Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Counter yakitori with five years of Tabelog recognition.
Eiki is a 15-seat yakitori counter in Ebisu with four Tabelog Bronze wins and five consecutive Tabelog Yakitori Top 100 selections since 2021. At JPY 10,000–14,999 per head, it is one of the most consistently recognised yakitori counters in eastern Tokyo. Book via Shokuoku for a date night or small-group celebration — no walk-ins, no private rooms, no lunch.
If you are comparing yakitori options in Tokyo, Eiki sits in a different category from the casual robata bars around Ebisu station. This is a 15-seat counter restaurant that has held Tabelog Bronze status in 2021, 2022, 2025, and 2026, scored 4.30 on Tabelog, and been named to the Tabelog Yakitori Top 100 every year from 2021 through 2025. At JPY 10,000–14,999 per head for dinner, it costs roughly what you would spend at a mid-range sushi counter, but the format is more focused and the technical bar is demonstrably high. Book it for a date night, a celebratory dinner, or any occasion where you want a seated counter experience with real credentials behind it.
Eiki opened in February 2019 in the ROZIS building on Ebisu's quieter residential side, and its award consistency since then signals something more than opening-year momentum. Four separate Tabelog Bronze wins across different years, combined with five consecutive Tabelog Yakitori Top 100 selections, put it among the most reliably recognised yakitori counters in eastern Tokyo.
The format is counter-only, 15 seats, no private rooms. That is the right setting if you are coming as a couple or a small group of three or four: you are close to the grill, the pacing is set by the kitchen, and the progression of courses builds in the way a tasting counter should. Tabelog describes Eiki as representing a new era of yakitori following the lineage of established houses, which is consistent with what a multi-year Bronze score of 4.30 implies: precision and consistency, not novelty for its own sake.
The drinks list covers sake, shochu, and wine, and the restaurant also accepts BYO, which is worth knowing if you have a bottle you want to bring to a celebration. Credit cards are accepted (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners). The room is non-smoking throughout.
Hours run Monday 19:00–23:00, and Tuesday through Saturday from 18:00–23:00. Sunday is closed. Monday's later start is worth noting if you are planning around it: the kitchen opens a full hour after the Tuesday-to-Saturday schedule, so factor that in when building an evening. The restaurant also closes for additional days beyond the weekly Sunday closure, so confirming current hours before you visit is sensible.
For special occasion dining at this price point, Eiki competes on depth of experience rather than spectacle. The 15-seat counter format means the kitchen is cooking for a small room, and the progression of yakitori courses at a serious counter in Tokyo is its own kind of tasting menu: each skewer is a considered decision, the order matters, and the pacing is deliberate. That format works well for a two-person celebration or a small group that wants focused food rather than a large multi-room restaurant experience. It is a poor fit if you need a private room, need to seat more than a small party together, or are looking for the kind of theatrical presentation you get at kaiseki counters.
Google reviewers rate it 4.6 across 99 reviews, which aligns with the Tabelog score and adds a useful secondary signal: this is a venue that performs consistently for the people who actually go, not just for award panels.
Reservations are available but phone bookings are no longer accepted. All reservations must be made through Shokuoku, the online reservation platform. Seating is described as limited, so booking ahead is necessary rather than optional. Walk-ins are not advised given the 15-seat capacity. Booking difficulty is rated Easy by Pearl, meaning seats are available with reasonable advance planning, but given the counter size and award profile, earlier is better for weekend evenings.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price (dinner) | Seats | Booking | Private Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eiki | Yakitori | JPY 10,000–14,999 | 15 (counter) | Shokuoku only | No |
| Harutaka | Sushi | ¥¥¥¥ | Counter | Difficult | No |
| RyuGin | Kaiseki | ¥¥¥¥ | Counter/tables | Moderate | Available |
| Crony | Innovative French | ¥¥¥¥ | Counter/tables | Moderate | No |
If Eiki is on your list, you may also want to look at L'Effervescence and Sézanne for French counter dining at the leading end, or HOMMAGE for innovative French. For a fuller picture of what Tokyo's dining scene offers, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide. You can also browse Tokyo hotels, Tokyo bars, Tokyo wineries, and Tokyo experiences.
If you are building a wider Japan itinerary, Pearl covers HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa. For international comparison, Le Bernardin in New York City and Atomix in New York City offer a useful benchmark for counter dining at similar price tiers.
Eiki does not publish a menu through its online records, and the format at this type of awarded yakitori counter is typically chef-led: you receive the progression the kitchen has decided on rather than ordering à la carte. Trust the counter and let the sequence play out. The kitchen's five consecutive Tabelog Top 100 selections confirm that the decision-making at the grill is worth deferring to.
The room seats 15 in total at a single counter, with no private room option. Small groups of two to four are the practical fit. Larger parties would take up a significant share of the counter and availability will depend entirely on what Shokuoku shows at the time of booking. If you need a private space for a celebration, Eiki cannot provide it , consider RyuGin, which has private room options.
No dietary information is listed in Eiki's available records. Given that this is a yakitori counter where the kitchen controls the progression, it is worth confirming restrictions directly via Shokuoku at the time of booking rather than assuming flexibility. Chicken is the format's foundation, so it is not the right choice for guests who do not eat poultry.
Dinner only. Eiki has no lunch service , the Tabelog record shows a dash against the lunch budget, and hours run from 18:00 (19:00 on Mondays) through 23:00. There is no decision to make here: if you want to eat at Eiki, you are booking dinner.
At a similar price point but in different formats: Crony is worth considering for innovative counter dining in Tokyo, and L'Effervescence offers a more elaborate tasting menu experience at a higher price. For yakitori specifically, Eiki is among the most consistently awarded options in eastern Tokyo based on five years of Tabelog Top 100 recognition. If you want kaiseki depth at a special-occasion budget, RyuGin is the comparison to benchmark against. See our full Tokyo restaurants guide for a broader set of options across formats and budgets.
Eiki is a yakitori specialist, so the skewers are the entire point. No specific menu items are listed in available records, but the format is counter dining with grilled chicken skewers as the focus. At JPY 10,000–14,999 per head, this is a sit-and-let-the-kitchen-lead experience rather than a build-your-own order situation. If you want creative yakitori with a structured progression, this is the right format.
With only 15 seats and counter-only seating, Eiki is not suited to large groups. Private rooms are unavailable and the venue cannot be booked for private use. Pairs and small groups of three or four are the realistic fit here. Larger parties should look elsewhere in Ebisu or consider venues with flexible room configurations.
No dietary accommodation information is available in Eiki's public records. Given the format — a 15-seat counter specialising in yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) — the menu is tightly focused by design. If you or anyone in your party does not eat chicken or has specific restrictions, contact Eiki via Shokuoku before booking rather than assuming flexibility.
Dinner only — Eiki does not offer lunch service. Hours run 19:00–23:00 on Mondays and 18:00–23:00 Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday is closed. Plan around an evening visit and confirm hours directly before going, as the venue notes that hours and closed days can change.
For yakitori at a comparable price point with Tabelog recognition, Eiki's peer group includes other counter-format specialists around Ebisu and Shibuya. For a broader high-end dinner experience, L'Effervescence and Sézanne offer French counter dining at a higher spend. HOMMAGE is worth considering if you want innovative Japanese cooking rather than a single-protein focus. Crony covers the modern izakaya end if you want something less format-driven.
Mon 19:00 - 23:00
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