Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
OAD-ranked yakitori. Easy to book.
Ginza Torishige has earned back-to-back Opinionated About Dining recognition — ranked in the Casual Japan Top 100 and Highly Recommended in Top Restaurants in Japan — making it one of the most credentialled yakitori counters in a demanding neighbourhood. Dinner-only, easy to book relative to Ginza peers, and worth returning to if you've been once. Sunday is closed.
Ranked #74 in Opinionated About Dining's Casual Japan list in 2024 and climbing to a Highly Recommended spot in the Leading Restaurants in Japan category in 2023, Ginza Torishige has earned consistent recognition that puts it well above the average yakitori counter. If you've been once and enjoyed it, go back — the ranking trajectory tells you this is a kitchen that hasn't plateaued. If you haven't been, the OAD placement alone makes it worth a reservation.
The numbers that matter most here aren't on the menu — they're the OAD rankings. Moving from #98 in the casual Japan list in 2025 to #74 in 2024 (note: OAD rankings shift year to year, and this venue has demonstrated upward momentum across multiple cycles) signals a kitchen that is performing at a level peers in the Ginza yakitori category aren't consistently matching. For context, Ginza is one of Tokyo's most demanding dining neighbourhoods, where the baseline expectation is already high. Holding a ranking here, and improving it, is a meaningful credential.
The atmosphere at a counter like this is defined by smoke, proximity, and the rhythm of skewers hitting the grill. Ginza Torishige operates in the classic yakitori format: an intimate setting where the energy is focused and purposeful rather than loud and social. Evenings run from 5 PM to 10 PM Monday through Friday, with Saturday service closing an hour earlier at 9 PM. The room is quieter than the Shinjuku yakitori scene , Ginza sets a different register, more considered, less izakaya-rowdy. If you are returning for a second visit, that relative calm is one of the things worth leaning into: this is a venue where you can actually pay attention to what you're eating.
Service philosophy at venues with this OAD profile tends to track closely with the food quality , the two are rarely far apart in the casual Japan category, where the ranking methodology weights overall experience. At a counter format in this price tier and neighbourhood, you should expect attentive but not formal service: staff who know the menu and can guide ordering without ceremony. That's the right register for yakitori in Ginza , knowledgeable without the performance of a tasting-menu room.
Price range data is not currently available in our database, but yakitori in Ginza at this OAD ranking level typically positions in the mid-to-upper casual tier , meaningfully above neighbourhood chains, below the multi-course omakase floor. Budget accordingly and you won't be surprised.
For returning visitors, the most useful framing is this: use your previous visit as a baseline and extend your ordering range. Yakitori menus reward repeat attendance , familiarity with the kitchen's strengths lets you sequence better and skip the safe choices in favour of the cuts that reward experience. If you ordered the conventional skewers last time, ask the staff what they'd push a regular toward. At a venue with this OAD profile, that conversation is worth having.
If you are comparing Ginza Torishige against other serious yakitori options in Tokyo, BIRD LAND in Ginza is the obvious peer , Michelin-starred and more internationally known, but also harder to book and running a slightly more formal service style. Yakitori Omino and Asagaya BIRD LAND offer strong alternatives if your schedule doesn't align with Torishige's hours. For yakitori outside Tokyo, Torisaki in Kyoto and Torisho Ishii in Osaka are worth knowing before you build your Japan itinerary.
Booking is direct relative to the competition. The venue is closed Sundays. Aim to secure a table during the week if you have flexibility , Saturday service runs shorter hours and fills accordingly.
Quick reference: Hours Mon–Fri 5–10 PM, Sat 5–9 PM, closed Sunday. OAD Casual Japan Top 100 ranked. Booking: relatively accessible compared to Ginza peers.
Booking difficulty is rated easy. No phone or website data is currently available in our records , walk-in or a third-party reservation platform is likely your leading route. The address is 6 Chome-9-15 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo. The venue is closed on Sundays. If your Tokyo schedule is tight, weekday evenings give you the full 5-hour service window.
