Joumon Roppongi

Unmissable izakaya in Roppongi. Bit of a queue on a Monday night, but worth every second of the wait — would’ve been worth waiting even longer! Take your shoes off at the door and sit at the counter if you can to watch them work their yakitori magic.
The whole experience was so delightful. We ate skewer after skewer of absolutely perfectly cooked, flavorful meats of various sorts. I remember we had a sort of mixed platter, like a chef’s choice, and everything was great, even the roasted gingko nuts (I think that’s what they were?) Leave yourselves in the chef’s capable hands, drink a lot of beer or sake, chat with the people next to you, and enjoy this meat heaven. They have other dishes too, of which we had one or two, but the skewers are most certainly the highlight.

Absolutely the nicest restaurant staff you could possibly hope for. The waiter popped out into the street to see if he could help us, since we were lost (can’t read Kanji and the address on Unilocal indicates the empty spot next door). The host then went out of his way to find us a table, despite the restaurant being booked, us with no reservations, and him with barely enough English words to let us know that we had to be finished before 8:30.
We had two of the omakase yakitori course, each coming with 8 little skewers, and the pig trotters. The skewers were all good, and trotters were awesomely crispy and chewy at the same time. Food portions are small compared to Western standards, so I recommend adding a few of your own skewer selections or an entrée to your meal.
Be prepared to take off your shoes and to be seated bar/​counter style with other guests, and bring cash.

Solid yakitori spot! Boyfriend wanted food and drinks in Roppongi and we ended up here on Sunday around 7pm. Like most Japanese restaurants, the English name was not on the building and the address is actually «18». Thankfully a server walked out to help us since we were pacing back and forth on the sidewalk looking confused. He asked us if we has reservations and we said no. He then offered a spot to eat right on the window (see pictures below for a visual) if we could finish our meal by 8:30pm. We said OK and found our legs and feet dangling onto the side walk. It was a bit cramped because the boyfriend is not a small man but it was also cozy and a great experience. We both got the yakitori omakase and shared the deep fried pig trotters. Everything was delicious. Perfectly seasoned and grilled. I’m still dreaming about the trotters!
Please make reservations so you can sit and face the open kitchen. Wash your feet too because you’ll be taking your shoes off. And finally bring cash.

3.5 stars really.
This is a traditional Japanese restaurant with good service however it’s quite catered to many foreigners. Aside from the workers and servers, I don’t think many Japanese were actually there for dinner. With that said, the skewers were good however they lacked that fantastic charcoal taste that I crave and love about yakitori. The sasame (chicken breast) was super moist and juicy however it would have been better if they added a bit of acid or some lemon on the side. Be prepared to take your shoes off when you enter and you will also need to sit on a Japanese style seat– so if you have a bit of junk in the trunk you may want to sit closer to the wall.

Amazing Yakatori (chicken skewers)! Sugoi! I absolutely love liver and the skewers came through for me. Additionally, the liver with leek sauce was also on point. You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
This place is not the most inviting (from the outside) for foreigners, because there is a bid wooden sliding door. We had a bit of trouble figuring out where the door was (we are so lame, haha –_​_​-​), but I encourage you to not be shy and poke your head inside. It’s well worth it! I also recommend getting there a bit earlier, because they tend to run out of produce (despite being open until 5am). Go figure.
Overall, well worth it for any visit to Roppongi! [Another tip for late-​night eaters: try to avoid the shady strip club promoters on the way back to the train station. They kept bothering my friend and I, even though we clearly had no interest in checking them out.]

I have mixed feelings about this place. It has pretty good food, but pricey even though its selections are a bit more esoteric than your standard Kushi-​katsu place.
If you don’t speak a lick of Japanese, but want to get the feel of what an «old Timey» Japanese restaurant is like, then go for it. But, just note that a more typical Kushi-​katsu place is a lot cheaper and has a lot more variety on the menu and usually has a pretty similar atmosphere as well.
I had about four or five sticks here at this place and one beer. Then I went to the corner and another kushi-​Katsuya upstairs where I had two beers and probably eight or nine sticks. The bill at the second place was about ¥300 less.
At Jomon the menu is in English and virtually all of the customers when I was there were foreigners. At the second place, I was the only obvious foreigner in the place, The menu was in Japanese only, so I realize the trade-​off.
Again, no problem whatsoever with the food, the atmosphere, the friendliness. If you were in Japan a short time, by all means… But if you live in Japan you really ought to learn enough Japanese that you can go to a regular place!

