Yakitori around Akabane Station! 14 popular places where you can enjoy great skewers

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Located on the east exit side of Akabane Station in a shopping street that dates back to around 1945, the izakaya (Japanese pub) Sato Shoten stands out for an exterior that looks like a recreation of a building from around 1950.

Inside, it has the lively feel of a bar. There are seats on the first and second floors, making it easy to visit whether you are on your own or with a group.

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At the kitchen in front of the first floor counter seats, you can also enjoy the aroma of dishes grilled over charcoal and the lively atmosphere.

They use Daisendori from Tottori Prefecture for the yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). They carefully skewer and grill it in house every day.

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The specialties here are "torikawa (chicken skin)," grilled until crisp, and kushiyaki (grilled skewers) enjoyed with yuzu kosho (a fresh, spicy condiment).

The popular "nama tsukune (fresh chicken meatball skewer)" is made by kneading ground chicken, shaping it around a skewer, and grilling it. It comes in a wide variety of flavors, including garlic, cheese, and wasabi.

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~Hakata oden (Hakata-style oden), yakitori, and fruit sours~ Nikumareya Akabane Honten is an izakaya located in Ichibangai Shopping Street, about a 3-minute walk from the north exit of Akabane Station. It is on the second floor of a building packed with places to eat.

The interior is simple, with a casual feel that makes it easy to drop by. They can also rearrange the tables to suit your group size.

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You can enjoy yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), with each skewer carefully grilled one by one, as well as yasai-maki (vegetable wrapped skewers), made by wrapping vegetables and other ingredients in pork, skewering them, and grilling them.

Every skewer is said to have just the right amount of salt and a perfect level of doneness. The "Special 10-skewer assortment" is a popular menu item that lets you try both yakitori and yasai-maki.

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The food menu is extensive, and the alcohol menu is also full of variety. Their specialty is the "fruit sour."

Made with seasonal fruit, these drinks are popular for their bright colors and festive look. They come with a bold assortment of fruit pieces, so you can enjoy them almost like a dessert.

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Akabane Senbero Taishu Sakaba Nikumareya Hanare is located in OK Yokocho, an alley packed with izakaya in the Ichibangai shopping street near the east exit area of Akabane Station. Here you can enjoy izakaya dishes popular in the Kyushu region.

The interior has a casual, lively feel like a taishu izakaya (casual Japanese pub) from around 1950. On some days, they also set up seats in front of the shop.

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They say they do not intentionally focus on specific branded chicken for their yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), choosing instead to use high quality meat. They carefully butcher it at the restaurant and skewer it by hand.

They grill the meat over charcoal so it stays plump and juicy, and it takes on the fragrant aroma that only charcoal grilling can bring.

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The “Chicken Nanban” is made by coating Special chicken in batter, deep frying it, and then seasoning it. A popular version comes topped with tartar sauce mixed with purple pickles called shibazuke (pickled purple vegetables).

The menu is full of dishes that pair well with alcohol, making you want to try a bit of everything.

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"Gyochodensakaba Akabane Ekimae Ten" is an izakaya (Japanese pub) near the rotary in front of the East Exit of Akabane Station. Open 24 hours, it is a place you can visit in the morning or during the day.

The wooden fence and many paper lanterns make it easy to spot. Paper lanterns also decorate the interior. With the warmth of wood and a clean feel, it seems to be a comfortable space.

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They offer a wide range of dishes, including oden (Japanese stew simmered in dashi broth), Kara-age, and sashimi. One of the house specialties is yakitori.

The yakitori is skewered by part at the restaurant and carefully grilled. It is said to be tender and full of juicy flavor.

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They also offer a menu called sakana-kushi (grilled seafood skewers), with options like dried horse mackerel, salmon, and shrimp. Each one is said to be seasoned to match the ingredient.

The drink menu is also extensive. You can choose from several kinds of shochu, Japanese sake, and lemon sour, among others.

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Akabekko Izakaya Toriton is an izakaya on the 5th floor of a building near the station rotary by the East Exit of Akabane Station. It focuses on chicken and pork dishes.

At the counter seats surrounding the kitchen, you can enjoy the lively atmosphere, while the box seats that feel like Semi-private room seating look great for relaxing with your group.

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Open from the evening until late at night, this place is so comfortable that many people end up staying for hours.

