“Yakitori Hirako” is located in Nishi-Azabu, Tokyo, where gourmet lovers often gather. This is the yakitori restaurant where the owner Makoto Takaiwa serves the local chicken that he is proud to have raised himself using his own unique method of heating.
He started raising chickens in Kobayashi City in Miyazaki Prefecture, at the age of 21, in order to provide delicious yakitori. He says "Yakitori is made from 80% ingredients and 20% arms. The grilling technique is meaningless unless you have a good selection of ingredients". After 10 years of trial and error, he created what he deemed to be the perfect recipe for cooking chicken and opened the restaurant “Jidori no Sato” in the city. Later, he opened another restaurant “Soup Egg Rice Specialty Shop Miran” in Miyazaki City. The reputation of the restaurant’s free-range chicken and eggs spread all over the country in no time, and finally they expanded to Tokyo in April 2019. He opened “Yakitori Hirako” in Nishiazabu, where even famous foodies are willing to line up outside and wait to get in.
The free-range chicken served in “Yakitori Hirako” is "Pure blood Nagoya cochin chicken" that is carefully raised by Mr. Takaiwa in Kobayashi City, Miyazaki Prefecture. It takes 400 to 500 days, which is 6 times longer than the usual time and cost, to raise high quality meat with pesticide-free vegetables grown by local farmers using natural farming methods.
It should be noted that the chicken is grilled over charcoal but is not skewered. Because chickens are polyhedral, they need to be cooked to the center in different ways depending on the part. The appeal of “Yakitori Hirako” is that you can enjoy the different tastes of different parts of the chicken, so the best part is that each part is served one at a time which customers really enjoy. After the chicken has been cooked, it is then seasoned with wasabi soy sauce or salt to your liking.
For drinks, only sake that matches well with yakitori and vegetables is served. There are 30 kinds of sake from all over Japan served at the restaurant. There are 10 types of wine available by the glass and about 40 types of wine available by the bottle, which are mainly older vintages from France and Italy. Shochu produced mainly in Miyazaki Prefecture is also served. They are particular about mineral water, which they source specially from Kobayashi City in Miyazaki Prefecture. It is carbonated water that has a bubbly feel like champagne.
In this small restaurant with only 10 counter seats, only the counter is illuminated so that customers can talk with each other. If your party includes children, a reservation must be made in advance. The conversation will surely be lively whilst you enjoy the yakitori that is so meticulously prepared during celebrations such as family anniversaries, gatherings of gourmet lovers, dates or entertaining overseas guests.
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* The availability of this webpage does not guarantee that the restaurant presented provides services in English, unless otherwise stated. Please be aware that English services may also depend on staff availability at the restaurant.
Access
A 5-minute walk from Roppongi Station, Exit 1a (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line)
