Robataya Jiro

Few chefs are better versed in the culinary arts than Chef Nonaga Jiro. He trained for years in various styles of cuisine, from traditional Japanese to Italian and Chinese food, before settling down in Kagurazaka with Robataya Jiro. As such, where most robatayaki restaurants offer only a standard charcoal-grilled menu, Chef Nonaga’s expertise in a number of different cuisines makes a robatayaki experience at Jiro very different. From sashimi to grilled fish, Chef Nonaga offers a huge variety of fish prepared in a number of different styles — something that can be found at no other robatayaki restaurant. He is especially proud of his simmered fish, which also happens to be the most popular dish at the restaurant: right at the counter, he lays out a wide selection of the best catch of the day from Toyosu and other ports from all over Japan, letting customers take their pick. But Chef Nonaga isn’t just a specialist in fish. Some of the finest ingredients from all over the country are gathered at Robataya Jiro’s counter, including Omi wagyu beef and Sendai beef. Daisen chicken is sourced from Tottori Prefecture, flavorful and tender. It’s only the vegetables that are kept close to home, with Chef Nonaga using almost exclusively local Edo-Tokyo vegetables from local farmers. Depending on the season, he and his staff will recommend the best ways in which to prepare each ingredient, such as in deep-fried tempura-style, or grilled over charcoal. At any given time, the restaurant also has between 20 to 30 varieties of rare sake, shipped from famous sake production regions from all over Japan, like Juyondai from Yamagata, or Fukushima’s famous Hiroki. Interested in trying them all? Chef Nagata recommends a tasting comparison. Located within an old-style Japanese house down a little alley in Oku-Kagurazaka, Robataya Jiro offers a top-class, one-of-a-kind robatayaki experience. A tasteful mixture of modern and traditional design sensibilities exemplifies its decor.