Yummy Yakitori in Osaka

There's something very special with how Japanese people "bbq" their meats. Not only are they so keen to detail/treat cooking as a very sophisticated yet delicate art; they also go that extra mile by grilling with domestic Japanese chicken and using binchotan! Binchotan is a kind of charcoal made from oak which burns without smoke and is considered the most favored charcoal in Japan. It's also known as the highest  quality activated charcoal for purifying water! Once you've gone Binchotan, you can't go back!

I somehow got a seat without a reservation in a very packed house. After struggling with the language barrier; I was just told (via some other local eater that spoke some English) that if I could finish after 1 hour I could dine right now. If you don't speak much/any Japanese then prepare to write in Japanese what you want using your smartphone as they don't have an English menu and not much pictures to point at. With all these obstacles I had to face, it was still one of the best Yakitori spots I have encountered yet so far. Everything was cooked to perfection with the right seasonings. For those daredevils, I tried their raw chicken and although I wouldn't say I loved it, it was not bad. Don't worry there's a much higher quality standard in Japan when it comes to Chicken that you don't need to worry about getting "Salmonella" from consuming raw chicken. Each item I ordered were all highlights to me but if I had to get really picky, their Karage (Japanese fried chicken) was one of the best I ever had. Highly recommend this place to eat authentic Yakitori if you are in Osaka. I was the only foreigner in the building. Share if you like this post! =)

Front Entrance - hidden in a random alleyway

Name: Takadori Umedaten (たか鳥)
Address: Naka Dori Ranger Building 1F, 16-12 Doyamacho, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka
Google Maps: Click Here! 

The Professionals!

Marinated Chicken with Onions and Carrots

Binchotan Grill! (smoke is from the chicken reacting with the charcoal)

Grilled Chicken

Chicken Gizzards

Chicken and Green Onions

Crispy Chicken Skin

Chicken Wings

Chicken Intestines

Seared Chicken - Rare!

Chicken Meatballs - Tsukune

Japanese Fried Chicken - Karage

Peace! I'll see you again!

One of the Best Yakitori I've had so far...

This place has honestly exceeded my expectations in what they offered. Each grilled item was cooked to perfection and tasted super fresh! They also grilled the meats using Charcoal! I prefer Charcoal grilling over Propane grilling because there's a more smokiness flavor/aroma infused to the meats grilled and it gives it that more natural taste that you don't quite get from traditional Propane grilling. I had a local friend tag along who wasn't even aware of this place since I guess he's not that much of a foodie who would proactively look for places to try and even he was really impressed with this place so this place has got to be legit! This food spot basically serves every part of the Chicken and doesn't waste any part of it. They offer Pork as well but the main star here is the Chicken! This may be more on the adventurous side for some people but I was definitely down for trying it since I came all the way to Japan; might as well see what they had to offer since I'm sure I wouldn't find these kind of food items back at home.Good thing they had English menus! Such a relief!

These were the items I tried:

Liver, Gizzard, Cartilage, Neck Skin, Heart. The highlight was ordering the Tsukune which was minced chicken cooked on a skewer and served with a fresh egg yolk. It was so unique and delicious (refer to the picture below)! I also wanted to try raw chicken too but my other friends didn't want to do it so we ended up not trying it! Apparently eating raw chicken in Japan is not very out of the ordinary. There's no real concept of getting Salmonella here as Chickens raised in Japan are treated much differently than say for example how USA and probably rest of the World raises their Chicken when it comes to cleanliness of the farms/food they are fed/way they are treated/harvested/etc.  Let's get to the details of this establishment! We initially had some trouble finding this place but luckily for you I have the exact coordinates on Google so it'll be a breeze for you to find it! This is definitely a place to go in a group so you can try and share the various items they have. The items we ordered were about 315 YEN or about $3.15 USD dollars per plate which usually can feed about  2-3 people but varies depending on what you ordered. Surprisingly it's wasn't as expensive as initially thought but obviously it'll be more costly than your average Yakitori where they usually focus on cheap eats/cheap meats.

Name: Sumibi Torito (炭火串焼 とりと)
Address: 左京区川端東入る東丸太町9-5神原ビル１階, Kyoto, Japan 606-8395
Phone: +81 75-752-4144
Website: http://www.sumibi-torito.jp
Google Maps: Click Here!

Chef Sampler - Pork

Chicken and Green Onions

Tsukune (minced chicken with raw egg yolk) - must try!

Cartilage

Chef Sampler - some grilled nut

Chicken Liver

Stewed Vegetarian Rice - not much flavor

Another Stewed Vegetarian Rice - not much flavor

Gizzards

Chicken Skin

Chicken Thigh with Quail Egg

Awesome chefs in action!

Fatty Pork