Toribayashi (酉囃子) is a new-generation yakitori restaurant in Azabu-Juban, opened in February 2025 after the relocation and renaming of Kagurazaka’s Yakitori Akane. The restaurant presents itself as respecting tradition while adding new value to the genre. The name is carefully chosen: “酉” evokes not only chicken but also sake, vinegar, fermentation and soy sauce, while “囃子” suggests people playing together, lifting the atmosphere like festival music. The aim is to communicate the appeal of yakitori to a wider, international audience.

Run by chef Yuta Hayashi and proprietress Akane, Toribayashi is reservation-only, with a small counter-style setting. The cooking combines charcoal and wood fire, with subtle creative touches such as shiso, black pepper, ginger and vegetables to give the skewers more aroma, contrast and rhythm.

My dinner confirmed that Toribayashi is a very promising addition to Tokyo’s yakitori scene. The restaurant has a calm, focused counter atmosphere, and the cooking shows both confidence and restraint. What stood out most was the rhythm of the meal: it never felt like a simple succession of skewers, but rather a well-composed progression, with small dishes, vegetables and grilled items giving the dinner structure and balance.

The chef’s work over the fire was precise. The better skewers had the qualities one hopes for in good yakitori: clear chicken flavour, good seasoning, well-managed fat and enough charcoal aroma without becoming heavy. I also liked that the meal was not overly traditional in a rigid sense. There were small creative touches, but they were used to support the ingredients rather than to make a statement.

The wine service also added to the experience, with bottles that made sense for the food and helped lift the richer parts of the meal. Overall, Toribayashi feels serious, polished and personal. It is still young, but already convincing — a restaurant with a clear point of view and enough depth to make me want to return. Less