# Standing izakaya in Cheongju with draft beer and squid: Ichiba Stand

- By Sangho Wi (https://superchart.com/en/@eunhaeng-late-stool/)
- Written Sep 21, 2026
- Local places › Bars › Cheongju, Chungbuk
- Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business.
- English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@eunhaeng-late-stool/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/
- Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@eunhaeng-late-stool/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/index.md)

## In short

Ichiba Stand is a Japanese-style tachinomi (standing) izakaya on Jungang-ro in Cheongju's Seongan-gil shopping street. Guests drink draft beer standing at blue drum-barrel tables, with ikegaso (fried squid legs) and grilled mentaiko as snacks, and the owner's face on posters, the red lighting and even a tripod set up for photos make the room itself the most memorable part. Ichiba Stand is open daily from 17:00 to 2:00 and suits a second or third stop of the night, or a quick solo drink, more than a long sit-down meal.

## Good to know

- **Address**: 1F 28–32, No. 67, 18 Jungang-ro, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk
- **Hours**: Daily 17:00 – 2:00 (last order 1:00)
- **What we ordered**: Ikegaso (fried squid legs), grilled mentaiko
- **Seating**: One long bar counter plus blue drum-barrel standing tables
- **Getting there**: Roadside, directly across from Amor Motel on Seongan-gil

*as written by the visitor on Sep 21, 2026*

I was looking for something a bit different on Seongan-gil in Cheongju and ended up at Ichiba Stand. Its full name is Ichiba Stand, ICHIBA STAND, and it's probably the first place that comes to mind if you're looking for a tachinomi izakaya on Seongan-gil in Cheongju. Tachinomi is apparently the Japanese standing-drinking culture — not sitting down for a long meal, but drinking and snacking on your feet.

## Where Ichiba Stand is and when it opens

Ichiba Stand is at 충북 청주시 상당구 중앙로 18 남동 1층 28~32, 67호. It's right across the street from Amor Motel on Seongan-gil, so as long as you spot the sign it isn't hard to find.

The location is right in the heart of Seongan-gil in Cheongju, so it works well before or after meeting someone, and it's a convenient stop when bar-hopping downtown. Hours are daily 17:00 to 2:00, with last order at 1:00. Hours and days off can change, so it's worth checking Naver or the official Instagram before you go.

![Exterior of Ichiba Stand on Seongan-gil, Cheongju](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-01-wn1hn-966.webp)

## A storefront that looks like a Japanese back alley

The atmosphere was clear from the entrance. A red sign, a standing signboard with Japanese text, and beer kegs stacked outside gave off the feel of a small standing bar tucked in a Japanese alley. It was the kind of exterior that makes you stop even if you're just passing by.

![Ichiba Stand's entrance with a red sign and Japanese-lettered signboard](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-02-h956e-966.webp)

## Drinking standing at the blue drum-barrel tables

Step inside and the first things you notice are the long bar table and the posters covering the walls.

![Interior view with a long bar table and posters on the wall](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-03-s9hlr-m-966.webp)

Turns out the posters were plastered with the owner's face. You could feel how much affection — and self-affection, haha — the owner has for the place. I've been to a few standing spots lately, so it wasn't even uncomfortable anymore, just felt kind of relaxed.

![A wall covered in posters featuring the owner's face](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-04-w1z38-966.webp)

The tables are blue drum-barrel style. Not your usual bar table — you stand and lean into them, which actually made it easy to chat glass in hand. It seemed like it would work fine for a date on Seongan-gil, or as a stop in the middle of a bar tour with friends.

![Blue drum-barrel-style standing tables](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-05-vauay-966.webp)

## Draft beer with ikegaso and grilled mentaiko

Ichiba Stand is also memorable for anyone after Cheongju draft beer. The glass came with a thick head of foam, nicely cold. Maybe because of the standing vibe, one glass of beer felt lighter somehow.

![A glass of draft beer with a thick head of foam](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-06-6iybg-966.webp)

For snacks we ordered ikegaso (fried squid legs) and grilled mentaiko.

![Two plates of ikegaso and grilled mentaiko](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-07-1101e-966.webp)

Ikegaso is a fried squid-leg dish, a great match for beer. Crispy outside, and the more you chewed the more that savory squid flavor came through — went well with the draft.

![Crispy fried squid legs, ikegaso](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-08-1rv8b-966.webp)

The grilled mentaiko came with cucumber, mayo sauce, and wasabi. Eating the salty mentaiko with crunchy cucumber made for a clean, refreshing bite.

![Grilled mentaiko served with cucumber, mayo sauce, and wasabi](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-09-1ed4o-966.webp)

And the cucumber was genuinely fresh and crisp. Alternating a bite of ikegaso with a bite of mentaiko cut the richness — a good combo.

![Draft beer served alongside ikegaso and grilled mentaiko](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-10-19hag-m-1200.webp)

## Posters, red lighting and a tripod by the door

The snacks were good, but the space itself was what stuck with me most. Posters covered the walls, and the back of the place had warm red lighting that gave it a distinct mood.

There's even a tripod set up so you can capture the atmosphere properly. Serious sense of style from the owner.

![The back of the shop decorated with red lighting and posters](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-11-zvxmm-m-966.webp)

And in the back there was a line that hit a little too close to home.

![A beer-related phrase posted on the back wall of the shop](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-12-n6xqy-966.webp)

> Buy beer and your money disappears. But even if you don't buy beer, your money disappears anyway.

That line suited the vibe of the place perfectly. Less a spot for serious long drinking, more somewhere to laugh over a light drink.

![Interior view of Ichiba Stand with standing tables](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-13-1j96a-966.webp)

## Better as round two — and is it fine for drinking alone?

Among the bars on Seongan-gil in Cheongju, Ichiba Stand is definitely a different breed. There's an izakaya feel to it, but it's not the typical long-sit-and-eat style izakaya — more true to Cheongju's standing-bar culture, short and light.

So it might suit round two or three better than round one. Though if you're not too hungry and just want beer with a simple snack, it works fine as a first stop too.

![A drum-barrel table set up for standing while drinking beer](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-14-1u02x-m-966.webp)

Personally, it seemed like a good spot for a light solo drink in Cheongju, and also a fine mid-point stop on a Seongan-gil date.

![A beer glass and snacks under red lighting](https://img.superchart.com/images/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya/ichiba-stand-cheongju-standing-izakaya-15-ppg64-m-966.webp)

That said, if you're not used to standing while you drink, it might feel a bit unfamiliar at first. But that unfamiliarity is exactly what makes Ichiba Stand memorable.

If you're looking for a bar in Cheongju or somewhere to drink lightly late into the night on Seongan-gil, this is worth a visit. Ichiba Stand feels like a fun place to experience Japanese tachinomi culture right on Seongan-gil in Cheongju.

## Where it is

- Ichiba Stand (이치바스탠드)
- 충북 청주시 상당구 중앙로 18 남동 1층 28~32, 67호, Cheongju, South Korea
- 충청북도 청주시 상당구 중앙로 18 남동 1층 28~32, 67호
- 36.6386455, 127.4893039
- Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%9D%B4%EC%B9%98%EB%B0%94%EC%8A%A4%ED%83%A0%EB%93%9C/@36.6386455,127.4893039,17z

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