Late review however I feel they deserve it. I went in late January on a Saturday night as I met up with some local friends. I felt like I was going to an «exclusive» joint as there were no signs and I ended up walking by it not even noticing my friends were already inside taking off their shoes. Reserve in advance as it gets busy and prepare for a nice treat as they hand write your reservation sign with your name — small things impress me :) As I’m very accustomed to Izakaya’s in Vancouver, I feel Joumon would be very popular and a go to spot. For non-​smokers like myself, you might not be fond of the smell, however the atmosphere and quality of food will definitely compensate. If you are adventurous, try their horse sashimi and chicken gizzard.
#Itadakimasu

It looks like this place is on some foreign travel guide books, which I assume is why you always see some non-​Japanese customers hanging out in this place. And it’s actually a very good place for non-​Japanese people to experience the traditional-​Japanese-​like atmosphere and food. They do serve high quality dishes at a reasonable pricing, so I would recommend this place to Japanese customers as well.
Their speciality is «Kushiyaki» (means grilled food on skewer — They have but chicken, they have chicken, pork, beef, vegetables and so forth on skewer). You will definitely find something you like at the end of the day.
One thing to keep in mind is that you may not want to bring your business partners or someone you don’t yet know too well since you need to sit very tightly in this place. In other words, if you bring along someone you want to get closer with in a romantic way, this place is highly recommended :)

Yakitori!!! We stopped by this tiny joint after a recommendation from a friend and ohh boy– Did I make an amazing choice. The yakitori here is DELICIOUS. We tried an assortment of meats and ate our hearts out. The cooks here meticulously prepare and cook each skewer so while it’s a bit time consuming, it’s well worth the wait. Prices do add up however so we ended up racking a decent bill between us (~$ 40 per person) but I tend to eat wayyy too much anyways. The servers don’t quite speak English so you’ll have to point at items on the menu– why yes they do have an English menu and they also accept most credit cards *scoreee*. Took us, a group of 3, about an hour to be seated on a Saturday night so be sure to plan ahead!

What a great place! I think it’s been outed by a couple guidebooks plus there’s an English menu, but still maintains a funky, cozy, divey, authentic vibe. First things first: can’t remember having better skewers anywhere… chicken leg, pork skirt, beef skirt, eggplant — soooo tasty. Even my bro who holds a torch for Taisho in NYC was swooning. Just beware that the $$ add up fast! The croquette with a soft boiled egg tucked inside, recommended to us by some fellow diners, is good tummy padding too.
The guy grilling is a rock star — joking around with the rest of the outgoing staff and never misses a beat. And overall, the staff is so welcoming — a refreshing change from the snooty host at the izakaya down the street — and offers you some candy on your way out! A few waiters were extra sweet to my toddler who sat at the counter with us like a boss. But beware that the smoking makes it a bit dicey for little ones.
The exterior isn’t clearly labelled so look for the legs dangling out of open windows across the street from the convenience store (Family Mart or 7 – 11, can’t remember).

Sort of a riot — lots of smoking, alcohol, loud crowd, packed and a bit claustrophobic. Take off your shoes at the front in a cramped, awkward space if you don’t have easy slip on/​off shoes. Then wiggle your way into the bench seating around the grill. Menu is huge and you have a variety of izakaya small plates plus your robatayaki skewers.
We did a lot from each food style. For izakaya, we did a miso ginger seared chicken that was served essentially raw. Really good though with a lot of crunchy vegetables in a salad presentation. The pork belly dish was a little too sweet, but the portion was huge and the pork belly had a cured and candied like flavor.
For the grilled skewers, we did their sampler of six. Everything was quite good with some underseasoned ones and some knockout ones.
Service was hit or miss. Not being a Japanese speaker, it was difficult to get the server’s attention. I guess I could have just waived at the grillmaster and pointed to the menu.
I think the atmosphere was a bit intense for us including Roppongi as a whole, which was the first part of Tokyo I experienced where there was a lot of tourist garbage. Smoking indoors isn’t my favorite thing either. So I had mixed feelings here.

My bf and I came here for our last dinner in Tokyo… Yakitori was the last meal on our check list, and we were determined to have the best in the area!
Location: Joumon is located in Roppongi, where a lot of tourists can be found, so places are relatively English friendly. I can only say a few phrases in Japanese (greetings of the day, excuse me, and thank you), but I didn’t have any problems. On the back of their business card is a map showing the street they’re on so it’s not too difficult to find.
This restaurant is shoes off, so make sure to slip them off before stepping inside! I forgot and wasn’t paying attention, so I was greeted by a loud chorus of «shoes off!» to remind me. I had heard that sometimes you need a reservation, but we walked in on a Thursday night around 9pm and were seated right away. There is seating by the windows (facing out toward the street), but we were at the bar. Be warned, sitting at bar facing the grill is hot! So, make sure you’ll be comfortable with all the heat directed at you during your meal. If you think it will bother you, or ask to be seated elsewhere. There is a 2 hour limit to how long you can stay since it does get fairly crowded with regulars and tourists.
Food: We ordered a variety of different skewers since we wanted to try everything. Some things we ordered included duck w/​leek, chicken gizzard/​heart/​liver, tomatoes w/​bacon, asparagus w/​bacon, and the soft boiled egg croquette. Everything was extremely tasty! My favorite was probably the duck and the croquette.
My bf and I ordered about 7 skewers each, the croquette (a little pricier at ~ $ 5), and one beer, and it came out to roughly 4,000 yen. Not bad at all for the delicious food and fun experience! You pay the bill with the waitress (versus paying at a cashier at the front like some other Japanese restaurants), and at the end they give you a cherry each for a mini dessert.

