small restaurant; eating house
A small, often cozy restaurant serving home-style Japanese cooking. Typically run by a single chef or a small team, with a counter and a few tables.
There is a cozy little restaurant near the station.
She runs a small restaurant all by herself.
A high-end traditional Japanese restaurant, often with private rooms and a formal atmosphere, while 小料理屋 is smaller and more casual.
A casual Japanese pub that serves a wide variety of small dishes and drinks; 小料理屋 focuses more on home-style cooking and may have a quieter, more intimate setting.
Compound of 小 (small) + 料理 (cooking) + 屋 (shop). The term describes a small establishment specializing in simple, home-style Japanese dishes.