Ranjatai

I love everything about Ranjatai… My 2^nd visit continued to impress me. A very inconspicuous 1 star Michelin rated restaurant that serves unbelievable yakatori. I really like the set up — very cozy and intimate. The food is always stellar, the chef and the staff is always helpful and thoughtful of your needs. I recommend coming here if you’re ever in Tokyo — please plan ahead and have your hotel concierge help book this in advance. Tip: come early and head next door to the local bar — another awesome place to check out to have a pre-​dinner drink.

This is surely one of the few truly awesome Yakitori restaurants in central Tokyo — They once won one star in the the Michelin Guide. There’s only one course menu that comes with 11 small dishes at 4,500 JPY, which turned out to be exceptionally reasonable for its quality! They also have a-​la-​carte menu as well, but I’d suggest you go with the course menu (Chef’s recommendation) for the first time. You can just tell them what you personally don’t eat/​like and the chef will customize it for you.
Jinbocho may not really be a fun place for you to hang out if you are traveling in Tokyo, but this small town provides so many great restaurants like Den, Mikasa, Bondy, and more! (There are so tons of good restaurants I haven’t yet been to in this area)
Anyhow, this restaurant is one of those places you’ve got to check out!

As some background, izakaya food is supposed to be inexpensive here in Tokyo, and most people associate it with drinking beer with co-​workers after work. So to say that you’re having «fancy» izakaya food is sort of funny to a lot of people.
In any case, we wanted good food and a new experience, so coming to Ranjatai seemed like something we were ready to commit to. To ease the burden off foreigners and the wait staff in terms of communication, the menu that is served is entirely pre-​fix. We were served 12 dishes, and all of it was incredible. I’m generally not an overly adventurous eater when it comes to izakaya food, so to have chicken livers and gizzards was definitely intimidating.
At the same time, I’m SO glad they served this because I absolutely loved it. In addition to that, we also had an incredibly perfectly grilled chicken wing, and some delicious chicken breast skewers that were salted to perfection with some crispy chicken skin. The meal ended with some minced chicken on top of ginger rice, and that was enough to put me to bed. Dinner ran a little longer than we thought, so I was insanely close to falling asleep at the counter. Service wise, English isn’t really spoken here, so knowing Japanese helps, but I know they can accommodate everyone.

This is a great place to eat. The soup is amazing. I would recommend the chefs selection menu which is full of chickeney goodness.

Ranjatai is better than sex!
If you don’t believe me then you’ll just have to try it out yourself.
It’s one of the best yakitori place I’ve ever been to. Situated in Jinbocho, the land of publishing companies, the area is filled with ramen shops and izakayas. It may be slightly expensive for yakitori but for this quality, it’s worth every penny. Not to mention how comfortable the staff makes you feel. Ranjatai is never stuffy or pretentious.
The first time I came, it was for a business lunch and I was just blowned away. Everything was impressive!
Go for the course and tell them what you can’t eat and then just leave it up to the chef, he knows what to do. The chicken they used are always juicy and firm. I love the inner thigh where the meat is firm with extra flavour; the tsukune (mince chicken) has a hint of curry and the marinated runny egg yolk is used as a sauce. Ranjatai to me is yakitori orgasm! Seriously, they are the best. I love the chef, he’s just a cute, roung ball of a rice ball that’s always smiling and friendly but always alert.
Their salad, which brought out in the middle of the course is a fun mix of micro vegetables, rocket, sweet potatoes and eatable flowers.
Another must eat: try their marinated quail egg.
They have a wine cellar but go for their Japanese sake. They have stuff that’s not on the menu so ask for help.
You’ll love me for recommending this place.