Yakitori Imai

Yakitori Imai, Tokyo: The Verdict

Three consecutive years on the Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants in Japan list; rising from Recommended in 2023 to #368 in 2024 and #467 in 2025; tells you that Yakitori Imai in Shibuya's Jingumae neighbourhood is a serious yakitori counter worth planning around. If yakitori is on your Tokyo agenda, Imai belongs on the shortlist.

What to Expect on a First Visit

Yakitori Imai operates Monday through Friday, 5:30 pm to 10:30 pm, is closed on weekends. That schedule matters. If you are planning a Saturday or Sunday dinner, look instead at BIRD LAND or Asagaya BIRD LAND as alternatives. For weeknight visits, the 10:30 pm last order means Imai functions well as a later dinner option, you can finish a kaiseki meal or a museum visit and still arrive comfortably after 8 pm without feeling rushed to the door.

First-timers should understand the format before sitting down. Yakitori is a counter-focused, skewer-by-skewer experience, closer to omakase in pacing than to a casual grill. Chef Takashi Imai leads the kitchen, the experience here is shaped by his approach to each cut of chicken. Do not expect an extensive menu of small plates or a wine list designed to compete with western fine dining. This is a focused operation. Arrive with the intention of committing to the format, it delivers. Arrive expecting something more freewheeling and you will find it feels narrow.

The atmosphere at Imai runs on the quieter, more concentrated side for yakitori, the energy is attentive rather than boisterous. This makes it a practical choice for a conversation-driven dinner earlier in the evening, a comfortable wind-down option if you arrive later. Compare that to louder, more animated yakitori counters in the city, Imai reads as the more composed pick for guests who want to pay attention to what is on the skewer.

Timing Your Visit

The optimal window is a weeknight arrival between 7:30 and 8:30 pm. Early enough that the counter is in full rhythm, late enough that the initial rush has settled. Because Imai is closed on weekends, weeknight demand is concentrated, booking ahead is advisable, though the overall booking difficulty is rated Easy, meaning you are unlikely to face the weeks-long waits that apply to Tokyo's leading sushi or kaiseki counters. If you are building a broader Tokyo dining itinerary, Imai slots cleanly into a weeknight where heavier or more expensive dinners occupy your weekend slots. For more ideas across the city, see our full Tokyo restaurants guide.

For context on how yakitori compares across Japan, Torisaki in Kyoto and Torisho Ishii in Osaka are worth knowing if your trip extends beyond Tokyo. Closer to Imai's neighbourhood, Yakitori Omino and 124. KAGURAZAKA round out the serious yakitori options in the city. Aramaki is another name worth checking if your dates do not align with Imai's schedule.

Practical Details

Address: 102 3 Chome-42-11 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0001. Hours: Monday to Friday, 5:30–10:30 pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday. Booking difficulty: Easy. Price range is not confirmed in available data, treat this as a mid-to-upper tier yakitori counter given its OAD standing, budget accordingly. No dress code information is available; smart casual is a reasonable baseline for a counter at this level. For hotels nearby, see our full Tokyo hotels guide. For bars to pair with an evening around Shibuya, see our full Tokyo bars guide. If you are travelling further in Japan, HAJIME in Osaka, Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, and akordu in Nara are all worth the trip. See also Goh in Fukuoka, 1000 in Yokohama, and 6 in Okinawa for destinations further afield. For experiences beyond dining, our full Tokyo experiences guide and our full Tokyo wineries guide cover the wider picture.

Quick reference: Weeknight only (Mon–Fri), 5:30–10:30 pm; Jingumae, Shibuya; Easy to book; OAD-listed three consecutive years.