TORIKIZOKU Tsurumihigashiguchi

Torikizoku is a chain restaurant, but don’t be put off by that. Their specialty is chicken, especially various parts of the chicken stuck on skewers and grilled over charcoal. The Japanese call that “yakitori” (“grilled chicken”). This is the kind of place that Japanese go after work to drink and ch...at with their co-workers. The atmosphere was pleasantly bustling. It was neither smoky nor excessively noisy. The grilled chicken dishes were moist and tender, with a fantastic charcoal flavor. Everything we had was delicious. I went with two friends, a British man and a Thai woman. The waiter immediately brought us an English menu with the Japanese names of the dishes written in easy-to-read English letters, together with a detailed translation of what was in each one. In addition there was a large colored photo of each menu item. Even if you don’t know any Japanese, it would be easy to order your meal. We had a lot of food, two beers and a Coke, and one dessert. The bill was about 3,500 yen for all three of us. When we got out our cameras to take a group photo, a waitress instantly showed up, offering to take the photos so that all three of us could be in the picture. I chose the Tsurumi branch of Torikizoku because it was very close to my friends’ hotel, but it’s nowhere near where I live. Now that I know how delicious their food is, I’m going to look for a branch that’s more conveniently located for me.

Visited July 2016