rocks, or as a highball.
(789 S 2nd St)

Photo by Drink Philly

Tuna Bar
This Japanese raw bar in Old City works with fresh and local ingredients and hand-selected fish for its maki, sushi, sashimi, raw oysters, rice and noodles, and other dishes. Sake is an important part of its offerings, and if you’re looking to drop a grand on a bottle of Junmai Daigingo, this is where you can do it. But don’t let that freak you out. You can also get a well-crafted bottle of sake for $75 and under, or a flight of three sakes to pair with your meal, and still have an excellent experience.
(205 Race St)

Photo via Uchi

Uchi
Another Rittenhouse establishment, Uchi is the Philadelphia location of the upscale chain with 10 locations across the country. Founded by James Beard Award‑winning chef Tyson Cole, the restaurant serves non‑traditional Japanese cuisine. Open 7 days a week with happy hour every day from 4 PM to 6 PM in both the bar and the dining room, guests will find a balanced bar menu with thoughtful by-the-glass offerings and bottles of sake. The menu also has a decent amount of wine, beer, and cocktail choices, plus a small but impressive list of zero-proof cocktails, beer, and wine—truly something for everyone.
(1620 Sansom St, Suite C1)

Photo by Drink Philly

Yakitori Boy
You can eat, drink, and sing at Yakitori Boy in Chinatown. The izakaya and karaoke lounge has a menu full of small plates, both traditional Japanese dishes and a few Americanized choices, plus an extensive drinks menu that includes a variety of sakes. If you order the flight of three sakes, the bartender chooses what goes in your flight, so treat your bartender kindly. While you’re belting out Bohemian Rhapsody in your private karaoke room, you can also order sake (or shochu) bottle service.
(200 N 11th St)

Photo by Drink Philly

Yanaga Kappo-Izakaya
In Northern Liberties, hidden behind a secret door in a bookshelf of the izakaya, Yanaga’s 637 Philly Sushi Club is an exclusive omakase with a multi-course meal and a 5-course sake pairing featuring off-menu sakes or a 7-course “Kuro Obi” pairing with rotating sake and Japanese spirits. Guests at the speakeasy-like club can also choose from a list of well-curated bottles of sake that range from excellent values to those over $400. Try the sake flight for $40 to try some options you can only get off menu. There’s also an excellent selection of complex Japanese whiskey.
(637 North Third Street)