Went to Yakitori Toritetsu inside Mitsuwa Marketplace, The setup honestly caught my attention right away. It looks like one of those little street grill spots you'd see in Japan. Small counter, grill going, smell of meat in the air... yeah, that smell pulls you in fast. No line when I got there. Staff was friendly but very straight to the point. Order, grill, done. Food came out quick. It's basically meat on a stick. The grill gives the meat this nice char on the outside, slightly smoky, and the inside stays juicy. The chicken I had was really tender, soft bite, not dry at all. Each piece had that salty grilled flavor that hits right away, then the smoky taste follows after. Hard to explain but it's really satisfying. I did think it could use just a little more seasoning or maybe a stronger glaze... but honestly the simple salt worked. It lets the chicken flavor come through more. Simple food. Skewers, grill, done right. Sometimes that's all you need. read more

Yakitori Toritetsu - Skewers - Japanese Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Karaage chicken don was prepared quickly and was delicious. The rice and cabbage paired nicely with the chicken and sauce. Pickled garnish provided some acidic tang. Miso soup rounded out the meal. Good value for the price. Recommended. read more

Yakitori Toritetsu - Karaage-don - Japanese Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

My fiance got some skewers here as well as the chicken katsu bowl. The skewers were yummy, especially the pork belly! He thought the chicken katsu was ok but the sauce had a very artificial taste to it. Also, most of the food court shops are announcing the numbers over the PA very stridently so you can hear it over the noise of the diners and the store. The guy here needed to speak up! My fiance said, "I think that was my number" -- I never would have known. read more

Yakitori Toritetsu - Chicken katsu bowl - Japanese Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Decent yakitori place with good takoyaki. We were in town for a convention and my son was influenced to give this place a try by a YouTuber he follows. We got a yakitori plate with chicken, chicken skin, pork and some kind of ground meet. It was really tasty and had been cooked to order (took a little longer than expected, but fine for fresh food). Takoyaki was also solid, though I thought it was a touch chewier than I prefer. My son enjoyed the miso soup as well. We'd both be happy to return. read more

Yakitori Toritetsu - J-2 - Japanese Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Absolutely loved everything we tried here, Chicken skin, chicken thigh, beef, takoyaki, and more! Staff was quick and friendly, and the overall appearance of the place made it feel very authentic. read more

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Walked around the food court and decided to try a few places. Yakitori sounded good and they had a bunch of choices so decided to give some of these a try. Plus, its the first restaurant that you pass so kind of caught my attention. Ordered the chicken thigh, beef, chicken meatloaf and karaage. One bite of the beef and I knew this was going to not work in my favor. It was dry, and cold. Actually all the skewers were cold. the chicken wasn't as dry as the beef but still not very flavorful and not hot. The chicken meatloaf was the most flavorful of all the items. if it was warmer, that would have been the standout. Even though the price was reasonable, the quality and flavor of the food didn't live up. Looking at other reviews, I wonder if we just happened to come at the wrong day or time but I still expected better. read more

Yakitori Toritetsu - Yakitori - Japanese Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

I took a chance on a new dining spot. I generally go for udon, but didn't feel like noodles today. Instead I got the J2 lunch set with miso soup, rice and grilled meats. I wanted to go back for seconds!! We only had a short wait while the food was prepared, but it was worth it. The soup was good, not too watered down. Rice was fluffy and I liked the bit of sauce that was added. The grilled skewers were the main attraction though. Holy moly. The four included were chicken skin, meatball, chicken and onion, and chicken thigh. Had I known how delicious these would be I would've ordered more a la carte . Just note, the line sort of wraps around, so don't just walk up to the register to order... I made that mistake. Oops! But it moves fairly quickly for fresh cooked food. I'd suggest grabbing a table in the freezer-for-all dining area first though. They go pretty fast with all the establishments in the food court. read more

Among the restaurants in the food court, YT is the place I always end up going to. I guess it's a combination of their great food choices (that I like) and the location of their restaurant (yes, they are the first restaurant you'll pass by going to the food court). Getting food is pretty standard, you fall in line and wait for your turn until the employee asks what you want. The service was really fast. They have different Japanese BBQ options and also have some rice toppings meal. So there were 4 of us eating, and then I got a few different kinds of BBQ, takoyaki, and the Spicy Karaage rice toppings. The area feels like you're in a Japanese food court, the ambiance is very appealing to me. The meal is prepared on the spot while the BBQs and takoyaki's are all pre-made and can be seen on a see-through shelf up front. They'll put the BBQs in a styrofoam case and the Takoyaki as well. You then pay and tip and then wait for the meal, since like I said those are made as you order. The food I got was so delicious. I also got miso soup that went with the meal. We shared the BBQs and Takoyaki, the freshly picked up BBQs are so delicious. I have a thing with Japanese sauce, they are sweet and tangy, exactly what I wanted. The meal is a lot, the chicken on top almost covered the entire bowl of rice. The flavor of the chicken drips into the rice so you get flavor on the white steamed rice below. I will always order at YT whenever we are eating here. read more

