Late-night Izakaya in Taichung: Palm-sized Oysters & Limited Salt-Grilled Beef Tongue

Text & Photos /Orange Dog Loves Candy

Japanese izakayas are currently all the rage, just like the hundred-yuan hot pot restaurants of the past—you can find them almost everywhere on every street corner. But if you look carefully (or rather, try them one by one), you can still find some that put more care into their cooking. Take this featured 【That One Japanese Skewer Izakaya】 for example—its name is simple and easy to remember, and it focuses on delivering pure, delicious food. This place is on Suiyuan Road, not far from Beiping Road, which gets bustling at noon and stays lively into the evening. That road is packed with choices like Old Xiang’s shop, Xu Family Village Handmade Udon, and many other noodle and dumpling restaurants. The selection is amazing!

(Since the title mentions palm-sized grilled oysters, let’s give them a little spotlight first Up！Remember to read the whole thing before heading out XD), but around Suiyuan Road, things seem a bit quieter, so 【That One】 feels a bit low-key and hidden here. But don’t let that make you miss it—this izakaya serves flavors that’ll make you fall in love after just one bite and is a great late-night option!

At first glance, I thought it might be a Taiwanese-style izakaya, but the decor has a different feel. The exterior is actually quite understated—aside from the sign reading 【That One Japanese Skewer Izakaya】, there’s nothing else.

It’s conveniently located on a corner. Though low-key, it still catches your eye. Step inside, and you’ll find a modern-designed Japanese space. From the outside, you’d think the interior is pretty spacious—it is, but not many seats. For such a floor area, there are only two four-person tables, and the rest are counter seats with less than 10 spots. They’ve left quite wide walkways!

And as you can see from other reviews, it’s been open for over a year yet still maintains its freshly opened feel, which shows they must put a lot of effort into cleanliness to keep it this way. I feel ashamed compared to my own home, which is like a garbage dump XD. Aside from various Japanese decorations, the sake and daiginjo bottles also serve as part of the decor. The overall display is restrained—not overly elaborate—and leaves plenty of space for your comfort. (So it’s recommended to make a reservation in advance; otherwise, you might not know how long you’ll have to wait since there’s no time limit inside.)

The kitchen in the middle lets you clearly see the grill (of course, there’s still an acrylic panel in between). They put a lot of care into the skewers—from the elevated special grilling mesh to the attentive flipping. You can really taste the dedication from the moment the food arrives at your table.

There are quite a few food options here. Skewers are, of course, the main highlight, but the drinks are also great. If you’re only looking at skewers, the prices aren’t too high, as most are priced for two skewers together, similar to Wu Liu Shou skewers. Only a few ‘beef’ skewers are pricier—the rest are mostly under or just over NT$100.

There are also appetizers (cold dishes) that are quite refined in flavor—great choices. Then there are seafood, stir-fries, and fried items, etc. Whether you just want to drink and chat or are looking to get full, you won’t be disappointed here. But they have a ‘minimum spend of NT$400 per person’ rule. It’s not a low minimum, but it’s worth it.

▲【Japanese Side Dish │ Complimentary】

This is a typical small dish served to tide you over while waiting for your meal and chatting. Up！Oh, and their homemade dipping sauces are amazing—what they taste like, you’ll just have to come and find out Up.

▲【Drinks │ Hokkaido Dassai Junmai Daiginjo, Kokuryu Ichiban Shibori, Senju Kubota │ 300ml】

● ETtoday News Cloud reminds you: Don’t drink and drive, and don’t drive after drinking.

We happened to have four people, each picking a bottle they liked. We chose Dassai because a friend said it’s really good—it’s from Hokkaido’s Takasago Brewery. It has a mature, sweet flavor with aroma, and I think even women would enjoy it. It’s not too harsh, but rather refreshing, especially that cold, sharp sweetness in the first couple of sips—I quite liked it. The other two are also worth trying if you’re interested. I feel like we’ve been seeing more 300ml daiginjo sake in izakayas lately, which I think is better. In the past, they’d often come in huge 720ml bottles or even larger, and if you didn’t finish one, the sake would ferment and go bad!

▲【Drinks │ Hananomai Junmai Ginjo │ 300ml】

I didn’t drink this one, just used it for photos. At first glance, I thought it might be a cherry blossom season limited edition, but after checking, it’s not as gentle as it looks XD. It’s slightly dry. Give it a try if you’re curious!

