Tokyo Yakitori and Izakaya Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone

Tokyo has some of the world's best yakitori, okonomiyaki, and izakaya. What the best spots in each category tend to share is a phone number and nothing else online. No booking widget, no Tabelog reservation button, no third-party platform. Just a call.

This is part six of our series on Tokyo restaurants that reward you for picking up the phone.

A quick note: reservation policies change. Some of these restaurants may have added online booking since this was written. If a restaurant now appears on Tabelog with an online option, check it there first.

Torishiki

Meguro, Shinagawa-ku

Two minutes from Meguro Station, in a building tucked off the main street. Torishiki has held a Michelin star continuously since 2011 and carries a Tabelog score of 4.40, placing it among the most recognized yakitori restaurants in Japan. Twelve counter seats. The chef, Ikegawa Yoshiteru, trained for seven years under a master before opening Torishiki in 2007. The reservation system matches the restaurant's seriousness: reservations open on the first business day of each month, by phone only, for dates two months ahead. September 2026 reservations are currently unavailable due to the owner's schedule; October bookings will open in early August.

Phone reservations only. Reservations open on the first business day of each month for two months ahead. Open Wednesday through Saturday. Closed Monday, Tuesday, and Sunday.

Phone: +81-3-3440-7656 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

Ohkusa

Araki-cho, Shinjuku

Four minutes from Yotsuya-sanchome Station, in a concrete-lined counter space that seats eight guests. Ohkusa has won the Tabelog Award Silver for multiple consecutive years and carries a score of 4.36. The menu is omakase only, JPY 15,000 all-in, focused entirely on carefully sourced free-range chicken with no vegetable skewers. The reservation window is one week exactly: phone reservations open at noon, one week before the desired date. If you want a Saturday table, call the previous Saturday at noon.

Phone reservations only. Reservations available starting at noon, exactly one week in advance. No reservations from other yakitori restaurant operators. No photography inside. Open Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Monday and Sunday.

Phone: +81-3-6709-8874 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

Yakitori Fuku

Nakagami, Akishima-shi

Three minutes from Nakagami Station on the JR Ome Line, in the western suburbs of Tokyo. The restaurant opened in 2022 and uses Tosa binchotan charcoal and daily-sourced Daisan-dori chicken, hand-skewered on site. Fifteen seats across counter and semi-private sections. The price point, around JPY 4,000 per person, is significantly more accessible than the higher-end yakitori counters in central Tokyo, and the quality has built a loyal following in a short time.

Phone reservations only. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 5pm. Closed Mondays.

Phone: +81-42-546-2909 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

USHIO

Roppongi, Minato-ku

Thirty seconds from Roppongi Station Exit 5, on the second floor of a building just off the main intersection. USHIO has been selected for Tabelog's Top 100 Okonomiyaki list every year since 2018. The specialty is Enshu-yaki, an okonomiyaki style from Hamamatsu that uses no oil and loads of vegetables, producing a texture that regulars describe as unlike anything in the standard okonomiyaki category.

Online reservations are available through Tabelog for advance bookings. For same-day visits, the restaurant takes reservations by phone only. If you're planning to go tonight, call ahead.

Phone: +81-3-5771-8081 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym (same-day only)

Ryokusai (Sendai Jikasei-men Koikeya Bunten)

Shin-Koiwa, Katsushika-ku

Five minutes from Shin-Koiwa Station, a ramen shop by day and a proper izakaya by evening. At night the menu shifts entirely: oden simmered in a dashi made from dried flying fish, freshly caught fish shipped directly from Bungo Strait, and a sake list that runs to rare seasonal labels. Ten counter seats. The ramen is what most people know the restaurant for, but the evening izakaya operation has quietly developed its own following among regulars who come specifically for the fish and sake.

Evening izakaya reservations by phone only. Lunch is walk-in only. Closed Mondays.

Phone: +81-3-4400-8448 View on Tabelog · Book with Rapym

How to Book Any of These

The restaurants on this list each handle reservations differently. Torishiki opens its phone lines on the first business day of each month. Ohkusa opens exactly one week before. Yakitori Fuku and Ryokusai accept reservations in the more conventional way. USHIO can be booked online in advance, but same-day reservations require a call.

In every case, the call needs to be in Japanese. If you speak Japanese, calling during afternoon hours between 2pm and 5pm tends to work best for most restaurants. If you don't, Rapym can make the call for you.

You give Rapym the restaurant name, phone number, your preferred date, time, and party size. Rapym calls the restaurant in natural Japanese, handles the full conversation, and confirms the reservation in your name. Current success rate on completed calls is over 90 percent.

Rapym makes restaurant reservations in Japan on your behalf, in Japanese, by phone, for any restaurant. Try it here

Also in this series: Why Tokyo's best restaurants only take phone calls Tokyo Yakiniku Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone Tokyo Monjayaki Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone Tokyo Unagi Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone Tokyo Sukiyaki Restaurants: How to Book Without Paying the Hidden Fee Tokyo Sushi Restaurants You Can Only Book by Phone