Torikyu is an amazing place to get food, and it hits even better later at night! The atmosphere of the place is very nice, it feels modern and traditional at the same time. The place is smaller, and it feels very cozy and is well decorated. The only complaint I have is that the parking lot is CRAZY SMALL, and it can be very hard to maneuver and find a stall unless you get lucky. The staff are always very nice and have accommodated our big party when we've called ahead. They are very patient and are very helpful in explaining the menu. For ordering, you get a paper with all the menu options on it, and you just write how many you want of each item, and for skewers, whether you want teriyaki (T) or salt (S). The food is always amazing here, every single thing is always super tasty. Nothing is too salty and everything has just the right amount of flavor. All the different aspects of each dish come together very well and have the perfect balance. The grilled musubis are especially unique, and my favorite skewers are the chicken w/ wasabi and beef! I also highly recommend the tofu w/ chili garlic sauce!! Everything is always super great at Torikyu and you should definitely check it out! read more

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Torikyu is good, but it could be much better with a little more care. The highs are real. The chicken wings were excellent, easily the standout. Crisp, seasoned, juicy and the kind of thing I'd come back for. The yaki onigiri was also great once it finally arrived. The Asahi draft is a nice touch and overall the room has that small, late night yakitori feeling that makes you want the place to win. But the experience was uneven. The first server was excellent. Warm, attentive and on top of things. The server who closed out the night was the opposite. Slow, checked out and not nearly attentive enough for a room this small. The quail eggs came out cold, the yaki onigiri took far too long and the pacing started to fall apart. Some of the skewers were also dry, especially the chicken thigh and negima. Yakitori is simple, but that's why the details matter. Timing, heat, seasoning, texture, there's nowhere to hide. The drinks could use a little more care too. I ordered a Toki highball and it came in a plastic mug that felt tired and worn. Not the end of the world, but again, details. Still, I don't regret going. There's enough good here to make it worth a visit, especially for the wings and yaki onigiri. I just wish the second half of the service matched the first. Good place. Not perfect. Needs more consistency. read more

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One of my favorite izakayas on the island! The food is always delicious, and the service is fairly quick. The restaurant can get a little warm inside, so I'd avoid wearing long sleeves if possible. Some of my favorite dishes are the shabu salad, chicken thigh & green onion skewer, bacon enoki, and pork & onion skewer. The chili oil tofu is also good. I highly recommend Torikyu -- just be sure to make a reservation ahead of time since it can get pretty busy! read more

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The husband and I like to try new dinner spots when we're visiting, and decided to give Torikyu a try based on their reviews. It's a cozy and intimate izakaya spot with limited seating; definitely recommend calling ahead if you plan to go with a large party. We ordered various items from the menu including chicken thigh, meatball, bacon wrapped enoki, and katsu. We also order some chuhai drinks. Service was quick, and overall food and drinks were good. There were a few items we reordered and a few we were one and done with. Overall, we enjoyed our dinner at Torikyu and wouldn't mind returning to try additional items from their menu! read more

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Easy to make reservation, just call ahead of time. Was really excited to try a yakitori place! Inside was cute, dim lit and you can see chef cook at the bar. Recommend the yuzu soda shochu drink! Fizzy and refreshing. (drink it slowly because at first you can't taste the alcohol but when I finished it... oh boy lol) Now the food... TBH it was just alright. The beef tongue looked soft and moist but was tough and gamey even with the lemon. Everything was kinda med besides the pork/onion & unagi :) read more

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Years later and this is still one of my favorite skewer restaurants on island. I like sitting at the bar. The number of options and meat quality is great. Some of my favorites are the chicken tails, chicken heart, pork with onion, chicken skin and bacon wrapped enoki. You have two seasoning options for most items (salt n pepper or teriyaki). I opt for the salt n pepper so I can really taste the meats and fats. Nothing is burnt - everything cooked nicely. I've never eaten anything bad here. The service is great. Waters filled, drinks filled. I love this spot. read more