▲【Stir-Fry │ Seafood Fried Udon │ NT$160】

Who would’ve thought the first dish to arrive would be something that fills you up? The chef definitely knows we were starving XD. The seafood is generous—shrimp, clams, squid—and there’s a nice handful of fish roe on top. The udon is soft but not mushy, and the sauce is perfectly balanced between savory and salty. Topped with a generous sprinkle of bonito flakes dancing on top, and the portion size is solid too!

▲【Cold Dish │ Giant Octopus Salad │ NT$170】

Pretty thick cuts of octopus. As a cold dish, there’s no heavy seasoning—just a bit of seven-spice powder, onion, and a sweet-sour sauce.

The octopus is firm and full of freshness, and it pairs wonderfully with sake. Highly recommended to try it together!

▲【Cold Dish │ Cold Beef Tartare │ NT$240】

This might be one of the thickest slices of raw beef I’ve ever had. It has a slight chewiness and a hint of sweetness.

Just like the octopus earlier, it’s a very thoughtful dish—right from the start, it gives you a good impression of the flavors!

▲【Cold Dish │ Sesame Asparagus │ NT$90】

You’d think I ordered this because of the asparagus, but I actually got it for the sesame sauce XD. The asparagus is pretty fresh, though I’m not sure if they kept the sesame sauce lighter to highlight the asparagus’s freshness and sweetness. But the crunch of the asparagus paired with the lightly fragrant, subtly sweet sesame sauce—if you like refreshing flavors, give this a try!

▲【Skewers │ Chicken with Green Onion 2 pcs NT$90 │ Chicken with Mentaiko 2 pcs NT$110】

Apart from those with particularly strong seasonings, I actually prefer salt-flavored yakitori most of the time. I’m really not a fan of overly rich sauces. As for the chicken and green onion skewer, it’s really quite excellent—the juice and aroma of the green onions blend perfectly with the tender chicken, which is grilled to a lightly fragrant tenderness without being dry.

The sweetness in the flavor makes it very enjoyable, and the chicken skewer with mentaiko is also an ever-popular, timeless choice at this yakitori shop. As you eat, the salty-sweet flavor of the mentaiko complements the texture, and while the overall taste is rich, the chicken itself remains refreshingly sweet and tender.

▲ [Yakitori │ 2 Salt-Grilled Beef Tongues 190 TWD │ 2 Grilled Chicken Intestine Skewers 90 TWD]

For a small shop, it’s naturally hard to keep too much premium ingredients in stock, so beef tongue is naturally limited in quantity. The moment you bite down, the juices burst out from the tongue, and the light sprinkle of salt brings out a subtle sweetness.

The chewiness and tenderness of the beef tongue, along with its crispness, get even more delicious the more you chew. As for the chicken intestines, I don’t need to say much—the moment you try them, you’ll definitely fall in love.

▲ [Yakitori │ 2 Shrimp Bacon Skewers 120 TWD │ 2 Cabbage Bacon Skewers 90 TWD]

Bacon wrapped around shrimp meat—these are whole, proper shrimp, not some kind of shrimp paste. The Q-textured bacon pairs wonderfully with the crispy, bouncy shrimp. Delicious.

The cabbage-wrapped ones offer a refreshing, crisp bite throughout. Both are seasoned with just a light sprinkle of salt, which I quite like.

▲ [Yakitori │ 2 Chicken Hearts 70 TWD │ 2 Snowflake Beef Skewers 190 TWD]

I have an inexplicable fondness for offal—I just had to order some. The tenderness of the chicken heart, paired with the light saltiness, is already delicious. But as for the snowflake beef skewer, which I was eagerly anticipating, it seemed a bit off when grilled. The level of doneness didn’t seem to be the issue.

But looking at the meat, it probably lacked sufficient marbling, so it didn’t turn out as tender as expected. Instead, the texture was a bit too firm. There was still a sweetness to the beef, but it just didn’t meet the deliciousness I had hoped for. (I did mention it to the staff afterward, which felt a little bit of a pity.)

▲ [Stir-Fried │ Steamed Clams in Sake │ 220 TWD]

I feel like the chef made this dish purely to win people over, because there were so many clams. It was full of sincerity. Once the dish arrived and the lid was lifted, the aroma of sake instantly burst out with the steam. They really didn’t skimp on the sake.

