Solo drinking at a Daegu yakitori bar right at 6pm opening: Toriaejeu

Toriaejeu, a yakitori bar in Sangin-dong, Daegu that's worth the trip

A review of Toriaejeu, a yakitori bar where you can feel that genuine Japanese local vibe 💟

Where Toriaejeu is in Sangin-dong, and what time to arrive

Toriaejeu is a yakitori bar in the bar alley of Sangin-dong, Dalseo-gu, Daegu, opening at 6pm. Waits start forming after 7-8pm, so if you hate waiting, I'd recommend hurrying over.

Toriaejeu, located in the Sangin-dong bar alley — this is my second visit already. I loved it last time so I had to come back!

They open at 6, and I arrived around 6:10 to find I was the first customer haha. First time seeing the place while it's still bright out... This place gets busy after 7-8pm, so hurry over if you don't want to wait.

Inside Toriaejeu: why the counter seats are the best seats

The interior of Toriaejeu is centered on counter seats surrounding the kitchen. Sitting there, you can watch the skewers cook right over the charcoal — in my opinion, the best seats in the house.

The interior has soft lighting, giving it the feel of stepping into a hidden izakaya down a Japanese back alley. Japanese anime posters are stuck up everywhere.

The counter seats wrapping around the kitchen are especially striking. It's the kind of bar with just the right vibe for stopping by after work for a casual beer. From the counter you can watch the skewers cooking over the charcoal — ✔️my pick for the best seat.

Yep yep. It's a great place to come alone!

Toriaejeu's yakitori menu and corkage policy

Toriaejeu's menu features chicken, meat, pork, and grilled vegetable skewers along with draft beer, sake, and highballs. Corkage for outside drinks is also available, so you can bring whatever you like and drink it for a small extra fee.

There's really a wide variety on the menu — chicken, meat, pork, grilled vegetables, you pick whatever you want — and every kind of alcohol is covered too: draft beer, sake, highballs. Corkage for outside drinks is possible too, so if you have a specific drink in mind you can bring it and pay a little extra.

Eating skewers without beer just wasn't an option, so I ordered the Kirin Ichiban draft... an excellent choice. That soft, creamy foam was seriously the best 🥹🥹🥹

The great thing about the counter seats is watching the meat grill right in front of you! After ordering, I waited eagerly, smelling the smoke rising off the charcoal.

Charcoal-grilled skewers: negima, gizzard and enoki mushroom

The skewers I had at Toriaejeu were negima, egg skewer, gizzard, and enoki mushroom. I especially wasn't expecting much from the enoki mushroom, but the mushroom's juices blended with the savory sauce so well it became a recommended pick.

I don't like waiting much so I just ordered everything at once haha. Things cooled a bit while I was eating, which was a shame, but it was nice not having the flow interrupted.

- Negima (chicken thigh & scallion): The classic yakitori! Crispy outside, juicy tender chicken inside, balanced with sweetly charred scallion — the balance was the best T_T

- Egg skewer: A sweet, fluffy egg skewer among the savory ones! It had a soft, pudding-like feel.

- Gizzard: The distinctive crunchy, chewy texture was alive and made for fun chewing! Not a hint of gaminess, just clean charcoal flavor — a fantastic beer snack 👍

- Enoki mushroom skewer: I didn't expect much but really enjoyed it... The juices from the mushroom blended perfectly with the savory sauce. ✔️Recommended!

Condiments you can add to your taste! There's shichimi, salt, pepper, and soy sauce.

Egg rice, whole pork belly and whole thigh with spicy sauce

Along with the skewers I also ordered egg rice, plus whole pork belly and whole thigh skewers. I asked for the whole thigh in spicy sauce — if you can't handle spice well, it's best to skip the spicy sauce.

I ordered the egg rice too. Drizzled with soy sauce, it's exactly the flavor you'd expect. There's raw egg mixed in so it eats moist and soft.

- Whole pork belly: A touch chewy at first bite, but then that chewy texture and savory juices fill your mouth! Dipped in salt, it's really delicious.

- Whole thigh: I tried it with spicy sauce — if you're weak to spice, avoid that sauce... it's spicy T_T_T_T. But there was zero dryness, it was very tender.

- Tsukune: I really enjoyed this one. ✔️My personal favorite! Dip the soft meatball in the egg yolk sauce and honestly, you'll want to eat it with rice.

A mini instant cup noodle I got from a review event~ Eating a Japanese cup noodle in Korea haha, such a cute little cup 💛

Toriaejeu grills each skewer with care, giving it a really lovely charcoal flavor, which is why I keep coming back. Enjoy a healing moment with a delicious skewer and a draft beer!!!! It would also be a great spot for a casual second round of drinks (>_<)