A Nakano counter yakitori specialist grilling heritage Aomori Shamorock chicken over binchotan charcoal, skewer by skewer.
Course of fried skewers served a few at a time
Kushiage served skewer-by-skewer inside a creaking 1909 three-storey wooden townhouse that is a registered National Tangible Cultural Property.
Rice-flour kushiage omakase course
A reservation-only Ginza counter where an entirely gluten-free kushiage omakase is fried in rice oil with rice-flour breadcrumbs — a rare safe haven for coeliacs.
Charcoal skewers of prized Okukuji Shamo chicken; liver pâté
A former Michelin-starred yakitori counter beneath Ginza, grilling rare Okukuji Shamo chicken skewer by skewer.
Spicy shoyu chicken ramen
A Sri Lankan-Muslim owner's wholly halal-certified ramen shop where collagen-rich chicken broth meets a fiery soy-sauce kick, steps from Assalaam Mosque.
Daily stone-milled handmade soba, charcoal skewers, tempura
The towering wooden-beamed izakaya that inspired Kill Bill's House of Blue Leaves, where lantern light conjures an Edo-era warehouse over plates of fresh soba and charcoal skewers.
Unaju — Edomae eel steamed then charcoal-grilled
A Michelin-starred eel house with over 200 years of history, where the fifth-generation master steams and charcoal-grills Edomae unagi to melt-in-the-mouth perfection.
Daily plant-based set of vegetable dishes, brown rice and soup
A tiny counter near Nakano Broadway serving carefully made vegetarian set meals, with vegan options and homemade sweets.