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This places feels like u have transported to another country. The menu is unique and I have to google some things but I enjoy trying different things! Many skewer/ meat options that they grill in front of you. I forget the name of the salad in the picture but it was amazing. I also always get the okra salad I love it. Not pictured is the many skewers that were devoured. Great staff! read more

Torikyu - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Pretty small izakaya style restaurant right by Puck's Alley. We came here on a Friday for my sister's birthday right when they opened and they were full within the first 20 minutes of the opening. I would highly recommend calling to make reservations as they turned a few walk in parties away. It was very easy to order as they have a paper and pen on the table that you just fill out with what you want. We had a party of 3 and orders quite a few things to try as well as ordering the hotpot with beef intestines. When you order the meat skewers, you do have the option of having it either with just salt or teriyaki. My sisters and I ended up with just salt for all our orders just because we're not big fans of teriyaki. Some of the standouts to me was the beef tongue, chicken and onion, bacon wrapped enoki and the hotpot. The hotpot seems more like a nabe where the broth is dashi based, not like the ones you see at hotpot restaurants around the area just as a heads up. Still really delicious, but much more simple. The combination set is a good deal for those who aren't sure what to order. It comes with asparagus, quail eggs, sausage, chicken meatball, chicken breast, and another skewer I wasn't able to try. Our servers were very welcoming and kept checking up on us, but they are pretty busy as it seems like there were only 5 people total working the whole restaurant, including the people making the food. Majority of our food came roughly around the same time, but there were a few stragglers that ended up on our table when we were almost done, but not a huge deal for us. Spent roughly $200 for3 to 'splurge' for my sister's birthday, but overall I think it's all relatively reasonably priced where you could come pretty much any day just to enjoy their food. read more

Slightly hidden and "cozy" izakaya spot. After eating a large brunch, my partner and I could not fathom eating another full meal so we decided to check out an izakaya spot on my list. This spot is slightly tucked away, with a decent amount of parking front in front (shared with the other establishments). The service was quick and decently attentive, especially as it was a smaller establishment. Although small, it was still quite noisy when we arrived, which is expected and fitting for an izakaya. We marked what we wanted on an order sheet and gave it to the waitress. Depending on where you sit, they kind of grill it in front of you, however, the seat and barrier is positioned where you can't really see what's going on. We ordered: - Beef Katsu: Done perfectly, very tender and not chewy at all - Beef Tongue, shrimp, beef, chicken heart, chicken liver. we got 2 of each, one of teriyaki and the other of salt and pepper. The teriyaki was more like shoyu, which we felt like ruined the flavor of the meats. The more "plain" salt and pepper was significantly better. read more

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Nice izakaya. The skewers were served hot and flavorful. The choice of salt or Teri definitely made for more selection. A must for late night eats. read more

Great! Perfect little portions to be able to try a bunch of things. Really loved the pork belly! Kind workers, great service. Also prices were reasonable. read more

Torikyu - Menu - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We finally back after 3 years, the service much better than the last time we went, i think they have more waitress now. Food always good here especially beef skewer. Glad that finally back to this restaurant. read more

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The food was amazing. Good quality food cooked to perfection The serve was awesome. Always checking on us and they were busy The place was not too big but I would recommend making reservations. They had a good amount of choices to pick from food and drinks. They do carry Kenzo wines which is a rare find. The only thing downside to this restaurant was it was pretty noisey because the place is not that big and everyone talking. Overall a place to come back to in the future read more

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This is my favorite Yakitori/Izakaya on the island! Really great food. Atmosphere is also great. Really makes you feel like you're in Japan. Their homemade yuzu syrup is also great. Recommend their beef yakitori with side of wasabi. read more

