Izakaya · Meguro (Kamiosaki)

Torishiki 鳥しき

Often called the hardest yakitori reservation in Japan: a Michelin-starred counter by Meguro Station where Yoshiteru Ikegawa grills single-origin chicken over binchotan with obsessive precision.

About

Torishiki has held a Michelin star since 2010 and is the reference point for modern yakitori. Ikegawa opened the tiny counter in 2007 near Meguro Station; there are no printed menus, just a row of wooden plaques listing the day's skewers. The omakase course moves through rare cuts, thigh, neck, liver seared to custard, the prized soriresu (oyster), chicken meatballs (tsukune) with egg yolk, interspersed with grilled vegetables like ginkgo nuts and shiitake, each timed to the second over white binchotan charcoal. When you're full, you simply tell the chef to stop. Reservations are by phone on set dates and vanish within minutes, but the experience is worth the effort.

Highlights

• Omakase skewers that continue until you say stop
• Rare cuts like soriresu (oyster) and liver seared to a custard
• Tsukune meatball with rich egg yolk dip
• Michelin-starred since 2010; small counter seating
• Binchotan grilling with near-surgical timing

Tips

• Reservations open by phone on the first business day of each month for two months ahead, keep redialling
• A Japanese-speaking hotel concierge improves your chances considerably
• Its sister counter in Azabudai Hills is easier to book
• No photography of other guests; flash is frowned upon

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Coin Lockers · Meguro StationLuggage Storage · 150 m away
• Meguro CinemaMovie Theaters · 200 m away
• Tonkatsu Tonki (Meguro)Restaurant · 240 m away
• Daienji Temple (Meguro)Local Secret · 300 m away
• Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art MuseumMuseum · 360 m away
• Gajoen Tokyo (Hyakudan Kaidan)Stay · 380 m away
• JizozushiSushi & Seafood · 390 m away
• Institute for Nature StudyPark · 390 m away