A friend of ours took us to Drink Stand in Mito after raving about their Korean Fried Chicken and French fries. It was located just across the street from Mito Station’s North Exit. The restaurant appears to be pretty new as there address is not on Google Maps yet.

The restaurant was located on the second floor of the Yamada Building (山田ビル). The building was located at the base of the stairs leading to Mito Station’s elevated walkway. It was a little eerie going into the building as there was very little signage. It was not the most inviting entrance.

When we walked in the entrance, we were a little surprised at what we saw. The interior had a nice variety of chairs and small tables. The hanging lights and the sheet metal backsplash gave the place a modern but down to earth vibe. The view from the restaurant was great. It gave us a panoramic view of Mito Stations north exit.

Drink Stand Menu

The menu revolves around their fried chicken and they have a good selection of flavors to choose from. In addition they had numerous sides and drinks as well. We decided to go with a Half & Half box to double the number of flavors we could try. We really appreciate the English translations on the menu. It made deciding what to order and ordering itself much easier. After some thought, we decided to go with the yangnyeom chicken and the honey mustard chicken, as well as a side of the powder cheese French fries.

We were each given a pair of these cute paper plates to use. We didn’t have to wait long before our food came out.

Drink Stand Food Review

The chicken had a nice crispy texture and was juicy inside. At first I was a little concerned about the yangnyeom chicken since it had a spicy symbol next to it. Amy & I cannot handle spicy foods very well. We were pleasantly surprised to find it was not spicy at all. The honey mustard chicken came plain with a side of honey mustard sauce. Both were pretty good, we were surprised to find that we both liked the yangnyeom chicken the best.

The French fries we ordered were large and crinkle cut. We thought that the French fries had just the right amount of powder cheese seasoning considering their size. They had a nice crispy texture and we had to use our chopsticks to eat them as the cheese powder was pretty messy.

Final Thoughts

We would never have found this place if our friends hadn’t taken us there. Their marketing and signage were really poor. Except for a small menu board outside, there was very little evidence that the restaurant even existed. Visibility aside, the fried chicken and French fries were quite tasty. In the future when we come back, it will likely be with a group. There were many flavors that we were unable to try. In a group, we could order more variety. Due to its close proximity to Mito Station, Drink Stand will always be a viable meal option.

Update: We heard from a friend that the building Drink Stand was in has burned down. We’re not sure if the restaurant has moved, or is permenantly closed.

More to Come…