Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan
Serious yakitori, surprisingly easy to book.
Ranjatai in Shibuya's Sarugakucho is among Tokyo's most technically serious yakitori addresses, earning a 4.9 Google rating and Pearl Recommended status for 2025 under chef Hideyuki Wadahama. Book here if you want to understand what yakitori looks like when treated as a discipline rather than a casual night out. Booking is rated Easy, making it one of the more accessible high-end yakitori counters in the city.
If you arrive at Ranjatai in Sarugakucho expecting casual skewers and cold beer, you will need to recalibrate. This Shibuya address, under chef Hideyuki Wadahama, treats yakitori as a serious cooking discipline — one that rewards the same level of attention you would bring to an omakase dinner or a kaiseki meal. The common assumption that yakitori is Tokyo's most approachable genre is true in general; at Ranjatai, it is also its most technically demanding expression. That distinction matters when you are deciding whether to book here or spend the same evening elsewhere.
Yakitori's technical demands are frequently underestimated. Controlling heat across multiple cuts simultaneously, reading doneness without thermometers, and sequencing skewers so each one arrives at peak texture — this is precision work. Wadahama's approach earns Ranjatai a 4.9 Google rating across 83 reviews, a score that sits at the upper edge of what any restaurant in this city sustains consistently, and a Pearl Recommended designation for 2025. That combination of guest sentiment and editorial recognition tells you something meaningful: the kitchen delivers at a level that converts skeptics. For food enthusiasts who seek genuine craft rather than spectacle, this is the right address.
The Shibuya location, specifically the Sarugakucho pocket near Daikanyama, puts Ranjatai in a quieter, more residential stretch than the main Shibuya scramble. The neighbourhood has its own culinary density , see our full Tokyo restaurants guide for context , but Ranjatai does not lean on location as a selling point. The cooking is the argument.
Within Tokyo's yakitori category, the reference points are well established. BIRD LAND in Ginza is the benchmark many visitors reach for first, with a longer track record and easier international name recognition. Yakitori Omino and Asagaya BIRD LAND serve different neighbourhoods with their own loyal followings. 124. KAGURAZAKA and Aramaki round out the serious end of the field. Against this set, Ranjatai's 4.9 rating is a differentiator. For food-focused travellers who want to understand what yakitori looks like at its most refined, Ranjatai is the more instructive booking. If you want the famous name with guaranteed walk-in potential, BIRD LAND is the safer choice. If you are building a broader Japan itinerary, the yakitori tradition extends well beyond Tokyo: Torisaki in Kyoto and Torisho Ishii in Osaka are both worth knowing.
Reservations: Booking is rated Easy , this is one of the more accessible serious yakitori counters in the city, and you do not need to plan months ahead as you would for a Michelin three-star. Still, advance booking is advisable, particularly on weekends. Address: 30-8 Sarugakucho, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0033. Awards: Pearl Recommended Restaurant (2025). Google Rating: 4.9 from 83 reviews. Dress: No formal dress code is documented, but the seriousness of the cooking warrants smart-casual at minimum , avoid arriving as if you stumbled in from a konbini run. Budget: Specific pricing is not published, but yakitori at this level in Tokyo typically sits in the mid-to-upper range for the category; expect to spend meaningfully more than a casual yakitori-ya, and plan accordingly. Getting There: Sarugakucho is walkable from both Daikanyama and Nakameguro stations, and a short taxi or train ride from central Shibuya.
Ranjatai fits naturally into a Japan itinerary built around serious eating. If you are moving between cities, the roster of Pearl-recommended restaurants across the country gives you comparable depth: HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, akordu in Nara, Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa are all within the same conversation. For everything you need in Tokyo beyond restaurants, see our guides to hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences.
Neat, presentable clothing is the right call. Ranjatai is a serious counter restaurant under a Pearl Recommended chef — it is not a casual izakaya, so avoid athletic wear or beachwear. That said, Tokyo's yakitori culture does not demand formal attire; clean and put-together is enough.
Booking is rated Easy, which makes Ranjatai one of the more accessible serious yakitori counters in Tokyo. You do not need months of lead time, but booking at least one to two weeks out is sensible, especially if your travel dates are fixed. This is a meaningful advantage over Tokyo's hardest-to-book restaurants.
Yakitori counters at this level typically follow a set or chef-led sequence — do not expect a large à la carte menu to pick through. Follow chef Hideyuki Wadahama's lead and trust the progression; the technical control across different cuts is precisely what earns Ranjatai its Pearl Recommended status.
The counter format is core to the Ranjatai experience — sitting at the bar puts you close to the grill and the chef, which is the point. Confirm your seating preference when booking, but counter seating here is an asset, not a compromise.
Yakitori counters are inherently better suited to pairs and small parties of three or four. Larger groups should contact Ranjatai directly to ask about capacity and configuration before assuming availability; counter restaurants in this category often have limited total seats.
Yakitori is built around chicken and grilled proteins, so this is a poor fit for vegetarians or those who avoid poultry. For other dietary needs, check the venue's official channels before booking — at a counter of this calibre, advance notice gives the kitchen the best chance to accommodate you.
Arrive knowing that this is not casual skewer-and-beer yakitori. Ranjatai in Sarugakucho, Shibuya, is a chef-led counter where the focus is precision and technique across multiple cuts — Pearl Recommended for 2025. The relatively easy booking process means you can plan this without the stress of Tokyo's most competitive reservations, so there is little reason not to lock it in.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
