Torifuku Shibuya
鳥福 · Torifuku Shibuya
- Ward
- Shibuya
- Price
- ¥4,000~6,000
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 16:00–21:00, Sat 16:00
- Closed
- Sun, holidays and the third Sat of each month
- Getting there
- 2 min from Shibuya Stn; 1 min from exit 7 of the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line
- Right beside a Shibuya Station that never stops being rebuilt
- Each floor is a counter for six pressed shoulder to shoulder in a space of about four
- Because several regional chicken breeds are kept on hand
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Obvious to locals, invisible to visitors
There is a simple reason guidebooks leave this out: to the people who live here it is too obvious to be worth explaining.
Right beside a Shibuya Station that never stops being rebuilt, a narrow lane of tiny bars called Nonbei Yokocho survives intact. This yakitori house has run inside it for close to ninety years. It is minutes from the scramble crossing full of tourists, yet stepping into the lane changes the decade.
Each floor is a counter for six pressed shoulder to shoulder in a space of about four tatami. Getting upstairs means a staircase closer to a ladder — and thinking about climbing it later tends to moderate how much you drink. Large bags are difficult to bring in at all.
Because several regional chicken breeds are kept on hand, you can order the same cut from different origins side by side and taste the difference — which is how people who know the place order. The skewers are large, though, so ambition fills you up fast. Finish with the chicken soup.
What it is
Shibuya is a ward where old cafes hold out at the centre of trends. By the bottom of the first glass your neighbour will have said something. Prefer not to? Take the corner seat. Leaving after a single drink raises no eyebrows — in the yokocho that is standard. After six in the evening the atmosphere shifts completely — pick your hour to match your purpose. Map apps drift in the narrow lanes; for the last hundred metres, look for the sign instead. This is one of those places that beats its photos. People often arrive with low expectations and leave surprised.
What to order
Why locals keep coming
The owner works the bar personally, so the quality of conversation is the quality of the place. Having few seats became the strength: a different combination of people every night, and no two nights alike.