How to Reserve a Table at Torishiki, Its Branches, and Affiliated Restaurants

What is Torishiki?

Torishiki is often regarded as the hardest yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) restaurant to get into in Japan. Known for its meticulous selection of top-quality chicken, the restaurant butchers the poultry in-house and grills it to perfection. It’s considered a gold standard among yakitori chefs in Japan and a must-visit spot for food lovers from around the world. Torishiki also has branches in New York and Shanghai.

鳥しき ICHIMON

Torishiki: The Pioneer of High-End Yakitori

Torishiki is one of the hardest reservations in all of Japan. The kitchen chooses premium chicken, breaks it down on-site, and grills it over a masterful flame to serve it at its freshest. It is not only a shared goal for Japan's yakitori chefs but a magnet for food lovers worldwide, and it has already opened branches in New York and Shanghai.

Yakitori started as everyday food, found all over Japan and much loved by the Japanese. In recent years, though, a growing number of yakitori shops have refined their ingredients, their preparation, and their technique to lift yakitori to the level of fine dining. The pioneer of that movement is Torishiki's chef, Yoshiteru Ikegawa.

Torishiki's Three Signatures

The Front-Row Yakitori Experience: The Counter

Torishiki has counter seats only, because chef Ikegawa wants every guest to taste yakitori at its very best. Here, the guest sees every move the chef makes, which keeps him fully focused, without a moment's lapse, and pushes the quality of the yakitori higher still.

Binchotan Mastery: A Flame That Locks in Flavor

Torishiki uses powerful binchotan charcoal, grilling fresh chicken through in one go with a "close, high-heat" approach. This flame both seals in the chicken's freshness and draws out a deeper savory richness, and every guest who visits is won over.

Hospitality That Brings You Back

Chef Ikegawa believes that satisfying a guest takes more than skill; it also takes personal charisma. He compares hospitality to a concert: just as you leave a great show thinking "I want to see this singer again, I want to meet them again," a yakitori chef must develop his own draw, so that guests want to come back to see him. That rapport between chef and guest, he says, lifts the food to another level.

How to Book Torishiki

By Phone

Torishiki may be called Japan's hardest yakitori table, but its booking channel is open to everyone. On the first business day two months ahead, it takes phone reservations only, between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. that day. In those two short hours, many people place hundreds of calls without getting through, so landing a seat takes real luck.

Torishiki's official website has English and Chinese versions, each listing the reservation phone number, so inquiries in English or Chinese appear to be possible. The number is the same, though, so it doesn't make the competition any easier.

Torishiki’s official website is available in both English and Chinese, and the reservation phone number is listed on each version, so non-Japanese speakers are welcome to try. However, since everyone calls the same number, the competition is just as fierce.

The Credit-Card Member Channel

Members holding an American Express Platinum card or above can book from noon on the first business day two months ahead, but those slots fill instantly too. Even the top-tier Centurion card, which has its own allocation, faces fierce competition.

What Is the Torishiki “Ichimon”?

The Sister-Restaurant Group: Torishiki ICHIMON

Chef Ikegawa went through rigorous training at the renowned yakitori restaurant Toriyoshi. Chefs forged by that kind of demanding apprenticeship often excel at bringing along the next generation, and the yakitori chefs who complete their training at Torishiki and earn Ikegawa's approval are all first-rate. To give them a stage of their own, Ikegawa has opened one branch after another.

Launching Torishiki ICHIMON with LDH

LDH, the agency behind the Japanese performer group EXILE and a longtime regular at Toriyoshi, teamed up with chef Ikegawa, and in 2023 they launched the Torishiki ICHIMON brand so that his vision and dreams could keep taking shape through the chefs he has trained. The brand is operated by Kitchen Inc., an LDH company. "ICHIMON" comes from the Japanese ichimon, meaning a school or lineage gathered around a single master, and the roman spelling is a deliberate signal of the ambition to take yakitori global.

Since the brand launched, the stage for these chefs has widened, and more branches have followed.

Growing Network of Branches for Protégés

With the creation of Torishiki ICHIMON, new branches have continued to open, providing even more opportunities for Ikegawa’s protégés to shine.