Gfs (+ 1 son, 1 husband & baby) dinner. Split between 2 tables...our table was the better orderers and other table had to steal our food. Was a little hot in the nook away from the counter, but otherwise nice to have a little more privacy. Probs nice for the other customers too since we did get loud. We ordered CHOKE Food (went home with 4 containers for leftovers) - Innards - baby and hubs liked that stuff - Gizzard was actually really good. - Tsukune, wings, sticks - all ono - Stick veggies always good - Tongue really good - Arabiki - can't go wrong - Tofus and salads goood. - Ikageso really good - Fried garlic - keeps the vampires away - Cheese won ton...serveral orders - Jawaiian fries - too sweet for me but baby and friends loved it. Sour cream works. - Mentaiko musubi - my faves - 2 peeps also got ramen...they said good but that's not what i go there for. No clue what else we ordered but everyone left full and happy. Waitress on it and super nice. Food came pretty fast too. Good night...Parking lot sucks, and crazy down there UH grad time, but still can't wait to go back. read more

I love this spot! They are busy most days but sometimes you get lucky and can walk in. I would recommend calling in. Their yakitori is super good and flavored perfectly. Perfect for a date night or to hang out with friends. read more

Ok folks, this place is LEGIT. If you're in Honolulu and craving that real Japanese izakaya vibe--yakitori, small plates, cold beer, and a chill ambiance without breaking the bank--Torikyu is the move. We actually found this place by accident after our original spot was full (no room for a party of 4). Gave them a quick call, and they kindly saved us a table. Already off to a great start with the service. Drink-wise: solid selection. Beer, shochu, sake, wine--you're covered. Food-wise: the menu isn't massive, but everything we had hit the spot. Yakitori was on point, the small dishes were tasty, and oddly enough, the kimchi ramen was a standout. Not spicy, just a nice little kick and great flavor to end the night. Totally didn't expect that from an izakaya but glad we tried it. Only downside: parking sucks. Lot is tiny and can be a bit of a hassle. But honestly, once you're inside, you forget all about it. Vibes, food, drinks, and service--Torikyu delivers. Bookmark it. read more

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Loved everything that we ordered! The beef tongue, bacon wrapped enoki, chicken meatball, mochi were all very good. They were sold out of the chicken skin and scallops which we wanted to try so will have to go back for those! Definitely recommend getting the dessert. We tried the condensed milk gelato and it was delicious! Great service and lots of drink selection. read more

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Food quality and tastes were excellent. However, we only ordered yakitori and didn't try any ramen. Service was great. It's a cozy environment. This is a great place if you love yakitori. read more

Ordered choke food - the yakitori was tasty but no wow factor for me- the plain rice on the other hand was of premium quality - Karaage was served hot and flavored well- the ramen was minus one for me - felt like it came out of a package- service was ok - the place was temparature hot and I had to step outside a few times - the place was packed and I could hear other diners ooohing and aahing about all the dishes - but I have had better Yakitori, better service, and better dining accomodations - read more

The quality of the food was good, but the portions were smaller than usual. We went around 5 PM since we usually have early meals with the kids. The service was good--they let us have a big table for our family. I think it's a decent place to enjoy some snack-style dishes with beers. read more

Great ambiance and authentic Japanese yakitori! Service was great too. Came here with my girlfriends and had to go back with my husband and daughter. My favorite was the liver and calamari but honestly everything was delish. Parking is limited though so def carpool! read more

We over ordered, but EVERYTHING was so good! I'm so sick I forgot my phone at home, so didn't take any pics of the food. We had: okra, grilled and chilled; gizzards grilled and fried (I prefer the fried); fried garlic; daikon salad with delicious ume dressing, regular salad with yummy wafu dressing; shio cabbage; Agedashi tofu; salmon, ume and mentaiko and yakionigiri; yaki chicken tailmeat (my fave!!!); bacon wrapped enoki, ,kimpira, oshinko, asparagus, I'm in a food coma right now, so remembering is a challenge, but there was not a thing I didn't like...One of THE BEST birthday dinners I've had for sure!!! read more

Food was great! Service was fine but could improve if management could have more than one server doing everything. The only problem we had was that in the middle of dining, a sizable cockroach crawled up from the booths and greeted us a big hello! I am not too crazy about bugs and understand it is probably the environment. However, seeing the cockroach did make me think back to when we first arrived and all the menus had orange grease on it and the floors don't seem to have been mopped in a while. Despite everything, food was great. read more

