I love this place. You’re always welcome when you’re here. By that I mean, it feels like home. It’s a local spot, so you’ll get a feeling of the the people that live here once you pop in. Get the lemon sour with a double shot

Overall: 4 Location: 4 Foods: 5 Drinks: 5 Atmosphere: 3 Service: 5 Cost Performance: 4 Smoking: yes, NOT separated Tourist Friendly: it depends Credit Card: no Comments: great Yakitori restaurant. You can also enjoy game meat depending on the season. The MAJOR downside is they permit smoking in this small restaurant.

Yakitori Hatano is the definition of "worth traveling for..." In early 2025 my friend and I, traveling from America, stumbled upon Yakitori Hatano (焼鳥 波田野) just south of the Nishi-Eifuku station on the Keio Inokashira Line. What was behind an unassuming wood slatted door and のれん would be a meal that redefined chicken and yakitori for us. Like most everything in Japan, we entered the restaurant expecting to have a great meal, but what we tasted was essentially life changing. We now have a phase of our lives being before Hatano(BH) and after Hatano(AP) "Anno Pulli". After leaving Japan, we spent the next year reminiscing about the yakitori and it was so incredible that we actually flew all the way back to Japan from America for a second round, this time with a third friend, hoping to bring him on this food journey. I was worried about potentially being over enthused about returning (generally I find the luster fades the second time), but it exceeded my already glowing expectations. Now to describe the food... You know whenever you listen to Gordon Ramsay talk about fresh, simple ingredients done perfectly, Hatano epitomizes this mantra. The yakitori is lightly salted and then meticulously fanned over charcoal flames with a guitar strumming motion resulting in the most breathable, juicy, rich pieces of chicken imaginable. What really elevates the entire experience from a legendary meal to a lifelong memory is the hospitality. Nobu and Naomi have a jovial warm attentiveness that matches the quality of the food. Even with being from the other side of the world, we felt completely at home. And yes, we will be flying back for a third time.

It's within walking distance, I could see the sign from the train, and I often passed the shop by bicycle or on foot, so I knew it existed, but surprisingly this was my first visit. There are several renowned yakitori places nearby, each with its own strengths. This one is family-run, the work is careful, and it's very delicious. They said they'd gotten some thick, meaty shiitake, so I had those. Delicious😋 For sake, I had chilled 見附島 from Suzu City in Ishikawa Prefecture. Slightly dry and tasty. The proprietress told me that the sake flask and cups in the photo are Suzu pottery, entrusted to them when someone who had run a local inn for many years closed the business. Mitsukejima is an uninhabited island in Suzu City, apparently called Gunkanjima. I believe the proprietress did volunteer work during the disaster. I'd forgotten—the grilled rice balls were incredibly delicious👏 I'll be back.

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It seems to be a local favorite, with regulars arriving in droves and filling the place right away. Seating is mainly at the counter, but there are tables too. It's a very good restaurant, but personally, the yakitori pieces were large, so although I wanted to try lots more varieties, I couldn't. That was my only disappointment. The chicken seemed fresh, so everything was juicy and each had its own enjoyable texture. A fun, lovely place!

+3