What food goes with shochu and awamori?
The classic partners for shochu and awamori are rich and simmered dishes, pork, grilled fish and grilled food. In KIKI’s food data, 80 % of 604 shochu and awamori bottles go with rich and simmered dishes (as of 10 Oct 2026).
Which shochu and awamori goes with pork?
For example braised pork belly, black-pork shabu-shabu, rafute. The sweet aroma of imo shochu goes well with pork fat, and awamori has long been drunk with Okinawan pork dishes.
456 of KIKI’s 604 shochu and awamori bottles (75 %) go with it. By type, the share is highest for brown sugar shochu (100 %) and awamori (100 %). The most reviewed:
- Kuro Kirishima Sweet Potato ShochuSweet potato shochu · ¥637 / 720 ml
- Shiratamano Tsuyu Sweet Potato ShochuSweet potato shochu · ¥577 / 720 ml
- Kakushigura Barrel Aged Barley Shochu 25%Barley shochu · ¥600 / 720 ml
- Lento Amami Brown Sugar Shochu 25%Brown sugar shochu · ¥711 / 720 ml
- Kobiki BLUE Imo Shochu 25%Sweet potato shochu · ¥599 / 720 ml
Which shochu and awamori goes with fried food?
For example fried chicken, tempura, satsuma-age fish cakes. Fried chicken and tempura are classic partners for barley shochu, and satsuma-age fish cakes for imo shochu.
387 of KIKI’s 604 shochu and awamori bottles (64 %) go with it. By type, the share is highest for barley shochu (82 %) and sweet potato shochu (78 %). The most reviewed:
- Nikaido Oita Barley Shochu 25%Barley shochu · ¥680 / 720 ml
- Hakata no Hana Barley Shochu 25%Barley shochu · ¥337 / 720 ml
- Sugomugi Barley Shochu 25%Barley shochu · ¥340 / 720 ml
- Sasshu Sekitoba Sweet Potato ShochuSweet potato shochu · ¥1,210 / 720 ml
- Sugoimo Sweet Potato Shochu 25%Sweet potato shochu · ¥312 / 720 ml
Which shochu and awamori goes with chicken and yakitori?
For example yakitori, fried chicken, charcoal-grilled chicken. In KIKI’s food data, most barley and imo shochu are matched with chicken, especially toasty dishes such as yakitori or fried chicken.
368 of KIKI’s 604 shochu and awamori bottles (61 %) go with it. By type, the share is highest for barley shochu (95 %) and sweet potato shochu (73 %). The most reviewed:
- Kokuimo Sweet Potato Shochu 25%Sweet potato shochu · ¥409 / 720 ml
- Arawaza Sakurajima Sweet Potato ShochuSweet potato shochu · ¥679 / 720 ml
- Isami ShochuSweet potato shochu · ¥1,068 / 720 ml
- Mitake Authentic Sweet Potato ShochuSweet potato shochu · ¥960 / 720 ml
- Mugi no Daichi Barley Shochu 25%Barley shochu · ¥409 / 720 ml
Which shochu and awamori goes with rich and simmered dishes?
For example braised pork, offal stew, sweet soy simmered dishes. Bold shochu, such as imo or black-koji shochu, holds its own against rich dishes.
483 of KIKI’s 604 shochu and awamori bottles (80 %) go with it. By type, the share is highest for sweet potato shochu (98 %) and rice shochu (97 %). The most reviewed:
- Satsumaichi Sweet Potato ShochuSweet potato shochu · ¥565 / 720 ml
- Unkai Buckwheat (Soba) Shochu 25%Buckwheat shochu · ¥576 / 720 ml
- Torikai Ginko Rice ShochuRice shochu · ¥2,200 / 720 ml
- Maou Imo ShochuSweet potato shochu · ¥3,392 / 720 ml
- Akakirishima Imo Shochu 25%Sweet potato shochu · ¥797 / 720 ml
Which shochu and awamori goes with grilled fish and grilled food?
For example grilled fish, yakitori, grilled rice balls. Barley shochu and black-koji shochu are easy partners for toasty grilled food such as grilled fish or yakitori.
396 of KIKI’s 604 shochu and awamori bottles (66 %) go with it. By type, the share is highest for barley shochu (93 %) and sweet potato shochu (68 %). The most reviewed:
- Mutemuka Dabada Hiburi Chestnut ShochuShochu · ¥1,076 / 720 ml
- Nakanaka ShochuBarley shochu · ¥1,135 / 720 ml
- Kanoka Barley Shochu 25%Barley shochu · ¥427 / 720 ml
- Hyakunen no Kodoku Oak-Aged Barley ShochuBarley shochu · ¥3,850 / 720 ml
- Murao Kame Tsubo Pot-Distilled ShochuSweet potato shochu · ¥3,800 / 720 ml
Which shochu and awamori goes with sashimi and washoku?
For example sashimi, simmered dishes, rolled omelette. The soft taste of rice shochu is easy to pair with washoku in general, from sashimi to simmered dishes.
79 of KIKI’s 604 shochu and awamori bottles (13 %) go with it. By type, the share is highest for rice shochu (97 %). The most reviewed:
- Tomi no Hozan Sweet Potato ShochuSweet potato shochu · ¥1,367 / 720 ml
- Satsuma Shiranami Sweet Potato Shochu 25%Sweet potato shochu · ¥592 / 720 ml
- Hakutake Rice Shochu 25%Rice shochu · ¥692 / 720 ml
- Tantakatan Shiso Herb Shochu 20%Shochu · ¥552 / 720 ml
- Hakata no Hana Rice Shochu 25%Rice shochu · ¥494 / 720 ml
Which shochu and awamori goes with tofu and fermented food?
For example tofuyo (fermented tofu), island tofu, goya champuru. Awamori is the classic match for Okinawan food such as tofuyo (fermented tofu) or goya champuru.
116 of KIKI’s 604 shochu and awamori bottles (19 %) go with it. By type, the share is highest for awamori (97 %) and rice shochu (64 %). The most reviewed:
- Jikabi Seifuku Direct Fire Distilled Awamori 30%Awamori · ¥697 / 720 ml
- Zanpa Black Awamori 30%Awamori · ¥729 / 720 ml
- Zuisen Aged Awamori 43%Awamori · ¥1,118 / 720 ml
- Kumejima no Kumesen Awamori 30%Awamori · ¥660 / 720 ml
- Kumesen Aged Awamori 35%Awamori · ¥987 / 720 ml
Where do these matches come from?
The numbers come from the food data of the 604 bottles with a page on this site (as of 10 Oct 2026). For each bottle, the food data picks the ingredients, cooking and seasoning that suit it, from its type, style and taste and the dishes named by the brewery or shops.
The thinking behind it is in Matching sake with food. Bottles are listed by the number of reviews at Rakuten Ichiba and Yahoo! Shopping shops.