Drinking in Ueno on ¥3,000: Classic Izakaya, Chains or Standing Bars?

For a comparison of Ueno’s standing bars, I wanted to include Takioka. Together with Kadokura, it represents that style of drinking in this article.

My strongest impression from the standing bars this time was that they weren’t as cheap as I’d expected. Somewhere in my mind, I’d assumed standing up would be much cheaper than having a seat.

But once I order a beer, a highball and the food I actually want, the format alone doesn’t settle the question. I wanted to consider how satisfying the visit was alongside the other four restaurants.

My second standing bar is Kadokura, a familiar name for people who drink around Ueno 6-chome. I included it alongside Takioka as the other example of this style.

Looking back, I had expected too much from standing bars on price alone. Shinjidai impressed me in particular, and changed my instinct to head for a standing bar whenever I wanted a cheap drink.

If you love the standing-bar atmosphere, that has its own appeal. Here, though, I’m comparing satisfaction on a ¥3,000 budget. My overall verdict against the other four places is at the end.

Next is Horumon Sakaba, one of my classic-style izakaya picks. There was a promotion when I visited: draft beer was ¥290 and a highball ¥190, before tax.

The drinks were ice-cold too. When I’ve come out for a drink, getting a properly chilled glass matters. Alongside the price, that’s one of the details I remember clearly from this visit.

I drank with oysters and skewers here, and both tasted good. Add those very cold drinks and you have the kind of evening I like. It went beyond cheap alcohol: I could enjoy seafood and meat too. Price wasn’t the only reason I left Horumon Sakaba satisfied.

The two drinks came to ¥480 before tax, or ¥528 including tax. That leaves plenty of a ¥3,000 budget for food. For someone like me who wants to eat well too, it makes a real difference.

Uokichi Sakaba also had draft beer on promotion at ¥290, and it was ice-cold here too. For my highball, I ordered the mega-sized Kaku at ¥750. Both prices are before tax.

That mega Kaku highball is huge. Put ¥750 beside Horumon Sakaba’s ¥190 and it looks expensive, but this was a mega serving. Comparing the two as though they were identical glasses would miss the point.

The beer and mega Kaku came to ¥1,040 before tax, or ¥1,144 with tax. It’s a different use of the drinks budget from Horumon Sakaba. When I judge value, the size and the whisky in the glass matter too.

Shinjidai Ueno was better than I expected. The food tasted good, the service was good, and it felt cheaper than the standing bars I compared it with. I’m happy to give it credit for that.

Low prices aren’t enough if the food or service leaves me dissatisfied. At Shinjidai, both were good, which made this visit memorable. Dismissing a place simply because it’s a chain would be a mistake.

I came away with a high opinion of Shinjidai Ueno. It’s now firmly among my options for the next time I drink in the area.

To me, both the food and service at Toriichizu had slipped compared with earlier visits. That stood out this time. Shinjidai’s strong showing made the difference between these two chains especially noticeable.

Affordable drinks matter, but I choose a restaurant by whether the food and service make me want to return. On that basis, Toriichizu didn’t meet my expectations this time.

Shinjidai was good. But once I include Toriichizu, I can’t give all chains a single glowing verdict. Two restaurants of the same type left very different impressions.