Maekawa is a little restaurant that always surprises. Set in a very unattractive two-story office building that does a pretty great job shunning the average passerby, there’s nothing here that would entice you past the bad 1980s facade of the small shopping center and up the stairs to one of Seattle’s neatest little izakaya. Yeah, that’s right, neat. The ground floor holds a travel agency with no signs in English (with super cheap deals to Asia, I might add) and a store that sells models of anime characters. If you weren’t looking for Maekawa, you’d never find it.Maekawa serves small plates of simple food, often grilled or fried, meant to be washed down with copious amounts of beer or shoju. Regulars rave about the takoyaki (fried octopus balls) and short ribs. My vote goes to the chicken wings stuffed with gyoza filling, anything octopus or squid, and those beef-wrapped scallions up top, which comes with the best, and hottest, Japanese mustard. You’re better off ordering a few things, then shopping plates on their way to other tables. The dishes here don’t often fit the description you’d imagine, but seldom do they disappoint. If only the place opened before 6:00pm, which is kinda weird considering the after work nature of an izakaya. (Maekawa, 601 S. King St., 6:00pm to 12:00mid Mon-Thu, 6:00pm-2:00am Fri-Sat)