We ordered a mix of skewers, appetizers and musubis. Everything was delicious! My favorites were the beef tongue, bacon with enoki skewer and agedashi tofu. I also got the peach soda shochu and it was soo good, it went perfectly with the food! Could barely taste the alcohol though haha. I was worried that the food wouldn't fill us up since they're all skewers and small plates but it was more than enough! Love how they offer a variety of items so there's something for everyone! The restaurant is small yet cozy and service was good. They always checked up on us. Just a heads up that parking is hard since they only have a few stalls up front. There's more parking in the corner of Puck's Alley but you have to pay. read more

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This yakitori spot near the University of Hawaii is a hidden gem, especially if you're looking for something affordable and satisfying. The bacon-wrapped items are the real stars crispy, savory, and packed with flavor in every bite. Everything comes out hot, well-seasoned, and perfect for sharing (or not). For the quality and price, it's hard to beat. Definitely a go-to spot for a casual meal near campus. read more

This is a hidden gem tucked away in Puck's Alley! The parking is a little cramped but the food is definitely worth the stressful parking lot. There are many izakaya spots in town but this is the best! It reminds me of the izakaya restaurants in Japan. I recommend calling ahead and making a reservation since there's not too many tables. The food is always delicious and made to order! I highly recommend the items I took pictures of. You'd think fries are just fries and nothing special but the Jawaiian fries are a must try! The staff is so attentive and kind! If you're seated at the counter, you can watch them grill the food. This is a great izakaya spot to eat and drink with your friends and family. Delicious food in a great atmosphere! read more

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Been here multiple times. They can get crowded, so come at opening. One complaint I have is that it gets a bit smokey inside, but that also reminds me of Japan. Their shabu shabu salad is okay, but good enough that I constantly get it. One of my favourites is the tsukune (chicken meatball). I always order it. The konbu musubi was quite salty in the middle. Found out today that you can get the yuzu as a soda instead of alcoholic read more

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Average at best. Disappointing experience. Somewhat confusing and odd was we get there 1.5 hrs+ before they close, however a few minutes after our first order they tell us it's last call. Fine, we order a few extra things. But why not just tell us you were planning to close early because it was slow, when we called to check table availability like 1 hour ago? Across 8 different skewers. we didn't enjoy much. Either overcooked and dry and/or bland and lacked flavor. I even tried the yakitori tare sauce by itself off the plate and it didn't taste like anything, let alone soy saucy goodness. Huh? Livers get uber dry when overcooked. Sausage was oddly firm and dry, not juicy porky satisfying. Yaki onigiri was barely grilled and not noteworthy. Honestly we thought the non grilled items were better. Like the cabbage, squid legs, and agedashi tofu. But those are run of the mill dishes you can get at any izakaya. read more

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This yakitori place is a hole in the wall with limited parking but you can park in pucks alley for a charge. For us we found parking right in the front. The smell of the grill is heavenly and it isn't Smokey at all. We started with a pitcher of beer and placed our order on the list. Highly recommend the beef tongue, enoki skewer, chicken and onion, fried musubi and agedashi tofu. The option of the salt and teriyaki depends on your taste buds. I liked the salt but my other friends liked the teriyaki. In the end I think we ordered like 25-30 sticks for 4 people and another pitcher of beer. When I come back home I always go there. read more

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Great service, delicious food. We ordered so many items as this was our first time here. read more