For the yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), they use meat prepared that very morning. You can order from just 1 skewer, and it is also popular because you can enjoy both chicken and pork kushiyaki (grilled skewers).

Popular items include the "tori paitan nikomi (chicken white broth stew)," where chicken skin is slowly simmered in chicken broth, and the "motsu nabe (offal Hot Pot)," where tender Horumon is simmered with vegetables in dashi.

They also offer plenty of casual dishes that are easy to enjoy. Even the french fries have an original touch, seasoned with anchovy, for example.

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Kushiyaki to Jizake Hiraku Akabane Ten is an izakaya located in the basement down a flight of stairs, near the Akabane Station East Exit bus stop. It is about a 1-minute walk from Akabane Station East Exit.

The interior has a calm atmosphere with dark brown as the main tone. There are counter seats for solo diners and table seats that are easy to use for groups.

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The chicken used for the yakitori is Specially selected from branded chickens from different areas. You can also compare different kinds of chicken, such as horohoro-dori (guinea fowl) from Yoron Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kinso-dori from Chiba Prefecture, and Hakata jidori (local chicken) from Fukuoka Prefecture.

They grill it over charcoal called Tosa binchotan (high-grade Japanese white charcoal), which burns at very high heat.

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In addition to dishes made with brand chicken, the restaurant also offers a full lineup of dishes that pair well with alcohol.

They are also particular about their Japanese sake, with a selection of rare labels. A tasting set is also popular, letting you compare Japanese sake from the same label, including Junmaishu and ginjo made with different rice polishing ratios.

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Kushijiro Akabane Ten is an izakaya located in the basement of a building, about a 1-minute walk from the East Exit of Akabane Station. It is open from daytime, so you can enjoy drinks there from noon.

The interior is done in a modern Japanese style. There are many box seats, and they seem to be set up like Semi-private room seating.

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Yakitori made with Special chicken, carefully grilled with close attention to the salt and heat. Salt is the standard seasoning, but if you ask, they can also prepare it with tare sauce.

In addition to chicken, they also recommend yakiton (grilled pork skewers), made by skewering and grilling pork.

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This place offers a lineup of popular izakaya dishes from Hakata in Fukuoka Prefecture. One of them is yasai-maki (vegetable-wrapped skewers). It is made by wrapping vegetables in pork, skewering them, and grilling them.

Aburi mentaiko (seared spicy cod roe) and motsu Hot Pot (offal hot pot) are also Hakata specialty dishes. They also have a wide selection of drinks.

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Toriou is an izakaya centered on yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), located on the basement floor of the shopping center "Vivio" in front of Akabane Station's west exit.

The calm space is done in a Japanese style interior. It feels bright and clean, with an atmosphere that is easy for families to use.

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The yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) made with domestic chicken comes in a wide variety. You can choose either salt or tare sauce for seasoning, and if you ask, they will also serve it with miso.

They also offer an assortment of five kinds of yakitori recommended by the restaurant. Each one is said to be cooked just right.

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They also offer a full lineup of great value courses for eating and drinking. A popular course includes All you can eat chicken Kara-age and edamame, plus 6 popular dishes.

You can enjoy a drinking party even from lunchtime, and during lunch hours they also serve set meals centered on chicken dishes.

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Robatayaki no Mise Kin no Kura is located about a 1-minute walk from the east exit of Akabane Station, in an area lined with many izakaya (Japanese pubs). The main menu features yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) and seafood dishes.

There are two Kin no Kura restaurants next to each other, and both are part of the same group. This one is the restaurant with terrace seating.

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You can enjoy chicken dishes made with Benifuji-dori (brand chicken) raised in Yamanashi Prefecture. They source birds that are butchered that very morning.

The yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) is cooked over high grade binchotan (white charcoal), and is said to have no off notes from the chicken while letting you enjoy its tender texture.

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The fresh seafood sashimi assortment is also popular. For the white fish, they sprinkle on salt and age it for about 2 days to concentrate the flavor.

The "rare katsu" is also well liked, made by coating a block of tuna that is good enough to eat as sashimi and frying it. The crisp coating and the rare tuna in the center seem to strike a perfect balance.

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This izakaya is on the 5th floor of a building near Akabane Station East Exit. It stays open straight through from lunch to dinner, so you can stop by for lunch or enjoy a drink even during the day.

