B1F Tsukamoto Sozan Building, 4-2-15 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Nearest station
Ginza Stn
Cuisine
Yakitori (premium)
Price
¥¥¥¥
English menu / support
✓
Signature
Charcoal skewers of prized Okukuji Shamo chicken; liver pâté
Down a narrow staircase in a Ginza basement, Toshihiro Wada has spent more than three decades turning yakitori into something worth a special trip — and since 2001, this room has been where he does it. In 2015, Birdland became the first yakitori restaurant anywhere to earn a Michelin star, a moment credited with pulling grilled chicken skewers out of the izakaya and into fine-dining conversation. The Guide has since folded Birdland into its "Selected Restaurants" category rather than a numbered star, but the fundamentals — binchotan charcoal, patience, and Okukuji Shamo chicken — haven't changed.
That chicken is the whole point. Wada sources free-range Okukuji Shamo from Ibaraki, birds raised 125 to 155 days rather than the standard six weeks, and works through them skewer by skewer at a 33-seat counter where you can watch every motion. The liver pâté is the dish regulars mention first — dense, faintly sweet, nothing like the versions elsewhere — and the two set courses (¥9,800 for eight skewers with sansho yaki; ¥11,800 adding sasami in ume-shiso or basil sauce, grilled cheese, and a small oyakodon) give a fair read of the range before ordering à la carte.
Seats are limited and the counter fills early, so reserve ahead — by phone or through an online booking platform — rather than walking in. Birdland keeps Tuesday-to-Saturday evening hours only, closed Sundays, Mondays, and public holidays. English menus are on hand and credit cards are accepted (electronic money and QR payments are not), and this is a sit-down, savor-it meal rather than a quick skewer stop.
✓ Last verified Jul 2026
Hours and details can change — please confirm before you visit.
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