Yanaya

Yanaya suits a stop for one more drink after a meal. One customer ordered cartilage skewers, a small portion of stir-fried tripe and the day’s recommended raw spear squid. The skewers were their favourite. They also noted that the sashimi portion was on the small side—a glimpse of the appeal of a standing bar, where you can pick out a few things at a time.

Another customer paired bottled beer and highballs with lotus-root tempura, bacon steak, egg with garlic chives and fried fish cake, finding the portions just right for trying a range of dishes. The menu also lists those plates, along with rolled omelette, fried oysters and chicken nanban. You could build a meal around fried and grilled dishes, or add something like the egg and garlic chives; ordering several plates to share makes it easy to bring different flavours to the table.

The drinks menu lists beer and highballs, as well as shochu, sake and red or white wine by the glass. Some customers keep things simple with two highballs, fish cake with wasabi and chilled tofu; others pair cloudy sake with seafood yukhoe and jellyfish with plum. There are options to go with anything from a light snack to a more varied spread.

This standing bar also works for dining alone. Reviews describe both a quick drink after work and a longer visit over several plates. Yanaya does not accept reservations and takes cash only, so bear that in mind before stopping by.