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With thousands upon thousands of restaurants to choose from in Japan’s major cities, looking for a place to dine that checks all the boxes in terms of quality, vibe, service and price can be a task that’s both time-consuming and overwhelming.
Making the job a little easier is handbooks like The Michelin Guide, which has done all the hard work in advance, and while it’s most famous for awarding restaurants with Michelin stars, in recent years, it’s their Bib Gourmand category that’s been attracting more and more attention.
This category recognizes eateries offering outstanding food at affordable prices, with courses or set meals priced at around 5,000 yen or less. And while we’ve seen a number of ramen restaurants awarded with a mention in this category, there are times when our bellies yearn for something other than a bowl of noodles, and for that there’s a yakitori restaurant in Kyoto that deserves our attention.
Called Kyoto Yakitori Kazu (with kazu meaning “one” in Japanese), this restaurant has only been open for a year, but it’s already received the honorable Bib Gourmand mention in the latest Michelin Guide. This is largely due to the skill and attention to detail displayed by the chef, Takashi Iikawa, who earned Bib Gourmand status at his previous restaurant in Tokyo’s glitzy Ginza neighborhood for two consecutive years.
Iikawa has developed a menu to showcase the quintessence of yakitori, aiming to elevate the everyday food to its highest peak in Kyoto. With the experienced chef at the grill, diners will be able to “feel the skill and heart of the craftsman” as each skewer is carefully cooked over charcoal in front of them, igniting the five senses with the sound and aroma of the sizzling meat throughout the meal.
The restaurant uses locally sourced Kyo-Akajidori chicken bought fresh every morning, and as the chickens are raised on a pesticide-free feed in a relaxed and stress-free environment in a mountain village in Kyoto, the meat is said to be fine-textured and flavorful. Even the salt has been carefully selected for its sweetness and richness, with sharp Japanese sea salt and two types of rock salt produced in the Andes specially blended to create the best balance between flavors.
On the menu you’ll find all the standard yakitori favorites, plus rare limited-time seasonal delicacies and unusual offerings like soriresu (chicken oysters), aka (inner thigh), togarashi (thigh muscle), and chochin (fallopian tube and ovary).
The drinks menu is also outstanding, with a selection of Japanese sake, shochu, and wines by the glass chosen to pair perfectly with yakitori.
The restaurant itself is beautifully designed, with low lighting, a minimalist vibe and a sleek wooden counter with seating for 20 diners. It’s said to feel like a calm, secret haven worlds away from the busy city surrounding it.
With courses starting at 5,649 yen per person for a 14-piece meal, Yakitori Kazu is one of the best value-for-money restaurants you’ll find in Kyoto. Whether you like plain chicken skewers or more adventurous cuts, a meal here will definitely be one to remember.
Restaurant Location
Kyoto Yakitori Kazu / 京都 焼き鳥 一（かず）
Address: Kyoto-fu, Kyoto-shi, Nakagyo-ku, Shijo Muromachi, Kikusuibokocho 585 1F
京都府京都市中京区四条室町菊水鉾町585 1F
Open: 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Closed: Wednesdays
Source: PR Times
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© SoraNews24
4 Comments
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koiwaicoffee
That’s quite step for a bunch of yakitoris, add a couple of beers or three and you have a 15.000 bill for two persons.
afanofjapan
koiwaicoffee... agreed. 14 piece meal = 14 skewers?
These michelin people should have paid a visit to Torikizoku. 7 plates of two skewers would have come to 2200 or so, Add 5 mega pitchers of beer and you are under 4000 yen, very full and slightly merry.
TARA TAN KITAOKA
Kyoto will never be a place good for real things. i have been kyoto for 25 years, nothing good since 1990.
Alway creating a smoke screen.
kohakuebisu
Good yakitori is magical. A lot of preparation goes into it, choosing the cut and scoring the meat, with a lot of meat left over to go in the tsukune (chicken meatball) pile. The low and slow way of grilling it is also much more difficult than steak. For food nerds, there are a couple of books revealing some of the secrets. It looks very hard work and tricky to make properly.
The real thing should not be confused with the dry, chewy, or conversely textureless (from steaming, common for mass produced yakitori) lumps of chicken on skewers you might get from an izakaya/robata or these days a convenience store.
None of this is to say 5700 yen per person is within my budget.