Even celebrities love it！A stylishly designed Japanese BBQ spot in East Taipei

Text & Photos /Pingzi

Visiting East Taipei? This area is a hotspot for BBQ. If you’re craving delicious skewers and a relaxing place to enjoy drinks, Pingzi recommends Standing Bar, a Japanese BBQ joint tucked away in the alleys behind Dunhua MRT Station, near Civic Boulevard. The restaurant crafts its own Japanese-style skewer sauces, uses fresh ingredients, and boasts a highly design-forward interior—perfect for unwinding after work with some skewers and soaking up the little joys of urban life.

Exit Dunhua MRT Station and walk toward Civic Boulevard. Turn into Lane 181, and you’ll spot Standing Bar. As night falls, the dim alleyway is brightened by the restaurant’s sign—a white plaque with bold black lettering that stands out vividly on this East Taipei street corner, creating a wonderfully atmospheric vibe.

A whole wall of Japanese sake adds to the strong Japanese ambiance, making it feel like the perfect spot for BBQ paired with a drink.

The sign for Standing Bar, the Japanese BBQ restaurant, is fully illuminated. The entrance features a logo design combining lines and Chinese characters, with black outlines highlighted by yellow lighting and a circular teppanyaki icon that serves as a focal point—clear, premium, and something Pingzi really loves.

Push open the door to discover Standing Bar, the Japanese BBQ restaurant. Anytime Pingzi wants BBQ after work in East Taipei, this is where she thinks of—proof of just how delicious the food is and how well the restaurant balances design aesthetics with atmosphere.

Step inside to find a spacious, open dining area with wooden furniture and high stools, all infused with design flair. The walls feature an industrial-style exposed concrete look, left intentionally unfinished, with large glass panels reflecting light and making the dining tables the stars of the show while the surroundings play a supporting role. This BBQ spot, themed around traditional Japanese style, is adorned with uniquely crafted Japanese lanterns and mixed with fashionable East Coast American elements, resulting in a distinctive blend of Japanese and American cultures.

Black iron creations modeled after traditional Japanese paper lanterns serve as creative design elements here, adding a touch of class.

The indoor atmosphere is so inviting that you can’t help but take endless photos and want to share this great design with friends, inviting them to come dine here.

The open kitchen features a concrete bar counter where the chef prepares the grilled dishes. A special exhaust system is installed to ensure you won’t leave smelling of smoke, and long-burning charcoal is used for healthier grilling. Even when sitting at the counter or in the dining area, you barely notice any strong smoky odors—another reason this is a highly recommended spot for skewers.

The back dining area is cleverly designed with a row of sofa seats and high stools, perfect for gatherings with friends.

The table by the liquor cabinet, set against a concrete wall, is ideal for ordering a cocktail and enjoying the ambiance.

Recent visitors to Standing Bar, the Japanese BBQ restaurant, may have noticed a Shih Tzu dog in the shop, serving as another charming attraction.

The atmosphere is fantastic—just pick a seat and get ready to dig into the delicious food.

The great design and quality ingredients have attracted many celebrities to dine here.

The restaurant uses warm-toned lighting above the tabletops, contrasting with the cool tones of the surrounding walls. The yellow lighting adds warmth, and in a place like this, lighting can really influence your appetite, making the food taste even better.

The thoughtfully arranged tables and chairs create an airy, spacious feel, making the restaurant seem larger and free of any sense of crowding.

The leather-like texture of the chairs feels like genuine saddle leather, offering exceptional comfort. Pingzi loves this series of high stools, and her favorite feature is the iron bar under the table where you can rest your feet—no more awkward fidgeting, just pure comfort.

The tableware also follows a Japanese style, with special wooden chopsticks that emphasize food safety and environmental awareness.

Every visit to Standing Bar, the Japanese BBQ spot, brings something new. In addition to the regular menu items, the restaurant develops 3–5 new dishes every 3–5 months, offering regular customers something fresh to try. The menu is primarily targeted at women aged 20–30, sure to attract many female skewer enthusiasts. Currently, the menu is split into two parts: one for food and one for drinks.

The food menu opens like a folded brochure, with a four-panel layout featuring a full text price list. It’s different from the last time Pingzi visited—check out her previous review here:http://upssmile.com/308.

For those unsure what to order, check out Standing Bar’s “Endlessly Delicious” recommended list.

The drink menu is similarly expansive, spread across multiple folds, with clear listings of sake, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages. The selection changes daily, so just ask the staff for their recommendations.

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

With such an extensive menu, you can order whatever you like, with prices ranging from NT$50 to NT$300. When it comes to skewers, the key factors are the chef’s skill and experience in controlling the heat, as well as the choice of sauce, which complements the texture of the grilled ingredients.

Sesame Salad – NT$80. Served on a plate crafted from a repurposed sake bottle (a cultural creativity product), it features fresh seasonal vegetables and salad greens drizzled with a specially prepared sesame sauce.

The salad dressed with sesame sauce features extremely fresh vegetables. Paired with this sauce, it’s refreshingly crisp, and served as an appetizer alongside sweet apples, cucumbers, and tomatoes — absolutely delightful.

