01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Even choosing where to start at Kinkura can take some deliberation, with fresh sashimi and charcoal-grilled yakitori sharing the spotlight. Fresh Pacific bluefin tuna is the marine centerpiece, served in five-cut chef’s assortments featuring rare cuts, rare-fried tuna cutlets, and negima hot pots simmered with leeks. Sliced thick, the raw tuna carries concentrated umami and sweet melting fat with a clean finish, making it a natural first order.
The other pillar of the kitchen is charcoal-grilled skewers prepared from morning-butchered Yamanashi Benifuji chicken. Cooked attentively over coals, the selection covers staples like negima (chicken and leek), thigh, and heart, as well as limited-quantity specialties like saezuri and otafuku (windpipe) or sot-l'y-laisse (oyster). Platter sizes cater to different party needs, from a solo-friendly 6-skewer sampler to 8- or 10-skewer sets that include house-made pork-and-vegetable wraps.
Drink options run deep, with sake brands such as Denshu, Jikon, and Sharaku sitting alongside sought-after honkaku shochu like Maō and a well-curated wine list. Glasses pair effortlessly with snacks like fresh morning chicken liver paste with baguette, heshiko (cured mackerel), or bakurai (sea squirt and sea cucumber entrails). To close out the evening, chicken clay-pot rice—simmered in rich chicken stock and crowned with charcoal-seared thigh—proves immensely satisfying: taste the fragrant rice first on its own, then pour over warm dashi for an ochazuke-style second phase.
Whether pulling up a counter seat on the 1st floor for a quiet drink or sharing a table across the spacious 2nd floor, Kinkura stays open until 1:00 at night, welcoming late-evening gatherings.