Yakitori Restaurants of the Torishiki Ichimon

Toriyoshi

Opened in 2014, Toriyoshi is the first official branch of Torishiki. Head chef Shinobu Iida expertly replicates Torishiki’s hallmark “close-range, high-heat” grilling technique to serve outstanding yakitori. With a background in Italian cuisine, Chef Iida also brings a deep understanding of wine, offering thoughtfully curated pairings that enhance the flavors of the dishes. Some selections aren’t listed on the menu, so be sure to ask for recommendations. Reservations can be made via the OMAKASE website.

Torikaze

Torikaze is the branch chef Ikegawa created to let younger chefs carry yakitori culture forward, and in 2025, during a renovation, it dropped its introduction-only policy and opened to general reservations.

There's a branch under the same name in Shanghai. The Tokyo shop is currently led by its third-generation chef, Yoshitaka Zeniya. It sits close to the Torishiki flagship, with much the same atmosphere.

Toriyaki Ohana

Opened in 2022, Toriyaki Ohana is the third official branch of the Torishiki group. Head chef Shintaro Sato, who trained at the renowned Japanese restaurant Nadaman before apprenticing under Chef Ikegawa, brings a refined touch to the concept. Drawing on his background in traditional Japanese cuisine, Chef Sato has created a unique dining experience that blends yakitori with elegant washoku (traditional Japanese food). Unlike most yakitori restaurants, where skewers are the norm, Ohana serves skewer-free grilled chicken dishes. Naturally, the meat is cooked using Torishiki’s signature high-heat grilling technique, making it an essential stop for serious food lovers. Reservations are available through the OMAKASE website.

Torikado

Torikado uses the Torishiki flagship on its closing days, with young chefs taking the grill. In other words, guests can sit at Torishiki's own counter and enjoy the very same space and atmosphere as the flagship. These young chefs are early in their careers but have all passed chef Ikegawa's rigorous training and approval, first-rate in both technique and hospitality.

Holding the line on quality at the counter while the master is away, and leading the young team, is chef Takumi Kobayashi. You can reach the booking page via Instagram or the Torishiki ICHIMON website; seats are still hard to come by, but the channel is open to everyone, so it's worth a try.

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Toritsuki

Toritsuki carries on the skewer craft of Torishiki ICHIMON while surprising guests with a wide, varied menu. Chef Nagaoka deliberately keeps each dish small and refined so guests can taste more of them, and beyond yakitori a whole range of dishes comes around in turn. One signature, a chicken cutlet sandwich, can be ordered ahead as a takeaway gift.

Aobadai Torisora 3200HN

Unlike traditional yakitori restaurants, Aobadai Torisora 3200HN offers a unique course menu focused on suage (plain deep-fried chicken) and Tokyo-style kashiwa nabe. Kashiwa nabe is a comforting hotpot made with chicken—“kashiwa” is an old Japanese term for poultry. The restaurant features perfectly deep-fried chicken that locks in juices and umami, using carefully selected birds from the Torishiki network. The meal continues with a savory soy-based chicken hotpot. This dish is a modern take on a nostalgic tradition: until about a century ago, it was common in Japan for families to raise chickens at home and prepare a soy-flavored hotpot to mark special occasions. Torisora brings that heritage into the present with elegance and depth. While the restaurant is referral-only, inquiries can be made through its official website—and for those intrigued, it’s well worth the effort.

Nakameguro Torimachi

Nakameguro Torimachi was created to take a fresh look at yakitori, the izakaya dish most familiar to the Japanese. It is run by manager Sou Watanabe.

The menu also includes a classic izakaya nikomi (simmered dish), made by slowly braising various cuts of "Torishiki-quality" chicken in miso, and it's the shop's signature. To finish, there's kamameshi, rice cooked to order in a dedicated pot with chicken broth and served piping hot, bringing the whole meal to its most satisfying close.

