Grilled
Yakitori
焼き鳥
25 varieties
Yakitori is chicken, mainly, skewered by cut and grilled over charcoal or a wire rack. Prime cuts like thigh and breast take heat very differently from offal such as neck meat, tail, gizzard, or liver, and most shops ask up front whether you want tare sauce or salt. In some regions the skewers hold pork rather than chicken and the dish is still called yakitori. This section follows both the local variations and the range of cuts from prime meat to offal.
Dishes tied to a place6
- Bibai Yakitori美唄やきとりHokkaido Bibaithe whole bird on a single skewer
- Higashimatsuyama Yakitori東松山やきとりSaitama Higashimatsuyamapork cheek skewers with spicy miso
- Imabari Yakitori今治焼き鳥Ehime Imabariyakitori pressed on an iron griddle, not skewered
- Kurume Yakitori久留米焼きとりFukuoka Kurumethe skewer town where everything goes on a stick
- Muroran Yakitori室蘭やきとりHokkaido Muroranpork skewers with hot mustard, still called yakitori
- Nagato Yakitori長門やきとりYamaguchi Nagatoa yakitori town eaten with garlic powder
No single place of origin19
- Bonjirichicken tail, the fattiest cut
- Furisodechicken shoulder meat — between the wing and the breast
- Hatsumotochicken ventricle — the base of the heart, taken in only small amounts
- Hiza Nankotsuchicken knee cartilage — crunchier than the breastbone kind
- Kawachicken skin grilled crisp
- Negimachicken and long onion on one skewer
- Rebachicken liver, texture turns on the grilling
- Sasamichicken tenderloin — the leanest cut, named for its bamboo-leaf shape
- Seserichicken neck meat
- Sunagimochicken gizzard with a clean snap
- Tebamotochicken drumette — a wing-shaped cut closer to the breast
- Tebanakachicken mid-wing — halved lengthwise it becomes a "chicken rib"
- Tebasakichicken wing tip — gelatin-rich, popular deep-fried
- Hatsuchicken heart — small, mild, and quick to cook
- Momochicken thigh — flavorful, all-purpose dark meat
- Munechicken breast — lean, high in protein, low in fat
- Tsukuneminced chicken meatballs on a skewer
- Yagen Nankotsubreastbone cartilage eaten for its crunch
- Yakitorichicken, or sometimes pork, grilled on skewers by cut
Before you go
- Otoshi and How to PayAt izakaya, a small dish called otoshi often arrives without being ordered, tipping isn't customary, and how you pay depends on the shop.
- Izakaya customsFrom the small starter dish called otoshi, the classic "for now, a draft beer" first order, ordering a little at a time, choosing tare or shio for yakitori, soy sauce dishes, a closing course, and last orders and smoking rules.
- Dining with kids, a wheelchair, or big luggagePractical notes on eating out with children, getting around with a wheelchair, and what to do with a suitcase or large bags.
The dishes behind chain flavors
The flavors of national chains are said to trace back to dishes from particular places. Pick a chain to see the dish behind it.
Torikizoku — uniform-price yakitori chain
Torikizoku's uniform-price menu spans classic yakitori cuts like negima and tsukune, offering an entry point for comparing parts side by side.
Yakitori Daikichi — neighborhood charcoal yakitori chain
Daikichi's menu centers on homely staple cuts like tsukune and negima.
Akiyoshi — garlic-forward yakitori chain from Fukui
Born in Fukui, Akiyoshi is known for its garlic-forward flavor — a taste that echoes Nagato yakitori's habit of dusting skewers with garlic powder.
Sekai no Yamachan — Nagoya tebasaki izakaya chain
Yamachan's signature fried chicken wings sit within Nagoya's broader tebasaki culture.
Furaibo — Nagoya's original tebasaki karaage chain
Furaibo bills itself as the originator of Nagoya's tebasaki karaage, standing alongside Yamachan as a pillar of the city's wing culture.
Tori-Tetsu — charcoal yakitori izakaya chain
Tori-Tetsu's yakitori leans on slow charcoal-grilling of classic cuts like negima and tsukune.
Yakitori Center — Colowide-group low-price yakitori chain
Yakitori Center offers a broad range of classic cuts at low, uniform prices.
Toriyoshi Shoten — chicken-focused izakaya chain
Toriyoshi Shoten built its name on fried chicken wings — a tebasaki lineage distinct from Nagoya's own wing chains.