The more the munchier: Tokyo Eats - Yurakucho, Yakitori Alley

One of life's simple pleasures is grilled meat on a stick; with burnt crunchy bits for that extra special treat. No matter where you go in the world, you can probably get some form of this.

Japan's version is called yakitori (which technically means grilled ("yaki") chicken ("tori"), but is used to described grilled skewered food more generally) and consists of meat or vegetables grilled over charcoal and then served with sauce and many glasses of beer.

If you are at all a fan of grilled meat on a stick and beer, you need to visit Yakitori Alley in Yurakucho.

Yakitori Alley

Just off from the districts of Ginza and Nihonbashi is Yurakucho. Its rather nondescript and is much more down to earth than its more luxurious neighbours. Yurakucho is home to Yakitori Alley, which is a pedestrian street lined with yakitori restaurants. The street runs along a railway line and many of the restaurants are actually underneath the track tracks.

If you go at night, the restaurants are packed to the gills with Japanese salary men who have got off work and are winding down. The air is filled with charcoal smoke and the smell of grilling meat. The street has a buzz which I associate more with a late night hawker centre in KL than futuristic Tokyo.

We went to one of the restaurants underneath the bridge which no English name (the one on the right in the photo above). Being underneath the bridge with limited airflow, it was even smokier than in the alley and we were lucky we didn't turn up in our Sunday best after wandering around Ginza that day.

I loved the vibe in the restaurant! The space was extremely narrow and crowded, with a low sloping ceiling (due to the arch for the bridge) and the walls were covered in Japanese posters and signage. What it lacked in elbow room and clean air to breath, it made up for in character and food!

We ordered several sticks of yakitori (photos below):

Garlic skewers with miso paste
Tsukune (chicken meatballs)
Roast chicken skewers
Sunagimo (gizzard skewer)
Torikawa (chicken skin)
Beef skewer
Shiro (intestine skewer)

Each stick cost 160 yen and was pretty sizable. They were all cooked very well; juicy and moist but with char, crust and caramelisation from the charcoal. The yakitori sauce they were served with was also extremely more-ish. The perfect accompaniment for beer!

If you are in Tokyo and don't mind the smoke, I highly recommend Yakitori Alley. It has tons of character, great food and is incredibly cheap. You'll see another side of Tokyo and its a great place to go for late night feed!