Best known as every Japanese oyaji's favourite beer snack, the humble yakitori (grilled, skewered chicken) is most commonly consumed in noisy pubs, at simple roadside stalls, or at various open-air festivals taking place year-round all over the country. However, the gourmet value of this simple delicacy is also widely recognised, best evidenced by the existence of Michelin-starred yakitori restaurants in Tokyo. Below, we have selected 10 of the best places in the city for getting your mouthwatering chicken-on-a-stick fix, ranging from friendly neighbourhood izakayas to splendidly sophisticated bird bars. And if you secretly prefer beef to chicken, make sure to consult our Tokyo yakiniku guide.
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Be it at lunch or at dinner, Isehiro will never let a yakitori lover down. The lunch bowl (yakitori-don) maintains the same high quality as the dinner courses (from ¥4,725), which allow visitors to experience a wide variety of chicken parts.
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This upscale joint in Ginza has been in business for over 80 years, and the experience shines through in their tsukune meatballs, light-tasting quail skewers, and chewy duck dishes. Don't forget to end your meal with a bowl of Torishige's famous 'dry curry'.
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The can't-miss dish at Otsuka's famed Souten is the shiitake-flavoured tsukune meatball, a juicy and powerful creation that rises high above the standard. Adventurous diners might want to take a shot at the chicken sashimi plate with its symphony of textures.
The standard course (¥4,800) is the only way to go at this Nakameguro bar, but it's also most certainly the right way; starting with artistic appetisers and stretching all the way from small veggie bites to excellent chicken skewers, Iguchi takes yakitori to another level.
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