Stand Umineko : The Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a beer in a plastic cup to walk around Dotonbori and the local area, then you could do worse than Stand Umineko but on the other hand, you could easily just walk into a Lawsons and pick up a can of Aooni IPA and be done with it. The main reason for me saying this is due to the prices – and I know that some people will think I am harping on about it but paying so much for average beer just isn’t on. In spite of that, Stand Umineko is a friendly little hole in the wall in Osaka’s colourful Dotonbori district.
Stand Umineko : Background
Stand Umineko is part of the infamous Derailleur Beer Works chain of bars – long story there behind them and not the best of pasts but I’d like to think that people and companies can change so that’s why Stand Umineko is on this site again. Stand Umineko is the first of three bars in the chain, and opened in November 2018.
The bar itself is located in the Dotonbori / Shinsaibashi area of Osaka, and is in between two of Osaka’s main underground stations of Shinsaibashi and Nama.
Stand Umineko : Atmosphere & Interior
To say Stand Umineko is small, is an understatement and actually takes the record on BeerTengoku for being the smallest craft beer bar, beating Gotsubo – though that has closed – by 1 tsubo as Stand Umineko is only 4 tsubo in area, which in metric terms is about 13.3 square metres. Tiny!
If you take a look at the picture above, that’s the entirity of the bar and that picture was taken from the small hatch that you can order from. Stand Umineko is standing room only, though it does sometimes spill out onto the street when indoors gets too busy. Inside, there is space for about 6 people standing, and that’s rubbing shoulders with one another. The whole place is non-smoking, both inside and immediately outside the front of the bar, and there is no table charge. I didn’t notice any wifi in the area though.
Stand Umineko : Beer & Tap Information
In spite of the size of Stand Umineko, there were lots of taps available, and I managed to count ten in total, though 9 were being used on the day. With Stand Umineko being part of the Derailleur chain of bars, I was expecting all of the beers to be from them; however, there were a number of guest breweries on tap.
It all got a bit confusing with the beer prices though as there is a three tier system so let’s try and break it down for you. Small beers (240ml) cost from ¥800, medium (350ml) from ¥1,000, and then large (470ml) from ¥1,400 depending on the coloured sticker next to the listing on the menu. As can be seen, the beers are not cheap by any means, and that’s just for the in-house beers. Having to pay ¥1,700 for a beer that is locally made, and let’s be honest, average at best, just is a hard pill to swallow.
There wasn’t an option of a beer flight and I am guessing that’s because all of the beers are served in funky plastic cups with a great little design on them. There wasn’t any option for cans but I am guessing that’s because Stand Umineko is so small so there isn’t enough space.
Stand Umineko : Food & Menu Information
There are some small options for food at Stand Umineko, though the portion sizes are small and that’s due to the size of the place. The food on offer is mostly snack based, with a small curry option for those wanting it. All the food costs ¥500, and like the beers, all prices include tax. In terms of vegetarian options, there’s some nuts – that’s all I spotted.
The menus are mostly written in Japanese but there are small tidbits of English throughout so you won’t have any problems ordering here if you don’t speak or read Japanese.
Stand Umineko : Bar Details
- Open : Weekdays 17:00 – 23:00 Weekends & Holidays 15:00 – 23:00 (L.O Food 22:00 Drinks 22:30)
- Closed : –
- Happy Hour : –
- Phone : 080-8157-9017
- Homepage (in Japanese) : https://standumineko-koto.shopinfo.jp/
- Social Media : Facebook / Instagram
