New Delhi, Jan. 7 -- In Japan, izakayas are hubs for social dining with affordable menus. They serve comforting dishes-from ramen to yakitori and karage-complemented by sakes, cocktails and beers. "Typically, they are casual neighbourhood restaurants where people hangout with colleagues, friends or family after work," explains Sameer Uttamsingh. The Mumbai-based restaurant consultant opened a modern izakaya, Donmai, in Mumbai's posh corporate area Worli last month. He partnered with young entrepreneur and artist Ish Patil who hails from the city's prominent business family DY Patil.

Izakaya as a restaurant format is catching up in India because its menu is malleable. In other words, it can be tweaked to adapt to diverse palates while the...