- Date
- Business
A Nakano counter yakitori specialist grilling heritage Aomori Shamorock chicken over binchotan charcoal, skewer by skewer.
Can I eat here?
We haven’t confirmed specific diets here yet — use the phrasebook to show staff what you can and can’t eat.
PhrasebookReserve & verify
Details
- Address
- 5-55-10 Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo
- Nearest station
- Nakano Stn
- Cuisine
- Yakitori (grilled chicken skewers)
- Price
- ¥¥¥
- Signature
- Aomori Shamorock chicken skewers over binchotan charcoal
Tori Sei is a counter-style yakitori restaurant a short walk from Nakano Station, built around a single, uncompromising ingredient: Aomori Shamorock, a slow-growing jidori chicken developed over twelve years by Aomori Prefecture's livestock research station and grilled here, skewer by skewer, over binchotan charcoal.
The dishes regulars mention first are the yuzu-scented tsukune, the liver, and negima — Shamorock thigh and scallion threaded together and grilled until the skin blisters and chars. If you can't decide, the three-skewer sampler is the easy way in. Oddly, for a yakitori counter, the omurice keeps turning up in reviews as a genuine favorite rather than an afterthought — worth saving room for if you're staying past the first round of drinks. It's the kind of quietly attentive room that works equally well for a low-key date or a client dinner, without ever feeling like it's trying to be either.
Seating is split between a first-floor counter — the seats to take if you want to watch the binchotan work and the skewers turn — and second-floor tables for groups, about twenty seats in all. With a room that size, and reservations recommended, walking in and hoping for a stool isn't a great bet.
A practical note: reservations are genuinely worth making, since the kitchen only has as much Shamorock as that day's delivery allows and stops serving once it runs out. There's no English menu, so a translation app — or simply pointing at negima, tsukune, and liver on the printed list — will get you through an order. Credit cards aren't accepted, though PayPay is. The restaurant opens evenings only, from 5:30pm, and is closed Sundays and some Mondays.
More in the area: Where to eat in Tokyo by area
FAQ
- Does Tori Sei have an English menu?
- No — there's no English menu, so a translation app, or simply pointing at negima, tsukune, and liver on the printed list, is the easiest way to order.
- Does Tori Sei take credit cards?
- No — credit cards aren't accepted, though PayPay is.
Last verified Jul 2026
Hours and details can change — please confirm before you visit.