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We are the first customers! Cool, but not until the guy staff open the door. For some reason I'm not comfortable dealing him but unfortunately he's one of our server. Upon entering we were greeted and immediately settled ourselves in. The guy hand us the menu and serve us water with lemon wedges on the side. Ordering was easy and since we are the first customer our food somehow came in in at least less than 15mins. Food: From Grilled Items * Heart - was good, I actually enjoyed it. Was grilled perfectly and ate them in less than two minutes. * Bacon w/ Enoki - was good but how I wished they grilled the bacon longer to have that nice crisp in the outside. So when I started digging in the bacon was a bit watery and oily & no crunch on every bite. * Sliced Beef Tongue - bandit's personal favorite, grilled right and tasty without a salt. They out a wedge of lemon on the side. From Ala Carte Items * Cold Tomato - it was fresh but nothing special, just cherry tomato seated on the bed of cubed ice. No special dipping or seasoning. Just plain tomato on a bowl. * Blanched Okra - refreshing and really good. Perfect side veggie dish. It has a good crunch while soaking on a liquid sauce. * Fried Oyster - mediocre but love the dipping sauce on its side. Crunchy but lack of seasoning yet I still enjoyed this one. * Shabu Shabu Salad - ultimate favorite and my palate enjoy everything on the bow. Salad dressing is so good. You need to order this one! * Miso Soup - t'was served hot, mediocre miso soup. Customer Service is a bit off. I wished Emi (one of the server) was the one assigned on taking orders, could've been better. The male one is kinda giving us attitude and a bit argumentative. He insisted that the way they cook is the right thing that won't help anything but he's wrong. My friend's Bacon w/ enoki is not cooked all the way & the moment she wanted to redo and cook it longer it's way better than the first order. Also, I just learned that T/S from the menu means Teriyaki/Salt. If I have known at that time, I could've tick the salt for a bolder flavor. Verdict: There's a better Yakitori eatery within Oahu which offer awesome customer service and can cook better food than here. I'll skip this one in the future, but I'm glad I've tried this one. Also, price is reasonable in my pov. Mahalo for reading & happy juandering fellow yeeps. read more

Torikyu - Bacon w/ enoki mushroom & Chicken wing - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

About a 4 1/2 but I'll round to 5 instead of 4 for Torikyu. We ordered a pretty wide range of food. To start the shabu shabu salad and daikon salads. I really enjoyed both. The shabu shabu salad was one of my favorites and the daikon salad had an ume dressing that was delish! Not knowing what it really was, we tried the "Jawaiian fries" which turned out to be crinkle cut fries with a big scoop of sour cream and Thai sweet chili sauce. A little perplexed on how this is "Jawaiian", we dug in and to our surprise, the combo worked and it was good! For the yakitori (grilled right behind the counter), we tried the beef, shrimp, chicken wings, bacon wrapped enoki, bacon wrapped asparagus, tsukune and scallops. My favorite was the bacon wrapped enoki - super tasty. For the fried skewers, we tried the oyster and tonkatsu - both pretty good. We had the miso soup, which is a hard pass. It was bland and tasted like it was from the cheap packets you get at the grocery store. A must get is the ochazuke. Normally I don't care for this, always thinking it might be bland, but this was really flavorful (more like a soup) and I'd definitely get it again. The agedashi tofu was standard, not bad but not fantastic. Overall the food and service was good. I always like seeing Japanese staff and patrons, it makes me feel like I'm in Japan. Seats at the counter can be warm because of the yakitori grill just behind it. Parking is also tight - just a tiny lot shared with another restaurant. It's probably easiest to find street parking. read more

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There's nothing quite like a great izakaya. A place where every dish is absolutely delicious. Torikyu is located near Pucks Alley next to Imanas Tei restaurant. There are table and bar seats and I highly encourage making reservations because of the small size of the restaurant. We ordered so many different items! Everything was good: ginkgo nuts, fried cheese wonton, daikon salad, jawaiian fries, agedashi tofu, nabe, chicken katsu, bacon wrapped enoki, chicken meatball, chicken wings and shishito peppers. A few items to expand on: -jawaiian fries: crinkle cut fries with a sweet chili sauce and scoop of sour cream on top. Good! Really good! And unexpected for a Japanese restaurant. -nabe: you order your base and the items you want to put inside. We added chicken thigh and meatball, gyoza and tofu. We also ordered the noodle set. I enjoyed it a lot! Heart warming and good. Best to go with at least one other person to be able to order a lot of different items for variety! Such a tasty spot. Authentic Japanese food. So good! read more

