Torihei Shorten

Torihei Sohonten, a yakitori (Japanese style grilled chicken) specialty restaurant, has been in business for more than 50 years in Shin-Umeda Shokudo-gai, Osaka Umeda’s best eating and drinking district. It is a long-established restaurant with a history of more than 70 years, having been founded in 1951 after World War II. Currently, the third generation of the family stands at the kitchen and dips the ingredients into the sauce that has been handed down from generation to generation since the establishment of the restaurant.

What kind of yakitori can you enjoy at this legendary yakitori restaurant in Osaka? One weekend evening, I went to Shin-Umeda Shodo-gai to find out. It was just before 6 p.m. and the restaurant was almost full, but I was lucky to find one seat open…

Over 70 years of using duck instead of chicken…this is what Torihei Sohonten is all about!

Torihei Sohonten is located at the far end of the first floor of Shin-Umeda Shokudo Gai, at the end of the last alley on the left after entering from the JR Osaka Station side. The inside of the restaurant, with a red lantern in front of the storefront, has a retro Showa-style atmosphere that could be used for filming a humanistic drama, with a total of 15 counter seats surrounding the cooking area. Both the cooking area and seating area are very small, and customers are usually elbow to elbow with their neighbors. It is difficult to pass behind the customers, so you should avoid visiting the restaurant with large luggage.

Such a retro space with a Showa-style atmosphere (the real thing!) is rare nowadays. The restaurant has been using duck meat instead of chicken for yakitori since its establishment (note: not all menu items are made with duck). Nowadays, it is not unusual to find yakitori restaurants that use high-end brands and local chickens, but isn’t it amazing how specific the founder was about the ingredients he used over 70 years ago? And that commitment still holds true today, more than 70 years later. I mean, I think that duck was a very high-class ingredient at the time of its establishment, and I am surprised that high-class yakitori was accepted by the general public in the poor postwar period…

Neo Dong Dong, Neo Pong Pong, Neo Bing Bing… The menu at Torihei Sohonten is so unique that I don’t really know what to expect, so I ordered the omakase (chef’s choice) for now!

Now, before we get into the yakitori I ordered, let’s start with the menu at Torihei Sohonten. Here is the menu at the time of my visit…

Neo Dong Dong, Neo Pom Pom, Neo Bing Bing… These names are all too unique. What in the world are these menu items? I can only imagine the image of a little bit of a dirty-joke… Well, personally, I don’t dislike this kind of thing. I was thinking “Well, which to start with…” when the owner said, “We can do omakase (chef’s choice)! I decided to go with the omakase course (priced from 3,190 yen (tax not included)) and just go with the flow.

Appetizer

First, two pieces of chicken meat and one piece of chicken skin appeared in front of me as an appetizer. Three cute skewers that even a child could take a bite of. The meat is tender and nice. The sauce on the other hand is sweet, but not too sweet and refreshing.

Neo Dong Dong and Female Liver

Next came the Neo Dong Dong and female liver. Neo Dong Dong is what is called a heart. Both neo dong dong and female liver are grilled over high heat in a short time, so they are soft and fluffy. Of course, there is no internal odor at all. Even those who don’t like it may change their mind once they try it.

Three kinds of minced meat

The three kinds of minced meat are, from left to right, cherry tomatoes, lotus root, and meat balls. The seasoning is salt, so you can directly taste the flavor of the meat juices. It is also good to combine it with the crunchiness of the lotus root and the acidity of the cherry tomatoes.

Neo Gold Diamond

Next came the Neo Gold Diamond. There are two kinds of eggs: the right one is a quail egg and the left one is a tamahimo (a pre-born egg in a bird’s stomach). When you bite into the tamahimo one, the semi-mature yolk melts from the cross section… If you don’t mind eggs, this Neo Gold Diamond is a must-try at Torihei.

Shiitake Mushroom Duck Roll and Roasted Duck

This is Shiitake Mushroom Rolled with Duck and Roasted Duck. The seasoning is salt, so you can directly enjoy the juicy flavor of the duck meat. There is none of the unique bloody smell of duck meat. Even those who don’t like duck meat can enjoy it without 

Chicken gizzards, skin, and cartilage

Three types of supporting characters, chicken gizzards, kawa (skin), and cartilage, appear here. Enjoy the crispy and fatty yakitori that have never been served before…

Bonjiri (hip) and Minced Duck

The last dish of the omakase course was Bonjiri (hip) and minced duck. The Bonjiri had the lightest fat of all I’ve had so far. The minced duck, on the other hand, had a much richer flavor than the meat balls I had just eaten. Duck yakitori is amazing…

I ate 17 skewers in all, including appetizers. With a cup of oolong tea, the price was about 4,300 yen including tax. The taste is certainly good, but the volume of each skewer is small, so it is not enough for my stomach. Although the restaurant has a retro Showa-era, popular image, it might be better to know in advance that it is surprisingly pricey.

The affiliated Torihei Naka and Kita branches and the Osaka Ichi Torihei main restaurant are also open in the same Shin-Umeda Shokudo Gai… Access to Torihei Sohonten is a one-minute walk from the nearest station, Osaka Umeda Station on the Hankyu Railway line.

The Shin-Umeda Shokudo Gai where Toridei Sohonten is located is also home to three affiliated restaurants: Torihei Naka Branch, Torihei Kita Branch, and Osaka Ichi Torihei Head Shop. You can enjoy the same yakitori menu at any of these restaurants, so if you find an empty seat, you should enter the restaurant immediately. In particular, the Torihei Naka branch, located diagonally across from the main restaurant, is a little different from the main restaurant and is more beautiful. If you don’t like the ” Kitana Shuran (dirty but delicious) ” atmosphere of the Torihei Sohonten, I recommend you to use the Naka branch.

Here are the details of the restaurant…

From JR Osaka Station, it is a 3-minute walk.