Great Food & Fun in Yakitori Alley

July 9, 2008

Great Food & Fun in Yakitori Alley

Yakitori Alley is located just off of Harumi-Dori Avenue in the Ginza area of Tokyo and stretches for about two blocks.  Many small restaurants, not much bigger than a walk in closet, sit along either side of the lantern lined alley where rickety stools sit alongside Kirin beer crates that act as makeshift tables.  As you enter Yakitori Alley you will be met with a chorus of irishaimase (welcome), the tempting aroma of grilled meat and the festive sounds of patrons relaxing and enjoying the themselves with their friends after a long day at the office.  The atmosphere is casual and fun and the food is delicious and relatively inexpensive.

“Yaki” means grilled and “tori” means chicken in Japanese and the establishments in Yakitori Alley specialize in this great dish.  No part of the chicken is left uncooked, the liver, heart, skin and gizzards are served along with wings, thighs, breasts and even meatballs.  They are all grilled to perfection on bamboo skewers and served with a slightly sweet soy-based sauce or simply a light sprinkling of salt which is all a true connoisseur uses to enhance the flavor of the meat.

The restaurants in Yakitori Alley serve up this tasty Japanese street food with cold beer, sake (rice wine) or shochu (a whiskey like drink distilled from either rice or potatoes) and there isn’t a better way to spend an evening with friends than perched upon on of those rickety stools!  Most of the establishments don’t open until around 5PM and the place really gets going after the sun goes down.

To get to Yakitori Alley take the train to either the Yurakucho or Ginza Station and walk for a few minutes.  The alley is located beneath the Yurakucho Mallion alongside the JR Line on this map of the Ginza area. 

Let the lanterns lining Yakitori Alley guide you to some great eats!

Photo Credit:  Personal Collection & Flickr, せせり＆つくねby auystety