A note on the words: yakiton refers to skewers of grilled pork meat and offal, as distinct from yakitori which uses chicken. Otoshi is the small appetizer served as a table charge upon seating, accompanied here by niku-miso, a savory seasoned ground-meat miso paste for dipping raw cabbage. Common cuts on the yakiton platter include liver, harami (pork diaphragm), shiro-motsu (pork large intestine), and kashira (pork cheek and temple), basted in a sweet-savory tare sauce. Edamame are boiled young soybeans in the pod, and chochin is the traditional paper or vinyl lantern hanging outside drinking establishments.
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Yakiton Takichi Ueno hirokoji ten on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. There are countless drinking spots scattered across Ueno! While I have favorites I visit every time, I also make sure to drop into a few places for the first time on every crawl, and hunting for good spots is part of the fun. This time, I headed a bit further from the station toward Ueno Hirokoji to a shop called “Yakiton Takichi”. With it being the end of the year, Ameyoko was brutally packed, so I found this place hoping to get at least a little distance from the crowds.
The entrance is quite cluttered and stylish! The large chochin lantern stands out.
I walked in thinking it might not be that crowded, but it was bustling, with roughly 80 percent of the seats filled.
It felt like an izakaya centered on yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) and yakiton (grilled pork offal skewers), with plenty of hearty dishes on the menu.
First, my highball and the otoshi cabbage arrived.
The otoshi cabbage uses quite tender leaves and comes with niku-miso (savory minced-meat miso), which makes it feel a bit upscale.
Well, it is standard edamame, but for 180 yen, this portion feels just right. When a place serves a bigger pile for 500 yen, I often find myself thinking, “I really do not need to eat this much edamame,” so 180 yen for this amount strikes me as just about perfect.
A five-skewer platter of yakiton including liver, harami (diaphragm), shiro-motsu (large intestine), and kashira (cheek and temple). For someone hopping between several bars and having a little at each, this is plenty, ha. I ate them while they were hot and fresh off the grill. The slightly sweet-and-savory tare pairs nicely with the yakiton skewers. It gets the drinks going in no time! However, that was where a problem cropped up, ha — a few large parties arrived, and the kitchen ground to a complete halt, ha.
I felt I could have stayed for another drink or two, but after ordering another drink and having it not arrive at all, I had no choice but to leave! Well, it is the year-end season, so of course it gets crowded. Even at times like that, when you stick to a “grab a quick bite and move on” style, you can just step out without worrying about a thing, which feels easy and lighthearted. If the chance arises, it might be nice to drop by again when it is less crowded.
Yakiton Takichi Ueno hirokoji ten (Izakaya / Ueno Hirokoji Station, Ueno Okachimachi Station, Yushima Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★☆☆☆ 2.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