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meat was great, high quality and savory, very very quick service and fresh chicken thigh when we asked, reasonable pricing as well read more

Yakitori Toritetsu - beef skewer, chicken thigh & breast skewers - Japanese Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

I always get the takoyaki to share with a friend as a side to our meals! Super soft on the inside maybe a bit too much as when you pick it up with chopsticks, it slowly wants to fall off and break. Always good sauce and toppings to go with it while the octopus is tender. Tried their skewers which were a basic kind of good. The chicken karaage was super flavorful and saucy which I think goes best with rice and it is a bit salty on its own so be sure to get it as a rice bowl instead next time rather than a snack! read more

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I have been here many times. My favorite dish is the Karaage Don with mayo and egg. Reliably good even in to go form. I have nothing bad to say any this place, but also don't have much to say since I stick to my favorite dish from here. read more

Yakitori Toritetsu - Karaage Don with mayo and egg - Japanese Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Waited 10 min in line only to be told i have to come back in 5 minutes to wait another 20 minutes to get yakitori with green onion. I asked is it possible to purchase, prepay, and pick up when its ready. Got told no. Thats seriously poor business. read more

They had yakitori, which I tried. I ordered the chicken thigh, pork belly, and sausage. Everything is cooked to perfection and smells good from the charcoal fire. The pork belly is my favorite because of the fat, the meat was crispy and tender. I ordered the karaage don (mayo & poached egg) as my main course. I believe the teriyaki sauce was overdone. As a result, the chicken lost its crunch. read more

Yakitori Toritetsu - a bowl of food and a cup of coffee - Japanese Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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Absolutely gross. It's a shame with so many other good choices at Mitsuwa that this one would be so bad. They didn't have a ton of choices when we were there (around lunch time) and the fact they weren't busy should have been a warning to us. They were all pretty much bland and COLD. How the heck are they cold? So dry, bland, salt, and cold. We ended up throwing them in the trash. My husband in particular was so disappointed. Go get ramen instead; you'll thank me later. read more

I hate reviewing a place without actually having eaten anything there.... but I will go ahead and give a quick review and update it once I have tasted their food. I was mainly wanting to try their takoyaki (picture and video attached), but alas, they were out and told me I had to wait 30 minutes to get some. I've seen these made before in Korea and they never took that long. And you shouldn't wait till you're out before starting out a new batch - you should be staring out new batches as the old ones are coming off. So I knocked off a star. There aren't a whole lot of places with authentic takoyaki that I know of, so I'm excited to give them a try. Next time. read more

Yakitori Toritetsu - Takoyaki making - Japanese Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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The spicy fried chicken had ok favor but it was cold, seems like they reheated the food, for sure not cooked fresh

We tried a couple of their options, the yakitori with scallions with and without tare, and some of the karage chicken. Overall, it was _fine_. The one with tare is definitely the one to get, as it has the most flavor and seasoning. Unfortunately, the other 2 were a bit lacking....Really, there are a couple of areas that need some attention, 1. while they attempt to keep them warm...not sure they succeed. 2. They need a lot more seasoning. I would try some of their other stuff, and i do hope they improve some of these things, because I think they can be REALLY good. read more

I came at an off time on a Tuesday so many skewers were unavailable, but I really loved the chicken thigh with scallion and karaage. The beef and sausage were also good. Huge portion of perfectly sticky rice rounded out the meal. They also had a few servings of their signature takoyaki out and they looked amazing. read more

Their package of 8 takoyaki for $6.55 made for a most delightful afternoon food court snack. They also have complimentary cold tea which was nice for their customers. The takoyaki was a bit more mushy than what we once had in Osaka (with crispier breading), but it was nice to enjoy this well-known and classic Japanese street food here. read more

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I always love coming to this market, but their food court is the best. They have a variety of delicious foods. We decided to try this vendor because they had the shortest line. When we got to the front, they were out of a few plate options. I got the don bowl. It was delicious. It came with sushi rice, an egg, and miso soup on the side. It was rich and creamy. They give you a lot of food and I wasn't able to finish it all. Be prepared to wait a LONG time for your food. We had to wait around 30 minutes and there was no one in front of us. It was good, but if you are super hungry you might want to just get the takoyaki which can be ordered right away. I'm not sure if this is the best option at the food court, but it was definitely good. read more

