How to enjoy yakitori: salt or sauce, shichimi and the skewer cup

Yakitori (焼き鳥) is chicken grilled on skewers over charcoal — and at a good shop, almost every part of the chicken gets its own skewer. It’s simple food, but there are a few habits that make it much better. Here’s how to enjoy it like a regular.

Photo coming soonYakitori skewers grilling over charcoal behind an izakaya counter

Ordering by the skewer

Yakitori is ordered by the skewer (本, hon). Some menus say 各二串 (kaku ni kushi), which means each item comes as two skewers.

For a first visit, the easiest order is the chef’s choice: おまかせ (omakase), usually five or so skewers picked by the kitchen. After that, add the parts you liked.

Order a few at a time rather than everything at once. Skewers are grilled to order and are best straight off the grill.

The parts

Yakitori menus list parts of the chicken, not dishes. Some to start with:

• Negima — thigh with green onion, the classic
• Momo — thigh, juicy
• Tsukune — chicken meatball, often with an egg yolk to dip
• Kawa — crispy skin
• Sasami — tender breast fillet, often with wasabi
• Seseri — neck meat, rich and chewy
• Sunagimo — gizzard, crunchy
• Nankotsu — cartilage, very crunchy
• Bonjiri — tail, fatty
• Tebasaki — wing
• Kokoro (heart) and kimo (liver)

The menu dictionary has every part, including rarer ones like chōchin and soriresu.

Salt or sauce?

Most skewers come one of two ways, and staff may ask which you want:

• Shio (塩, salt): lets the taste of the chicken come through. Good for lean meat and fresh offal — sasami, seseri, gizzard, cartilage, heart.
• Tare (タレ, sauce): a sweet soy glaze that the shop keeps adding to for years. Good for rich parts — tsukune, liver, skin.

Many shops have a recommended way for each skewer. If you’re not sure, leave it to them.

Shichimi and other toppings

On the table or counter you’ll often find a small container of shichimi (七味) — a spice mix of red chilli, sansho pepper, sesame, orange peel and more. Shake a little on, especially on tare skewers. Some shops also have sansho (Japanese pepper, tingly and citrusy) or yuzu kosho (chilli and yuzu paste). Try a skewer plain first, then with spice.

The skewer cup

The tall cup or tube on the counter is a skewer holder (串入れ, kushi-ire). When you finish a skewer, drop it in, pointed end down. Don’t leave used skewers on the plate or on the counter.

At a few shops, used skewers are counted for the bill, so always put them in the cup rather than throwing them away.

Photo coming soonA cup on an izakaya counter holding used bamboo skewers

Should you take the meat off the skewer?

In groups, Japanese people often slide the pieces off the skewer with chopsticks (串外し, kushi-hazushi) so everyone can share. It’s common at casual izakaya.

But many yakitori chefs and fans would rather you didn’t. The skewer is grilled to be eaten as it is — each piece cooked just right, juicy and hot — and once it’s off the stick it cools and dries quickly. At a serious yakitori shop, eat it from the skewer.

A good middle way: if everyone wants to try a part, order one skewer each.

How well it’s cooked

Some yakitori shops serve certain parts — breast, liver — slightly pink in the middle. That’s a style, not a mistake. But undercooked chicken does carry a risk of food poisoning, and Japan’s health authorities advise cooking chicken through. If you prefer it fully cooked, ask:

What to drink

Beer is the classic. A highball or lemon sour also cuts through the tare nicely.