Sumiyaki Kaminari Main Store

Restaurant Details

Thunder and chicken skewers might be strange to think of together, but the association is natural to anyone from Hiroshima.

One of the most famous regional names in yakitori, Sumiyaki Kaminari shares its name with the Japanese word for thunder. In Japan, it is believed that a year filled with thunder will lead to a bountiful harvest; the restaurant was thus named in the hope that it would enjoy brisk business, and in turn, delight many guests who pass through its doors.

And delight guests it most definitely has. Three major things have regulars coming through its doors over and over again. The first is the quality of its chicken, which are all brand-name broilers from all over Japan.

The next is Kaminari’s “tohbi” grilling method. Conventional grilling has the flames come in direct contact with the yakitori, resulting in uneven cooking. Each chef at Kaminari puts some distance between the skewers and the charcoal, ensuring that it is cooked only with the burning charcoal’s infrared rays. This seals in the natural umami with a beautiful crust, and has the added effect of removing excess fat.

But Kaminari’s final secret is its sauce. Kaminari’s sauce is thick and rich, made tsugi-tashi style like a perpetual stew: when the existing batch of sauce runs low, instead of making an entirely new one, additional sauce is simply added, mixing in the new flavors with the old. The sauce at Kaminari has been continuously added to for 44 years and counting, resulting in a complex flavor so deep it has to be tasted to be believed.

As is expected for a grilling restaurant, the centerpiece is the grill itself. But Kaminari stands apart from other grilling restaurants with the sheer size of its central grill: to facilitate the distant-heat cooking that gives the skewers their characteristic taste, the grill is especially large, a beast with a voracious appetite that consumes easily 15 kilograms of bincho-tan charcoal a day.

All three Sumiyaki Kaminari branches are located fairly near each other; the main branch is situated just a block and a half from Hondori Station, making it a trifle to access. All 17 counter seats are in high demand from guests who want to see the grilling magic happen, but table seating is available as well. Unusually spacious for a yakitori restaurant, bright lighting and attentive service make it popular for girls’ nights out and other celebrations.

Sumiyaki Kaminari Main Store Remarks

• Guests with dietary restrictions and/or food allergies should inform the restaurant beforehand. The restaurant might not be able to accommodate guests who make same-day requests.

• The restaurant reserves the right to refuse reservations to guests who have excessive dietary restrictions, particularly those of fish or vegetables.

• The course menu content listed below is an example, and is subject to change based on seasonal availability.

• The restaurant cannot always guarantee that it can provide guests with their preferred seating options after a reservation due to availability.

• The pictures provided are for illustrative purposes.

Sumiyaki Kaminari Main Store Business Days

Sumiyaki Kaminari Main Store Address

Hasegawa Building 2F, 2-25 Fukuromachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima, 730-0036

Sumiyaki Kaminari Main Store Access Info

• Sumiyaki Kaminari Main Store is accessible via a 5-minute walk from Hondori Station on the Astram Line.

Sumiyaki Kaminari Main Store Phone Number

Sumiyaki Kaminari Main Store Cancellation Policy

Cancel your reservation at least 2 days before the dining start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.