Yakitori Toritetsu - a plate of food and a cup of tea - Japanese Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Tokyo-based yakitori chain's only location outside Japan is now open in Chicago! Inside Mitsuwa Marketplace!! Awesome! Yakitori is traditionally grilled over charcoal fire, seasoned with salt or tare, a thick, sweet soy sauce, but at Mitsuwa, they cook with gas. You can see the chefs cook before you through glass windows. The yakitori are absolutely beautiful, charred, and delicious, at $2-$3 per stick. read more

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Came here on a whim but will come back again!! Been dreaming of the bacon wrapped quail eggs read more

Yakitori Toritetsu - Meat sticks - Japanese Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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I got a couple of their bbq skewers, both beef and chicken. The beef was definitely better than the chicken as it had more flavor and seasoning. Both were a little too dry for me though. Overall, it was an okay snack read more

Yakitori Toritetsu - Chicken and beef skewer - Japanese Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Enjoyed the chicken thighs with scallions. An inexpensive salty crispy snack fresh off the grill

I should have given a 5 star rating for the food overall because in all honesty, everything is tasty period. The only red flag was the cashier, she did not change her gloves after touching the cash. That was very concerning. Even the servers inside the stall were all wearing gloves but they were all touching things and surfaces, who knows when did they last change their gloves? The owner should educate their staff with even just the basic hand hygiene practice. The pandemic is not yet over guys. The health department ahould be checking these kind of stuff especially crowded places like this (Mitsuwa) Just a piece of advise, for those with food business, remind your staff to treat every customer as if they are surveyors from the State Health Department or working in healthcare setting like me. read more

I went to this place for my very first time ever. You probably see in my profile but I'm awake and kind of felt a little bit lost in the whole courtyard of amazing food. But I settled on this place because skewers were at least a little recognizable. LOL anyway, the food was delicious! I ordered the three skewer meal. I think it's number three and a green tea in a can. I am embarrassed to say this fellow Yelpers but learn from me. When you order the three skewer order they come with the meal from the kitchen. DO NOT get skewers around the corner on your own. I actually messed up and selected three skewers, sat down and then my order came up with three skewers on it. I was confused but sat down and was honestly pondering how I was going to approach the situation. Just when I was doing that the manager came up to me and asked if I had paid for the three skewers I grabbed from the bar and I hadn't. I apologized deeply for the confusion and was happy to pay. I said it was my first time there (because it was) and that I was so sorry. And you know... he was so professional and kind with an otherwise uncomfortable situation that I had to write. THANK YOU to Ethan who took my order and explained the process to me and THANK YOU to the manager who handled the situation perfectly. The food was fantastic and I will absolutely be back. If they read this my apologies once more but I wanted to at least say (unknown to them) to my 16,000 yelp readers/followers that this is a great place to eat. And while you're at it, please tip Ethan... even a dollar. It makes a difference. Props to them and conscious clear. Be well out there yelpers. Thanks for tuning in. :) read more

I go here every couple of weeks to get my freshly made takoyaki fix, but the various skewers they have are tasty as well. I'm partial to the steak, pork belly, and bacon wrapped quail egg skewers. Sometimes it's hard to pin down the timing for when they make the takoyaki, but when you get it fresh off that pan, oh man is it good. I will admit the prices are kinda high, but if you can find me another place in the area that offers actual freshly made takoyaki for less, plus a large selection of grilled skewers too, well I'm all ears. Oh and let's not forget the staff too, as they have always been very friendly and competent. These days, I'm willing to pay a little more if it means I know I'm getting quality food and friendly service. read more

I love Takoyaki and was excited about finding Toritesu serves it. I tried it. Nahh... it was too salty and expensive. Frozen takoyaki is much better and cheaper. read more

I'm Japanese and was craving for REAL Takoyaki! Yes, it costs more than the frozen ones but hey, they're made from scratch!!!!!! Their Takoyaki is SO good! Also for the Yakitori part-- I love the sausages and Tsukune(minced chicken). read more

Today I wanted to Order Some Takoyaki So I decided to give them a call To order it in advance i called like 4 Times but no Anwser. Then when i got there it was an Hour wait for the Takoyaki that would be too long of a wait for me since i have to go to work. When i asked the employee why no one was Answering the Phone. He Replied With "Sorry our Manager usually takes the call as you can See our manager isn't here". i was like why cant you just anwser it. anyways Bad experience today with this Store hope The owner see this Cause their Workers is Doing Bad service read more