10 Best Yakitori Restaurants in Singapore

Few Japanese meals are as moreish as yakitori in Singapore, where chicken and other skewers are grilled over glowing binchotan charcoal and washed down with sake or wine. This guide gathers ten real, currently-operating yakitori and izakaya spots, each checked against its own website or established presence, spanning old-school grill houses, sake-led izakaya and premium counter omakase. Treat it as a shortlist to match to your mood and budget, not a strict ranking.

Nanbantei is one of Singapore's longest-running yakitori specialists, grilling since the 1980s and now running outlets it lists at Far East Plaza and Chinatown Point. Its kitchen skewers chicken, seafood and vegetables and cooks them over binchotan charcoal in the traditional a la carte style, and the restaurant describes itself as an authentic slice of Japanese yakitori culture. It leans old-school and no-frills rather than the counter-omakase format.

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Kazu Sumiyaki is a long-standing charcoal grill (sumiyaki) restaurant tucked inside Cuppage Plaza near Orchard, known as an intimate, counter-focused spot where bookings are essentially required. Beyond chicken skewers it grills items such as seafood, vegetables and other cuts over charcoal, in a snug room facing the grill. It sits firmly at the traditional, izakaya-style end rather than running a fixed omakase.

Orchard
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Shunjuu Izakaya is a Robertson Quay charcoal-grill (sumiyaki) restaurant that pairs skewered meats, seafood and vegetables with an extensive Japanese sake list. It has grilled over charcoal since the early 2000s and is often full of a mixed crowd of Japanese regulars and locals, with staff calling out greetings in the lively izakaya style. Kushiyaki and sake sit at the centre of the experience rather than a set omakase.

Robertson Quay
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Bincho occupies a converted Tiong Bahru kopitiam and, by its own description, is inspired by the small yakitori-ya grill stalls of Osaka. An open counter lets diners watch the team work skewers over a binchotan charcoal grill, and the concept pairs the yakitori with a Japanese-leaning cocktail and drinks bar. It runs a seasonal, chef-driven menu rather than a fixed a la carte list.

Tiong Bahru
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Shukuu Izakaya is a CBD sake bar and izakaya that, by its own account, was started by friends who wanted to introduce lesser-known Japanese sake labels alongside the food. The kitchen sends out charcoal-grilled skewers such as tsukune (chicken meatballs) and chicken wings to pair with the sake, in a room hung with red lanterns. Sake-and-skewer pairing is the point here rather than a formal yakitori omakase.

Telok Ayer
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Neon Pigeon is a modern Japanese izakaya on Carpenter Street that, per its site, serves charcoal-grilled kushiyaki and fresh sashimi alongside playful small plates and reimagined classics. The kitchen takes a contemporary, twist-driven approach rather than a traditionalist one, in a buzzy, low-lit bar setting built around drinks. It is an izakaya experience first, with skewers as one part of a broader sharing menu.

Clarke Quay
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Shirokane Tori-Tama, an outpost of a Tokyo yakitori group, specialises in grilling almost every part of the chicken, with a menu that spans a wide range of cuts and offal in addition to the usual thigh and breast. It is known for a chicken-anatomy guide that helps diners navigate the many parts on offer, cooked in the traditional charcoal yakitori style. The focus is squarely on chicken skewers rather than a broad izakaya spread.

Robertson Quay
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Shin Terroir is a modern yakitori omakase in the Tanjong Pagar area that grills over Kishu binchotan charcoal on a tiered, Osakan-style grill. Its multi-course menu runs from classic chicken skewers and tsukune to more contemporary creations, and the restaurant pairs the food with a wine list that leans heavily on Burgundy and Champagne. This is a sit-down omakase experience rather than a casual izakaya.

Tanjong Pagar
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Firebird by Suetomi is a tori-focused omakase at the Mondrian hotel on Neil Road, where, its site says, chef Makoto Suetomi cooks each part of the chicken over a wood fire, grilling, roasting, searing and smoking rather than using the usual charcoal. It is described as his first venture outside Japan and runs as an intimate, counter-style omakase built around carefully sourced poultry. Expect a set multi-course meal rather than an a la carte skewer bar.

Tanjong Pagar
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Tori-Q is a home-grown fast-casual yakitori brand with kiosks in shopping malls across Singapore, offering grilled chicken and pork skewers, sausages and skewer sets with rice. It is the most accessible option here, geared to a quick grilled-skewer fix rather than a sit-down charcoal or omakase meal. The chain has been serving Japanese-style skewers in Singapore since around the turn of the 2000s.

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