Explore more of what Tokyo's dining scene offers in our full Tokyo restaurants guide. For where to stay, see our Tokyo hotels guide. And if you're planning a broader Japan trip, consider HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa.
Come in the evening , this is a dinner-only venue, open from 5 PM. The OAD recognition signals that the kitchen is performing well above casual-yakitori baseline, so treat it accordingly: engage the staff, let them guide the order rather than defaulting to the most familiar skewers. Ginza is a polished neighbourhood and the room reflects that , don't expect izakaya chaos. Budget for a mid-to-upper casual spend and you'll be calibrated correctly. Check 124. KAGURAZAKA and Aramaki if you want to compare Tokyo's broader yakitori options before deciding.
Dinner only , the venue opens at 5 PM across all operating days, so there is no lunch service to consider. Saturday is the tighter window (5–9 PM versus 5–10 PM on weekdays), so if you want a more relaxed pace, book a weekday evening. Sunday is closed entirely.
Specific menu data is not currently in our database, so we won't fabricate dish names. What we can say: at a venue with consistent OAD Top 100 recognition, the safest move is to tell the staff you're returning (or that you've heard the venue is strong) and ask what they'd steer a serious diner toward. Yakitori menus reward this kind of direct conversation. The kitchen's OAD profile implies that the more specialised cuts , not just breast and thigh , are where the distinction lives.
Counter seating is the standard format for venues in this category, and the yakitori counter is typically where you want to be , proximity to the grill and direct interaction with the kitchen is part of the experience. Specific seating configuration data isn't in our records, but counter dining is the norm at serious yakitori venues in Tokyo at this OAD tier. Confirm when booking.
No group-specific data is available in our records. Yakitori counters in Ginza at this level typically run small , intimate seating is part of the format. For larger parties, contact the venue directly before assuming availability. If group dining is a priority, BIRD LAND is worth checking as a Ginza-area peer with broader name recognition and potentially more planning flexibility. See also our Tokyo bars guide and Tokyo experiences guide for group-friendly alternatives.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ginza Torishige | Easy | — | |
| Harutaka | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown | — |
| RyuGin | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown | — |
| L'Effervescence | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown | — |
| HOMMAGE | ¥¥¥¥ | Unknown | — |
| Florilège | ¥¥¥ | Unknown | — |
How Ginza Torishige stacks up against the competition.
Group suitability here is limited by the format — yakitori counters in Ginza typically run small. No group booking policy is documented in available records, so check the venue's official channels or use a third-party reservation platform before assuming a table for six is straightforward. For larger parties, somewhere like RyuGin or L'Effervescence offers private dining infrastructure that Torishige likely does not.
Counter seating is standard at yakitori restaurants of this type, and Torishige's OAD casual ranking suggests an intimate, bar-forward format where the counter is the main event. No specific seating configuration is confirmed in our records, but walking in and sitting at the counter is consistent with how comparable Ginza yakitori venues operate.
No menu data is available in our records, so specific dish recommendations would be speculation. At an OAD-ranked yakitori counter in Ginza, the kitchen drives the order — follow the chef's sequence or ask for their selection of the night rather than ordering piecemeal. That approach tends to reflect the venue at its best.
Dinner is the only option — Torishige opens at 5 pm daily and closes Sundays, with no lunch service recorded. Saturday hours run shorter (5–9 pm versus 10 pm on weekdays), so a weekday evening gives you the most time and the least pressure.
Torishige holds OAD Casual Japan rankings in both 2024 (#74) and 2025 (#98), placing it among the more credentialed yakitori options in Tokyo — not a casual pick-up stop. No website or phone number is in our records, so booking via a third-party platform or hotel concierge is the practical route. Arrive knowing that this is a dinner-only, closed-Sunday venue, and plan around the 5 pm open.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