Grilled okra, 50 TWD per skewer. Grilled seasonal vegetables can easily be overcooked, leaving them dry. Here, the okra is perfectly grilled — just the right level of char — and paired with a specially made sauce that enhances its natural sweetness and juiciness.

Corn shoots, 120 TWD per serving. Each serving includes five shoots. Corn shoots are a must-order vegetable when having barbecue. With good grilling, their outer skin may get slightly charred, but the inside remains tender and juicy. A simple sprinkle of rose salt makes it surprisingly delicious.

Pork throat meat, 100 TWD per serving. "Pork throat" refers to the part located behind the pig’s tongue root — a section that only one exists per pig, making it rare and precious. When you bite into the pork throat, the texture is chewy with a satisfying crunch. The well-controlled grilling keeps it juicy and tender. A splash of lemon juice draws out the grilled juices, making it incredibly tasty.

Grilled yam with mentaiko, 120 TWD per serving. Yam is a natural vegetable with many health benefits. Though unassuming in appearance, it's highly nutritious. Topped with pink-hued mentaiko (spicy cod roe), the creamy roe bursts with flavor while the yam offers a delightful contrast of crispy texture. A must-order here, as recommended by Pingzi.

Just looking at the generous layer of mentaiko shows how hearty the portion is. The topping is lightly seared with expert heat control. After finishing one serving, you’ll definitely want another.

Cheesy chicken leg skewers, 60 TWD per skewer, coated with rich melted cheese sauce mixed with Japanese-style barbecue sauce. The cheese slowly oozes out under the heat.

The chicken, coated with cheese, gains a creamy richness, and the meat remains tender and flavorful — a perfect match.

Bacon-wrapped something (possibly burdock or similar vegetable), 60 TWD per skewer. This is a rare dish not commonly found elsewhere. While most places serve burdock grilled plainly, here it's creatively wrapped in bacon. The bacon is crispy on the outside, but because of the high oil content, some parts melt in your mouth while others retain a nice bite. Having been pre-grilled with a special Japanese sauce, it’s well-seasoned. For those who enjoy spice, you can add some shichimi togarashi (seven-flavor chili pepper) on the side, just like Pingzi does, to enhance the flavor even more. Delicious.

Zucchini wrapped with shrimp, grilled together. Lightly brushed with the shop’s special Japanese-style sauce, you can taste the freshness and juiciness of the zucchini as well as the sweetness of the enclosed shrimp — a dish with great layered flavors.

From the side, you can see the thick shrimp, showcasing a creative take that adds a fresh twist.

Throat cartilage, of which there’s only one per pig — truly rare, so naturally worth trying. The texture is similar to chicken cartilage: crunchy yet tender. Some parts become tender enough to melt in your mouth with proper grilling, while others remain chewy. Already seasoned with a special Japanese sauce, it’s very flavorful. For those who like spicy food, you can add some shichimi togarashi on the side, as Pingzi does, to make it even tastier.

Sweet shrimp and Shinshu miso soup, 120 TWD per bowl. The soup base is first sautéed with butter before being simmered for hours with miso.

The sweet shrimp are extremely fresh, already shelled and ready to eat. Combined with the buttery, fragrant miso soup, the seafood’s umami is fully brought out. It’s so delicious that even Pingzi, who usually doesn’t drink much soup, finished the whole bowl — proof of how tasty it is.

Grilled beef, cooked to medium-rare, resulting in tender and juicy meat. Thanks to the fresh quality of the beef, even a simple grilling makes it delicious.

Tea-infused rice, with the rice also lightly grilled. It’s served in the center, topped with bonito flakes and seaweed, and accompanied by a base of long-simmered miso soup.

Grilled rice balls, 40 TWD each. The exterior is golden and crispy. The rice is coated with the shop’s special Japanese sauce, adding a fragrant touch. Biting into the rice ball, you get a crispy outside and fluffy, separate grains inside — absolutely delicious. Pingzi suggests adding a plum or other fillings in the middle for extra variety, though the grilling alone is satisfying.

Drinks include cocktails as well as non-alcoholic options — just order whatever you like.

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

And of course, there’s also beer that you shouldn’t miss. Nothing pairs better with barbecue than beer.Don’t drink and drive. Don’t drive after drinking.

After visiting Standing Bar, a Japanese-style barbecue restaurant in the prime location of East District, with its strong blend of Japanese and modern interior design, a rich selection of skewered ingredients, and deliciously grilled flavors, every time I finish eating, I find myself wanting to come back during late-night work breaks. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a little happiness, sip on a cocktail with some skewers, and add a bit of relaxation and flavor to life.

Standing Bar Japanese-style BBQ Restaurant.
Phone: (02) 2771-1595.
Address: No. 12, Lane 40, Aly. 181, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Taipei City.
Business Hours: 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM.
Official Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/zhanstandingbar?fref=ts.

Upssmile Pingzi (Up’s Smile – Upward Smile) !
She is a designer as well as a photographer for “Upward Smile Travel Food Photography.”
Love “travelling,” “eating,” “designing,” and “photography & films.”
Blogger:http://upssmile.com/

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