Atelier Izakaya Description

At Daniel An’s (Taste Buds, Atelier by Taste Buds, Cocktail Palace by Taste Buds, etc.) Atelier Izakaya, industrial warehouse decor, exposed painted brick, rustic sliding barnyard doors and metallic aluminum chairs have replaced the now deceased Arch. Although we still lament the loss of those pillowy blue cheese stuffed gnocchi paired with mad scientist-level rotovap creation libations from An’s previous venture housed in the same location, the Shanghai trend gods have spoken, and the name of the game is izakaya. 

Roughly 60 people fit in the main dining area – including two semi-private rooms and yakitori bar seating – and another 20 can saddle up at the mostly partitioned-off cocktail bar on the side that uncannily resembles Arch’s, if it fell into a Japanese wormhole. As the weather warms, more outdoor seating will be added, saddled up to a wall-sized mural, with a full view of the yakitori grill.  

While other izakayas (*cough* Hundo *cough*) may take themselves a bit too seriously as an authentic Japanese izakaya, Atelier Izakaya is more hip and young, embracing its Japanese roots but still assuming a Chinese twist – like robatayaki-style yellow croaker, bone marrow with furikake and east China sea prawns – that makes the food more relatable to the Shanghai expat and hip local crowds.