The interior has a calm Japanese style. Every seat is in a Private room, making it an easy place to enjoy conversation with your group whether you are dining in a small party or a larger one.

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A popular choice on the yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) menu is the assortment of different cuts. It comes in 5-kind and 7-kind options, and people like that they can enjoy a different taste with each skewer.

You can also order your favorite cuts A la carte. The simple salty seasoning seems to be especially popular.

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In addition to yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), the restaurant offers a full lineup of dishes made with fresh seafood, including sashimi (raw fish slices) and grilled items. Creative dishes made with seasonal vegetables are also well liked.

There is also a plan that lets you add All you can drink to popular à la carte dishes, making it a good choice for people who want to drink plenty.

An izakaya (Japanese pub) on the third floor of a building near the Higashi Hondori intersection, about a 3-minute walk from Akabane Station East Exit. It stays open straight through from daytime to night.

The interior has a calm feel with dark brown tones as the base. From the window-side seats, you can also look out over the streets of Akabane.

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They source Special selections from branded jidori (local free-range chicken) from around Japan and use them in dishes such as yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). They focus on freshness and serve fresh chicken.

The yakitori is grilled over charcoal, and every skewer has a reputation for being delicious.

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You can also enjoy the brand chicken in Kara-age or in tori-nabe (chicken Hot Pot), where the chicken is simmered in a rich broth. In this hot pot with large cuts of chicken, the flavor of the chicken seems to soak into the vegetables as well.

A great value course is also popular, with All you can eat Hot Pot, Kara-age, and French fries, plus yakitori and All you can drink.

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Torimichi Sakaba Akabane Ten is an izakaya (Japanese pub) near the bus rotary at the East Exit of Akabane Station. This is the Akabane branch of a restaurant with multiple locations, mainly in Tokyo.

The walls inside feature large paintings, giving the place a pop feel. Open 24 hours, it is available late at night or in the morning.

The yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) here uses Daisendori. This chicken is raised in Tottori Prefecture and is said to have a rich umami flavor.

There is a wide variety of yakitori. Reviews also say the cooking is spot on, the salt and tare (sweet soy glaze) seasoning is excellent, and it tastes even better than the price would suggest.

The "teba Kara-age" of chicken wings deep fried in oil is popular when coated in a sweet and savory sauce. The tasty sauce adds to the rich flavor of the chicken, and it also pairs well with alcohol.

The All you can drink plan that can be added to the a la carte dishes is also popular. It includes All you can drink access to as many as 50 kinds of drinks, including alcohol.

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"Sumibiyaki Tori Tsukada Nojo Akabane Ten" is a restaurant located in the basement of a building near the rotary at Akabane Station's East Exit. The specialty here is yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) from "Tsukada Nojo," which has restaurants in various areas.

The stylish interior combines concrete and white wood. With a large counter and Semi-private room seating, it works well whether you are dining solo or with a group.

The restaurant is known for dishes made with jidori (free-range chicken) shipped directly from contract farmers, including Miyazaki Jitokko from Miyazaki Prefecture and Kuro Satsuma Dori from Kagoshima Prefecture.

They also use jidori for the yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). Specialist grill staff called yakishi cook each cut with just the right level of heat.

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In addition to yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), they offer a wide variety of chicken dishes. This is a restaurant where you can enjoy all kinds of menu items, from vegetable and egg dishes to desserts.

The drink menu is also extensive, with cocktails made with fruit and house-made lemon syrup, as well as non-alcoholic fruit sodas.

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YAKITORI NO OGIYA Akabane Eki Higashiguchi Ten is about a 5-minute walk from Akabane Station East Exit, near Akabane Higashi Park. This is the Akabane East Exit restaurant of an izakaya chain found across Japan that focuses on yakitori (grilled chicken skewers).

The restaurant has a casual atmosphere. It is easy to stop by even on your own, and it is also a great fit when you want to enjoy drinks with friends in a lively setting.

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The yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) is cooked by specialist staff known as yakishi (grill masters), who have built up years of experience. One of the key features is that they grill it all at once over high heat.

This seals in the umami and gives it a plump, juicy finish. There is a wide variety, and for many items you can choose either tare (sweet soy glaze) or salt for the seasoning.

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An otoshi (small appetizer) served with your first drink. The edamame has a charge, but the free refills are a popular service.

The drink menu is extensive, with non-alcoholic options and drinks with lower alcohol content as well.