This is one of our favourite yakitori restaurants in Tokyo. We’ve been eating here for years and it has become a must-go spot for us whenever we visit Tokyo. The food is always so good. All the yakitori sticks are juicy, flavourful and salted just right. Simple but done really well. Their lemon sour is also one of the better ones I’ve tried and goes perfectly with the yakitori. Restaurant size is normal but the seating is pretty tight, so do expect a cosy and slightly cramped setting. Service was okay only, so I wouldn’t give it a very high star rating. Food preferences are very subjective and while there are better yakitori places out there, Kushiwakamaru is still our favourite for now. It’s a place we always look forward to coming back to, and we highly recommend it if you’re looking for good yakitori in Tokyo. Do come early so you don’t have to queue too long.

An excellent local yakitori, with fantastic hearty vibes and aromas. We came here for dinner and the highlight was definitely the food. Each chicken skewer really carried the chicken meat flavour, and the offals were also delicate and subtle in variation. My favourites were the cartilage and meatballs. Some of the best char flavour I've had. Service was fine, polite enough without being exceptional. My only slight con was it was a bit more pricey than I had expected, but still worth the price for a fantastic meal. Would come back for sure.

+3

Lively izakaya with great salty yakitori chicken. Booking ahead is advised and it's a busy place

This is the kind of restaurant I feel makes Tokyo special. It’s packed full of young locals in a tight space, and you can get a full sense of what life here is like. All the sights, smells, and sounds. But most importantly, the food is phenomenal! Every dish is perfectly crafted, succulent, and beautifully presented. Def coming here more often!

+3

I loved this place. It's got a warm and very welcoming feel. The food is outstanding. It's an ordinary Yakitori restaurant that shows that skill and technique are primary. There's plenty of places in Tokyo with creative and innovative ingredients and combinations. This place is not that. It's classic and by the book, but perfectly prepared. We ordered the sampler with 8 different skewers. The menu says the sampler will show you what the restaurant is all about. It did. The restaurant is about the essence of Yakitori, the Platonic form. This is a place that exposes the soul and spirit of Yakitori. And it's not just about the food. The atmosphere, the reverie, the sounds, the smells: they get it all right. Among the eight sample skewers, a few stand out. The chicken meatballs were so juicy with an unexpectedly robust flavor. The breast had a sweet and savory, fruity and citrusy sauce--I think it was yuzu. It was juicy and perfectly cooked, so still moist and soft. Exactly what white meat skewers should be. The wings had crispy skin and deep umami. The Yakitori butterfly wing cut finally makes sense to me: it's not just about faster cooking it also increases the magic of the skin to muscle, fat to flesh flavor ratio. The scallops were perfectly cooked, with deep seafood flavor and that tender mouthfeel was juxtaposed with the crunch of the shishito peppers. Scallop lovers will be in heaven. Honorable mention for the prosciutto wrapped asparagus, nothing special about it, but I wouldn't have ordered it myself and it went really well with others. I said "wow" so many times while eating here. I learned that not every yakitori restaurant is the same. Not even close. This place proves that technique alone can elevate the classics.

+3