15 Best Places to Eat Like a Local in Tokyo | Condé Nast Traveler

"Yakitori Imai is a cozy den with sliding-glass entry. Guests sit down at an L-shaped wooden bar as the restaurant's namesake prepares his legendary chicken skewers—juicy, lightly charred morsels of delight. Yakitori is typically more about the flavor than the elegance, but here you get a solid serving of both. The ingredients here are ultra-high-quality, but the presentation remains instantly recognizable and reasonable prices encourage experimentation. Expect a lively bunch of food obsessives looking to try the chef's upscale spins on yakitori, which include liver pate, farm-raised quail, truffles, and other affectations of French cuisine. If you're going to veer toward the premium end of the menu, don't sleep on the tender, lightly salted Kinta pork." - Brad Japhe