Well, look where I ended up. After the Marites Allen Feng Shui forecast (which you can read HERE) I went to the opening of Torikizoku in Serendra, where everything on the menu is ₱190 and my shortlist somehow became five orders.
Japan’s well-known yakitori chain officially opened its first Philippine restaurant on October 12, bringing its grilled skewers and single-price menu to Bonifacio Global City. For anyone who usually scans the prices before reading the descriptions, this is a particularly easy menu to navigate.
Chicken skewers? ₱190. A rice bowl? ₱190. Sausage, dessert, or a drink? Same price. You still have to count your orders, of course. That part hasn’t been outsourced to Japan.
Founded in Osaka in 1985, Torikizoku has grown into a chain with more than 700 locations across Japan. Here in the Philippines, its first branch introduces diners to the Japanese yakitori-ya experience: grilled skewers, shared dishes, drinks, and conversation around the table.
There’s plenty to choose from, but these are my five picks if you need somewhere to start.
Chicken Cutlet Rice Bowl
Yes, I went to a yakitori restaurant and put a rice bowl on my list first. Some habits travel very well.
The Chicken Cutlet Rice Bowl brings together breaded chicken cutlet and rice in one ₱190 order. If you’re coming in hungry and want a meal before exploring the skewers, this is where I’d start.
Look for it under the Rice & Noodle section. There’s also a separate Chicken Cutlet with Egg on the menu, so make sure you point to the rice bowl if that’s what you’re after.
For me, having rice on the table also makes the next few orders easier to justify. May kanin na, dagdag ulam na lang.
Grilled Thigh Kizokuyaki, Tare
This is the big skewer featured in the middle of the menu, with chicken thigh and leek threaded together. Torikizoku calls its signature Kizokuyaki “large and filling,” and each ₱190 order comes with one skewer.
You can choose salt, tare, or spice. My pick is tare, the brand’s signature sweet soy-based sauce.
Be specific when ordering: the Grilled Thigh Kizokuyaki is different from the smaller Thigh skewers listed in the Tare section. This is the signature version with leek, and it earns a place on my shortlist.
Torikizoku says its yakitori is handmade, prepared fresh daily, and grilled only when ordered. With skewers at the center of the restaurant’s identity, that preparation is a big part of the appeal.
Sausage
The sausage made my list, too. You’ll find it under the menu’s Other section, alongside options such as grilled pork belly and beef with Japanese BBQ sauce.
With several chicken orders already on the table, this is an easy addition for variety. It also gives anyone who isn’t interested in trying liver, heart, or gizzard a familiar option.
My order clearly leans toward chicken, but I’m willing to make room for sausage.
Skin, Tare
Chicken skin was always going to have a place here.
My pick is the grilled Skin from the Tare section, finished with that sweet soy sauce glaze. Torikizoku also offers a salt version and a separate dish called Chicken Skin Chips, but it’s the tare skewers on my list.
This is also where I’d settle the sharing arrangement before the plate arrives. “Tikim lang” gets complicated when everyone means it.
Drum, Tare
Rounding out my picks is Drum from the Tare section.
If you’ve spotted a pattern, yes, I lean toward the sweet soy glaze. Torikizoku gives you plenty of room to mix seasonings across your order, but you can also stick with the one you enjoy.
The Drum adds another chicken skewer option alongside the larger thigh Kizokuyaki and the skin. Those three, plus the sausage and Chicken Cutlet Rice Bowl, make up my five-item shortlist.
What else is on the menu?
There’s enough beyond these picks to give the rest of the table something to choose from. The menu includes chicken meatballs with cheese, wings, grilled specialties, salads, rice dishes, and noodles.
The cabbage comes with free refills, while the Kamameshi chicken rice carries a stated cooking time of 30 minutes—worth ordering early if you want to try it. Dessert options include ice cream with warabi-mochi and a chocolate parfait with churros. Drinks follow the same ₱190 pricing, including the listed Mega Highball, Mega Beer, and Mega Lemon Sour.
The single-price format makes it easy to build an order, whether you want a rice bowl and a drink or several dishes to share. One order of each of my five picks adds up to ₱950 at the listed menu prices, before drinks or any applicable service charge.
Torikizoku Philippines is on the ground floor of The Shops at Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. According to its opening announcement, it is open daily from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Reservations are available through torikizoku-ph.com. Follow Torikizoku Philippines on Facebook and @torikizokuph on Instagram and TikTok.
Start with the rice bowl, make room for the Kizokuyaki, and decide whether you’re really sharing the chicken skin.
From the group chat to more Philippine tables
Beyond its Serendra debut, Torikizoku hopes to become a regular meeting place for Filipino diners.
“The Filipino table has never been just about food. It is where plans are made, stories get longer, and friendships become stronger,” says James Yulo Chi, Marketing Head of Torikizoku Philippines.
“The best nights rarely begin with a complicated plan. Sometimes, all it takes is one message in the group chat: ‘Toriki tayo!’ From group chat to group table, we want Torikizoku to be where online conversations turn into real connections,” Chi adds.
The Serendra opening also marks the start of Torikizoku’s expansion in the Philippines, bringing the country into what the brand calls its “Global Yakitori Family.” Further branch locations and opening dates were not specified in the announcement. For now, that first “Toriki tayo!” comes with a BGC address.