The freshness of the clams, combined with the sauce’s sake-infused mellow richness, was so good I couldn’t help but sip the sauce a few times (though the clams made it a bit saltier after cooking). This hearty steamed clam dish has a very Japanese flavor, and it completely won over my love for Japanese cuisine. Highly recommended.

▲ [Seafood │ Overnight-Dried Mackerel │ 320 TWD │ Limited Edition, Highly Recommended]

Overnight-dried fish is a must-order at any izakaya, right? And I ordered it purely because of the word “limited,” which totally got to me. But actually, it’s also because this is a shop-made item, and production schedules often have to be adjusted due to weather conditions.

So it’s hard to mass-produce, meaning the quantity is genuinely very small. And once it arrived at the table, it lived up to expectations. The fish fillet was quite substantial—just a light lift with chopsticks, and the tender, fatty mackerel easily came up between them. The moment you take a bite, the sweet tenderness of the fish combined with the aroma of the fat makes it obvious this overnight-dried fish isn’t just thrown together.

▲ [Seafood │ Char-Grilled Large Oysters │ 380 TWD │ Limited Edition, Highly Recommended]

I saw the large oysters and wanted to order them—and when they arrived, they were honestly huge. Two oysters per serving, each as big as a palm. But the oysters weren’t grilled all the way through—just about 50–60% cooked—so they still retained their fresh, just-shucked juiciness.

After all, when you order oysters, you want that fresh bite. If you love oysters, I highly recommend this dish.
But be super careful—it’s super hot. Eat slowly, no one’s going to snatch it from you XD. It’s truly a surprisingly great dish.

▲ [Yakitori │ Japanese Eggplant with Cheese │ 90 TWD │ Personal Recommendation]

A whole Japanese eggplant taking up half the plate, grilled with plenty of cheese on top. I used to be someone who didn’t like eggplant, but I started liking it after trying fish-flavored eggplant. This one is covered in a rich layer of cheese.

The eggplant itself is soft, but eating it with the cheese on top removes that sense of aversion (for those who don’t like eggplant). I personally really like it—it’s delicious, and the portion is very generous, just as big as a palm like the oysters above.

▲ [Seafood │ Grilled Squid │ 280 TWD │ Personal Recommendation]

Whether it’s squid or cuttlefish, how can you not order one to try? When it comes to seafood doneness, this place always cares more about the optimal level than the customers do before serving. And you definitely don’t have to worry about the size of the seafood.

The squid’s sauce is a bit special—it uses Japanese soy sauce with added kumquats for a citrusy tang. A bit more of the sauce gives a refreshing sweet-and-sour note that adds a different flavor profile to the seafood. It’s a nicely thought-out, delicate seasoning touch.

▲ [Seafood │ Grilled King Prawns │ 2 Prawns 190 TWD]

Whether it’s grass prawns or king prawns, when you’re at a yakitori or izakaya, how can you not grill a few prawns to try? Peeling off the slightly thick shells—

the crispy, juicy prawn meat is sweet and tender. And don’t miss out on the flavor of the heads—they’re grilled to perfection with a slight charred aroma.

▲【Stew │ Beef Stew │ 190 NTD】

I can never resist this kind of homely, motherly dish in Japanese cuisine, and the one at 【That Place】 is also fantastic.

Not to mention the rich aroma of the sauce, every piece of beef is tender, flavorful, and has a subtle hint of wine that’s pleasantly intoxicating — it has such a warm taste.

We ordered a lot and drank a lot XD, and since the food was so good we ended up ordering another round. It’s a great spot for a meal and a chat. The seating isn’t too plentiful, so it’s naturally not too noisy, meaning you don’t have to shout to talk. But they really put care into the flavors, and the ingredient quality is good too, so overall it’s very enjoyable. Even though the minimum spend is a bit higher than usual, like Qinxian’s Wu Liu Shou Skewers, it’s definitely worth it.
Though the location is a bit hidden, it’s a izakaya well worth visiting again and again. Highly recommended to bring friends and give it a try.

That Place Japanese Izakaya & Skewers
Address: No. 52-1, Section 2, Suiyuan Road, Beitun District, Taichung City
Phone: 04-22372856
Business Hours: 5:30 PM – 1:00 AM
Consumption Notice: Open only at night, advance reservation recommended

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