Japanese Chains You Don’t Know
No. 1: Torikizoku

JAPANESE CHAINS YOU DON’T KNOW · 01

Let’s start with Torikizoku

This series takes you inside the Japanese chains that are part of everyday life here. I have lived in Osaka for about 30 years and work a regular office job. Pull up a chair. There is good food to get through.

This is the first column in that series. My first choice is Torikizoku, or “Toriki” for short. It is a casual izakaya chain specializing in yakitori—grilled chicken skewers—with drinks, side dishes and desserts. The photographs here are from its Noda-Hanshin branch in Osaka.

MY DRINK

That big mug is ¥410 too

I ordered Mega Kinmugi, the large mug with the red “MEGA” lettering in the opening photograph. Even at that size, it is the same ¥410 including tax.

Kinmugi is listed as a beer-style alcoholic drink on Torikizoku’s drinks menu. If you want the drink in my photograph, look for メガ金麦 on the ordering tablet.

THE SIGNATURE YAKITORI

Big skewers. Two for ¥410.

Kizokuyaki is Torikizoku’s signature chicken skewer, with generous pieces of chicken and green onion. The size hits you immediately: big pieces of chicken, generous skewers, and two skewers for ¥410. That still impresses me.

Reading the table from left to right: fried chicken cartilage (ひざなんこつ唐揚), fries, and Kizokuyaki on the black plate. The cartilage is a small fried side dish; the large chicken-and-onion skewers are the main attraction.

Most yakitori orders come as a pair. So when you see ¥410 beside Kizokuyaki, that covers the pair. The menu also offers thigh and breast versions, with a choice of seasonings.

The official English menu lists two skewers per serving, with exceptions for stuffed peppers and wings.

MY NO. 1 ORDER

My favorite thing at Torikizoku

The fries with butter sauce are my favorite thing at Torikizoku. Yes, I came to a yakitori restaurant and fell in love with the potatoes. Order them.

These thick-cut fries are made for that butter sauce. Pour it over the top and dig in. I love potatoes, and this combination makes me very happy. The sauce is the whole point—get it onto those fries.

A basket costs ¥410 including tax. Put it on the table with your skewers and your drink. This is an essential part of my Toriki order.

SAVE ROOM FOR THIS

Brace yourself for the custard

Finish with Frozen Catalana. It arrives frozen solid. Then the first spoonful hits your tongue, and that rich custard cream starts to melt. That moment is the reason to order it.

This custard holds its own against the famous dessert shops. And here it is, at the end of a yakitori dinner, for ¥410. At this price, it has absolutely no business being this good. Save room for it.

On the Japanese menu, look for カタラーナアイス.

ANOTHER REASON I LIKE TORIKI

A commitment to Japanese ingredients

I also like the attention Torikizoku gives to sourcing. It uses Japanese chicken for its yakitori and says that all ingredients in its food menu meet its domestic-sourcing policy. That is something I appreciate at this price.

Torikizoku’s sourcing policy includes a qualification: for processed foods, “domestic” means the final processing takes place in Japan; some raw ingredients may come from overseas. The policy describes its food ingredients.

WHERE THESE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN

Torikizoku, Noda-Hanshin

Noda-Hanshin is in Osaka’s Fukushima ward. The useful stations for this branch are Noda-Hanshin on the Osaka Metro Sennichimae Line and Noda on the Hanshin Railway. From either, the restaurant is a short walk away.

Part of what I want to share in this series is the everyday setting around a meal: the shopfronts, the lights, and the streets people use as they go about their lives.

For this first column, my picks are simple: Kizokuyaki, Mega Kinmugi, those fries with butter sauce, and frozen Catalana to finish. This is one way I enjoy an ordinary evening in Osaka.