Standing Sushi Bar Singapore: Now a Sit-Down Sushi Bar

Standing Sushi Bar is now a sit-down sushi bar at Odeon Towers, #01-04, 331 North Bridge Road, Singapore 188720, two minutes on foot from Bras Basah MRT. The name is a leftover from its first branch: a stand-only counter that opened in 2009 at One Raffles Place. If you searched for a standing bar near me and this name came up, know that you will be offered a stool. On Mondays and Thursdays the draw is $3.90 for five slices of salmon sashimi and $3 sake.

The restaurant's own history says the original branch opened in August 2009 at One Raffles Place. It was inspired by the standing sushi bars of Tokyo and described as a true standing concept, and the Hungrygowhere community voted it the number one sushi bar and number one for sashimi. In October 2010 a full-service branch opened at 8 Queen Street, inside the building of the Singapore art museum, with robatayaki, tempura and a large sake list.

More outlets followed: Marina Bay Link Mall in November 2010 and Income at Raffles in October 2014. When the art museum began renovations in January 2019, the Queen Street branch moved to Odeon Towers on North Bridge Road. The Marina Bay Link Mall branch has since closed, and the official site now lists Odeon 331 as its only outlet. The firm's blog sums it up: the standing-only branch is gone, because Singapore diners prefer to sit.

In December 2024 the company's blog, written by Howard Lo, said the team is still fascinated with eating on your feet and hopes to open another standing-only venue one day. Until then, the Tokyo influence shows up in the pace rather than the posture. On promotion nights, dinner on Mondays and Thursdays is walk-in only with a 60-minute dining limit, which keeps the counter turning over like a tachigui sushi stand.

An honest verdict: come here for the weekday deals and the October omakase, not for the standing experience. If eating on your feet is the point, Sushi to Sumi at 20 Cecil Street in Raffles Place runs a chairless lunch counter from Monday to Saturday. Standing Sushi Bar wins on price and on Saturdays and Sundays, when that CBD counter is closed.

All of these deals are dine-in only and cannot be combined. Monday and Thursday are Salmon Madness: salmon sashimi at $3.90 for five slices, sake at $3, and beer, wine and umeshu at $6. Tuesday is Traditional Tuesday, with 50% off nigiri and sashimi and the same $3 sake and $6 drinks. Wednesday brings 50% off selected specialty rolls with the same drinks pricing.

Friday is a donburi night: buy two rice bowls and the third is free, as long as it costs the same or less. Saturday and Sunday are called Your Wine Come Dine, with no corkage fee, so you can bring your own wine, sake or spirits for a group dinner. That weekend rule is unusual for a central Singapore sushi bar and makes it a good pick for birthday tables.

What to order on a deal night: start with the $3.90 salmon sashimi on Monday or Thursday, add a $3 sake, then move to the half-price nigiri if you come back on a Tuesday. For a bigger spread, the delivery menu lists a Sakura sashimi set of 21 slices at $62. To take a bottle home, a 300ml Dassai 45 junmai daiginjo is $48 on the online store. It is a sensible pick for the weekend corkage-free dinners if you would rather buy than carry one in.

From 1 to 31 October 2026, the omakase is an eleven-course aburi menu for 68 Singapore dollars. Every piece is flame-seared at the counter just before it is served. The menu runs to seven aburi nigiri, a panko-crusted ebi katsu, an aburi donburi of seared fish over warm rice, miso soup and dessert, at any lunch or dinner service from Tuesday to Sunday.

The restaurant's advice is to sit at the counter and eat each piece while the sear is still warm, because the aroma fades fast. The fish is seared on the surface but raw in the centre, so it is not suitable for anyone who must avoid raw fish. Omakase is by reservation only, and you choose the omakase section when booking. The website code OCTOMAKASE is attached to the October promotion.

Weekday lunch runs from 12pm to 2:30pm, with last orders at 2:15pm. Weekday dinner runs from 5:30pm to 9:30pm, with last orders at 9pm. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays the restaurant is open all day from 12pm to 9:30pm. Book online through the reservations page, except for Monday and Thursday dinners, which are walk-in only. On other days tables are held for 90 minutes.

Delivery runs from 12pm to 9pm, with last orders at 7:45pm, and the online menu includes an Aburi Superstar set of five salmon pieces for $25 and a five-piece A5 Miyazaki wagyu aburi set for $36. The restaurant is not halal certified, according to its FAQ. Parking is available inside Odeon Towers, which helps for a weekend bring-your-own dinner with heavy bottles.

Odeon Towers sits on North Bridge Road between the Bras Basah and City Hall MRT stations, both within a few minutes' walk, and Bugis is about five minutes away. After dinner, cross to CHIJMES at 30 Victoria Street, the restaurant and bar complex, for a nightcap. Or walk down Queen Street past the art museum building where the second branch started in 2010.

Address: Odeon Towers, #01-04, 331 North Bridge Road, Singapore 188720. Email: eat@standingsushibar.com. Hours: weekday lunch 12pm to 2:30pm and dinner 5:30pm to 9:30pm. All day from 12pm to 9:30pm at weekends and on public holidays. Nearest MRT: Bras Basah, a two-minute walk. Mondays and Thursdays are walk-in only at dinner, with a 60-minute limit.