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The food was good but service was just ok. They were busy for a Monday, missed some orders and overcharged us. We ordered the yaki onigiri which they forgot. So we told them to just cancel since it was too late and towards the end of our meal but they still charged us for it without giving it to us. We ordered coke but we got charged for 3 Chu-Hi. I guess our fault too for not checking but it was kinda rushed since we had to go up to the register to pay our bill. read more

Torikyu - Can't even drink. Overcharged us for stuff we did not order. Recheck your receipts carefully - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

2022 Izakaya Review #4: Last minute plan change on a Saturday afternoon had me scrambling to see where we could make a last minute reservation at an Izakaya. We were fortunate that Torikyu could take us and I was in the mood for some solid Izakaya Chicken! Food: Sat down, got a draft beer to quench my thirst as I looked over the menu with all those wonderful items. I tend to over order so took it slow but some of the stars of the evening were the grilled chicken gizzards and heart. The grilled tails were so good and so many chickens had to give their butts so that I may enjoy them grilled on a skewer. Bacon with Enoki were an interesting combo, scallops were tasty. Wife wanted the chicken breast with shiso which while not bad wasn't my favorite but I prefer the more flavorful parts. Service: Great service, sat us quickly, took our order off the little menu sheet, and food hit the table soon after. We had a table for two off to the side which was perfect for this evening, we ordered twice off the sheet which was much better then trying to crowd all the dishes onto the table at once. Atmosphere: Relatively small but not tiny restaurant located right next door to Imanas Tei. In fact last time I was next door I though Torikyu was an extension but totally different establishment. Bar and table seating available, it was a very enjoyable experience. Value: Good value and it's the ultimate mix and match that can fit almost any budget. It also lets you tailor exactly how much you'd like to consume if you are ordering the grilled items as the cost by skewer. Overall: I believe it was our first visit but it's been added to the list of places to repeat. We enjoyed our meal very much, good value, great service, relaxing environment. The only caution is the parking is limited as it's a shared lot, you may have to find street parking but a little walk is worth it! read more

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Another great Japanese spot that should be on your list! Torikyu is a yakitori restaurant connected to Imanas Tei. The parking lot is small so if the lot is full, park on the street nearby. This restaurant is always full of Japanese so you know it's a good spot! You order ala carte per stick - they have chicken, beef, pork, veggies, and tons of side dishes. My favorites are the chicken thigh, enoki wrapped with beef, and gyutan (beef tongue). But you really can't go wrong with anything! They cook it on the spot and you can easily spend a few hours here eating, drinking, and talking with friends! We stopped by for a late dinner before heading to another place. It was the perfect amount of food to start off the night. read more

Back again! This time with a different group of friends who've never had yakitori/skewers. We had a variety of dishes this time including the fried garlic (which if you haven't had before, try it! Sooo good), pork sausages, beef, karaage, and some other small sides. I like how laid back Torikyu is, and despite the small space how private the area my group and I were in felt. It was very nice! I also quite enjoyed how much fun it was to be with friends trying something new! I'll say that sometimes the service can seem "slow" but with the amount of guests and how much everyone orders it's best to remember these small local businesses are trying their best to give us exactly what we want - Good food! read more

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I used to come here post Covid. I loved the food. So today I came back. Everything is overcook! Service is pretty good. Ambiance is casual. Won't be coming back anytime soon. There is a lot of better food in Honolulu. Unless you just drunk and need salty food to accompany your drinks. read more

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When I'm missing Japan, I come to torikyu, where they have some of the best yakitori on island. Ordering is super easy - just write your order on the list of food and hand it to the waiter! You can choose between salt or teriyaki flavored for most of the yakitori. I highly recommend the chicken thighs with green onions and the skin. So sad they were out of the cartilage on the day I went but they do have it on the menu. Other than the yakitori, they also serve many side dishes, with the fried squid and yaki musubi (miso flavored) being my absolute favorites! Sitting at the counter is a must if you're going as a small party, so you can watch them grill up the yakitori right in front of you! The restaurant is on the smaller side but and they do get busy, so I highly suggest calling in for a reservation. read more

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