Isehiro (Kyobashi)

A yakitori house in Kyobashi, open since 1921 and within walking distance of Tokyo Station.

What stayed with me was how every skewer was cooked just right. The house speciality, the dango (tsukune), is something I haven't tasted anywhere else. The liver was soft and creamy, almost melting in the mouth. Even the chicken breast was moist, not dry at all.

Each morning they break down whole birds delivered that day and grill them carefully over binchotan charcoal. The dango uses no binder: several cuts, such as thigh and breast, are coarsely minced and seasoned with salt and hemp seeds.

You can see why it has lasted a hundred years. This is yakitori at its truest.