Akasaka Himeno

then served as the second-generation chef of the Torishiki ICHIMON restaurant Torikaze before going independent in February 2025. The shop offers a single option: the chef's confident yakitori course. Chef Himeno visits producers himself to select premium branded chicken, and his sauce and flame control both follow the Torishiki way, making this a fine place to taste authentic Torishiki-lineage yakitori. Dinner courses can be booked through OMAKASE JE and the OMAKASE website.

Torioka

Azabudai Hills, which opened in 2024, gathers many of Tokyo's famous restaurants, and Torishiki is among them. The "oka" (hill) in the name Torioka neatly echoes the meaning of "Hills." Torioka sits on the same floor as the celebrated Sushi Saito, a glimpse of the deep friendship between the sushi chef Saito and chef Ikegawa. Here, too, you can taste yakitori of Torishiki caliber. It was named to the top 100 yakitori restaurants on a major Japanese restaurant review site in both 2024 and 2025.

Bird Lab.

Chef Ikegawa, who dreams of taking yakitori to the world, began a new venture in March 2025. As the "Lab." in the name suggests, this shop is after highly experimental cooking, choosing spices from around the world and letting flavors collide across culinary borders in its chicken dishes. Experiencing this new take on chicken in an elegant space with terrace seating is another way to understand the world of Torishiki.

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Azabudai Torishiki – Takeout Yakitori

Located within Azabudai Hills, alongside Toriyoka, this takeout branch offers a convenient way to enjoy Torishiki-quality yakitori wherever you are. A selection of freshly grilled skewers is available for customers to pick and choose. When reheated at home or in a hotel, the rich aroma of binchotan charcoal is revived—bringing the authentic Torishiki flavor to your table. The shop also offers a variety of chicken-based side dishes, perfect for a quick, satisfying bite on the go.

Yakitori Shops by Torishiki Protégés

A Chef Who Went Independent from Torishiki ICHIMON: Masayoshi Omino

Chef Masayoshi Omino joined Torishiki at 32, trained for eight years, and went independent in Oshiage, Tokyo, in 2017. He earned a Michelin star in 2019, a yakitori chef whose skill is firmly recognized. He has not only opened his own yakitori branches but grown ever more wide-ranging in style, an emerging talent to watch.

Yakitori Omino Oshiage

Yakitori Omino is chef Omino's first restaurant after going independent. In Oshiage, a neighborhood full of old-town character, he quickly made a name with a warm smile and superb grilling. It held a Michelin star from 2019 to 2025 and became a Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant in 2026, with repeated honors on a major Japanese restaurant review site. Chef Omino has refined the technique he built at Torishiki into a style of his own, and the chefs training under him keep growing, too. Bookable through the OMAKASE website (a last-order-style course).

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Omino Kamiyacho

Omino Kamiyacho is the second shop chef Omino opened, after Oshiage. It took a Bronze award on a major Japanese restaurant review site in 2025 and was named to the top 100 yakitori restaurants from 2022 to 2025. Chef Omino joined forces with chef Masashi Aramaki, formerly a cook at the renowned Japanese restaurant Kojyu, to build a restaurant that blends yakitori with Japanese cuisine. Though it sits in the very center of Tokyo, its surroundings are surprisingly quiet, a calm place to enjoy the food and the yakitori.

Omino Tsubaki

Omino Tsubaki was named to the top 100 yakitori restaurants on a major Japanese restaurant review site in both 2024 and 2025, and its popularity holds strong. After Oshiage and Kamiyacho, chef Omino has finally made his move into Ginza.

Where the Oshiage shop leads with yakitori and the Kamiyacho shop blends in Japanese cuisine, Omino Tsubaki isn't bound to any one style, pairing all kinds of dishes with yakitori in a free, inventive spirit. Chef Ikegawa, with his eyes on the world, and chef Omino, who fuses cuisines from across the globe with free creativity, run different restaurants yet are still moving in the same direction.

In Closing

Yakitori is a simple dish, chicken skewered and grilled, which is exactly why it's found all across Japan. Yet chef Ikegawa and the chefs he has trained pour their whole lives into training and honing their craft, reaching for something higher. The yakitori they grill with that passion is worth tasting for yourself.