Yakitori Sora | 焼鳥空 – Minami Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan

Yakitori Sora, run by Chef Junri Suzaki, relocated to Minami Aoyama in January 2026 after establishing itself as a mainstay in the Imaike neighborhood of Nagoya. It was well-known but did not receive much attention beyond Nagoya. It was never awarded by Tabelog aside from its inclusion on the Hyakumeiten List once in 2024.

Suetomi-san, of the Suetomi Group, happened upon Yakitori Sora in Nagoya, was impressed with Suzaki-san's skill, and supported the relocation under the umbrella of his self-named gourmet empire.

Chef Suzaki uses Nagoya Cochin exclusively, and only servers the meat from female birds. He allows the birds to age a bit longer than normal (160+ days) resulting in meat with a deep, robust flavor. Most of the meat varieties are prepared in larger sizes than other restaurants and cooked a bit slower to retain moisture. He was constantly monitoring the grill to shift items around to the area with the appropriate amount of heat. It was impressive to watch him work, rarely taking his eyes off the grill.

The counter seats 8, but at this 8:30pm seating there were only 4 guests. He said he prefers to serve 8 guests at the early seating while keeping the later seating more relaxed and intimate. There are two assistants handling service and serving most dishes one by one to each guest while chef works the grill. During the short breaks when nothing is on the grill, chef will come around to engage with customers at the counter. He's a delight to speak with and attentive to ensuring guests are well taken care of.

Here is a summary of the course. Not all items are pictured. One of the newer staff kept forgetting I'm a lefty hence the back and forth of the skewer directions.

1. Momo (Thigh)
2. Tamago Soup
3. Hatsumoto (Heart)
4. Kawa (Skin)
5. Fukurahagi (Calf)
6. Mune (Breast) with Hatcho Miso Topping
7. Toridango in Kombu Soup
8. Seseri (Neck)
9. Liver
10. Nasu (Eggplant)
11. Kabu (Turnip) in Kombu Soup with Yuzu
12. Tsukune
13. Momoriko Tomato from Tokushima with Lemon Gelee
14. Oyakodon, Miso Soup, Zucchini Pickles
15. Sansai (Takenoko, Taranome, Kogomi, Kinome, Torikawa) Rice
16. Furisode (part between the wing and breast – name refers to the long sleeves that hang from formal kimonos of unmarried woman)
17. Tiramisu with Black Tea (金門紅茶)

I was impressed with the chicken dishes but yearned for more vegetables by the end of the meal. I felt the deep flavor of the Nagoya Cochin overshadowed everything else. I believe it's worth a visit, but I don't see myself visiting often. Maybe it's a good thing the reservation model follows the rest of the Suetomi spots.

I did enjoy Chef Suzaki's humble demeanor and genuine interest in chatting with guests. Perhaps a weekend early seating is best with a group of friends where the focus isn't entirely on the food.

My reservation was made on Omakase direct. I did not rebook but was given the means to do so. Course was 16,000 JPY when I reserved, but it has since increased to 20,000 JPY. My visit was after the price increase but it seems I was only charged at the 16,000 JPY rate. Total per person was 28,000 with 3-4 by-the-glass wines each.

For those in San Diego, one of Chef Suzaki's sempai runs Yakitori Taisho and some other spots (a total of 4 restaurants?).