Joumon is the perfect restaurant for tourists interested in enjoying a nice hip Tokyo experience. The restaurant is always packed with people but they also always find a place for you, even if you don’t have a reservation.
You take off your shoes and you sit at the bar or at one of the tables. They have tons of different kind of yakitori and they are all very very good. We tried many vegetable yakitori, some cheese yakitori, chicken and pork yakitori, etc.
Personnel speaks English very well and all the menus are in English as well. The crowd is mixed, many tourists but also many Japanese people.
Highly recommended.

one of my favorite izakayas in Roppongi
cost performance-​wis, this place is great. Also, the food was very yummy.
Must order item = Ontama Croquette basically fried potato croquette with half-​boiled egg inside! so good!
the yakitori items were good as well, but I would not recommend ordering the omakase ones because i felt like it is cheaper to order a-​la-​carte. I expected all the omakase picks to be «protein/​meat» but some of them are veggies. sad sad sad.
Otherwise, this place is awesome. I love sitting the «window seat» just because it is more airy and more space.

I went back to Joumon for a small welcome dinner for a friend and had an excellent time again. The staff wasn’t quite as goofy as last time (they were still a bit goofy, in an endearing way) but the food was even better than I remembered.
Another reviewer commented that they weren’t so impressed when they compared Joumon to kushiyaki in California, so I started to think about it in that way. The one I always frequented was Shinsengumi in Fountain Valley, but even so, in my opinion Joumon still comes out on top. The quality of the ingredients and the careful seasoning plus the atmosphere make for a fantastic dining experience that’s casual yet impressive and won’t make your wallet cry. The small size of the restaurant makes service extra quick, yet I’ve never had to wait for a seat.
After a couple of visits, here are a few of my recommendations:
zabuton (chuck): this is a cut of beef that is relatively scarce because there’s only a little bit of chuck meat per cow. It’s juicy and well marbled. Cut the richness with a few bites of crisp cabbage after. Highly recommended!
kamo-​negima (duck with leek): this is so good you’ll want to flip tables. It tastes like magical chicken (yes, I know that a duck is not a chicken) — juicy and flavorful. Tastes extra delicious when eaten with the bite of grilled leek that accompanies it!
bacon-​wrapped tomato: personally, I love tomatoes but even if you don’t, you can’t help but love it wrapped in bacon~ They don’t skimp on the bacon here, either. Each cherry tomato comes wrapped in a nice crispy bacon blanket. Just be careful not to eat it too quickly, otherwise the inside of the tomato will burn your mouth like molten lava!
mikan-​shu soda-​wari (mikan sour cocktail): I love Japanese cocktails. They’re so sweet, it’s like you’re not even drinking alcohol. I guess that’s one of those thing’s that’s a matter of personal preference, but anyway this cocktail is refreshing and has fresh bits of crushed mikan fruit in it. Kanpai!

This is definitely the best place for Yakitori. The place is not that big with one short counter where you can see the meat lineup and a several tables incl. a private room, and always filled with people. It might be difficult to get a spot there but worth a try.
Love tontoro, tsukune, sunagimo, zabuton, avocado, motsu, and ochazuke! I miss the place so much!

Found this place on
. Arrived with no reservation on a Friday night (9:30pm) and had to wait 30 minutes. Looks like a pretty busy place as there were many people waiting outside.
Tight fit inside. You have to take your shoes off, make sure your socks aren’t holey! It’s also warm inside so dress in layers. Loud and lively interior. English menu available, waiters also speak a little English as well. We ordered the tsukune, soboro don, chicken skin, gyu-​tan, «special chicken» (cooked rare with pickled greens), shiitake mushroom, chicken breast, pork flap and sake. The chicken skin wasn’t prepared like we’re used to, it was in strips mixed with marinated onions, not our favorite. The gyu-​tan was a winner, served with lots of chopped onions on a skewer, yummy!
Quality was good but, we’ve been spoiled by Hakata-​Shinsengumi yakitori in Gardens, CA so I can’t give rave reviews. However, if you’re not fortunate to live in an area where you have access to authentic Japanese yakitori and restaurants, you won’t be disappointed.

Great yakitori place. Friendly people. Close to my hotel in Roppongi.

could eat here all the time. for the price, really enjoyed the yakitori.
smoky juicy skewers, wonderful a5, and oyako don that blew me away.
tabelog 3.5