FAMAOUS GRILLED CHICKEN BOWL “TOTOYA”– TSUKIJI RESTAURANT BLOG

Hey guys! Welcome back! This is Staff S from Tsukiji Sabuchan!
Let me introduce you to Totoya today. At this restaurant, you can enjoy a hearty chicken bowl lunch in Tsukiji!
Totoya is a long-established grilled chicken restaurant that has been in business for more than 60 years! It has been in business in Tsukiji for a long time and is popular not only with market workers but also with local neighbours and workers in the surrounding offices. Tsukiji Subuchan staff also use this restaurant regularly.
The restaurant is open only for lunch from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a convenient time for market workers after work. It is easy to use for breakfast or brunch for everyone! The restaurant is a two-story building with seating for four people, so if you are less than 4 people, you can get in quickly.

This restaurant offers one of the most filling and hearty rice bowl lunches in Tsukiji! If you like grilled chicken, or if you are just looking for a good lunch in Tsukiji other than seafood, this is the place for you.

Who would we recommend Totoya to?

★For those who want to eat delicious food without being particular about seafood
★For those who want to eat a lot
★For those who want to enjoy Tsukiji’s long-established restaurants loved by locals
★For those who want to enjoy beer for lunch
★For groups of 4 or less　

Let’s first take a look at their menu! As I mentioned, Totoya is a lunchtime restaurant, so the main menu item is their signature grilled chicken bowl. And there are a small variety of things to put on a bowl of rice. It is a place to go for a bowl of grilled chicken, rather than to enjoy a variety of dishes on the menu!

There are three types of rice bowl dishes that you must try when you come to Totoya. Each one has a different amount and type of meat on it!
The Yakitori bowl comes with 5 thighs and 1 Ponjiri, and the Tsukune bowl comes with 3 thighs and 3 Tsukune. Soup is sold separately for 100 yen.
The service bowl has 3 thighs and 2 Tsukune, which is one less piece of chicken than other bowls but it comes with soup. The price is affordable and a good deal! I usually enjoy this service bowl!
Soup and Japanese pickles are available on the side menu. You can add extra chicken or an egg to the rice bowl. In addition, there are also single items such as 6 pieces of grilled chicken thigh, Nikogori (jellied broth), and rice, so you can have rice and side dishes separately, not in a bowl. Extra rice is available in 1.5x and 2x portions, so even those who eat a lot will be satisfied!

Now then, let’s eat. This is what I ordered. The service bowl with soup and an Onsen tamago for topping! Onsen tamago is the egg slow-boiled so that the yolk is hard but still soft. It’s traditionally cooked in a hot spring. And I ordered one and a half of the servings of rice! The chicken is grilled over a charcoal fire, and it smells so good! 

As you can see, the service bowl, although it is five pieces of meat, does not seem small at all. I got one and a half times the amount of rice. With this amount of meat, there is no need to worry about having extra rice! There is also sauce and shichimi (seven spices) at the table, so you can change the taste according to your preference.

The soup is also delicious with chicken broth! It also goes well with pickled vegetables.

Then I put an egg on top! It’s a moment that makes me glad to be working in Tsukiji! The secret sauce is also delicious! It is excellent with the rice! I can eat a lot of rice with it. The topping of an Onsen tamago makes it even more perfect! You can enjoy the delicate harmony of savory meat, sauce, and rice.

This is the Yakitori bowl with one and a half times the amount of rice that I had on another day! This one has chicken thigh and Ponjiri on top! The Ponjiri is not the fat and cartilage that you get at typical grilled chicken restaurants, but a texture that gives you a solid sense of meat! The service bowl is good, but the Yakitori bowl is the best choice when you want to be satisfied with a lot of meat!

There are three types of bowls available, so you may have a hard time deciding which one to choose, but for starters, we recommend the Tsukune bowl or Service bowl. You can enjoy both the thigh and Tsukune. Tukune is a chicken meatball. If you are not a fan of Tsukune, you can choose the Yakitori bowl.
If you want to enjoy three kinds of meat, we recommend adding Tsukune to the Yakitori bowl or Ponjiri to the Tsukune bowl / service bowl. The service bowl comes with 6 pieces of chicken and soup when you add Ponjiri, so I recommend the service bowl topped with Ponjiri because you can enjoy all kinds of meat at once.

It is open early so that market workers can stop by after work. It is also a great place for sightseers to stop by even if they visit Tsukiji Uogashi Market or Jogai Market early in the day.

Totoya Information

The restaurant mainly has tables for four people. The frontage looks narrow, but there is also a second floor, which is quite spacious, so if it is a weekday, you may be able to sit down without being so crowded! The atmosphere is nice and simple, very much like a Japanese restaurant without any decorations. I think it is easy to enter with children if they are elementary school age or older. Even if there is a bit of a line, customers are in and out quickly, so you don’t need to worry!

The restaurant is open for lunch, but also serves beers, as it is a restaurant visited by market workers after work! The only variety is bottled beer, but it is nice and simple. It is recommended to drink it with grilled chicken or Nikogori (jellied broth). If you order beer, I think the best combination would be to drink with Nikogori and enjoy a bowl of rice at the end of the meal or to enjoy a beer with grilled chicken and leave a little afterwards, and finish with a bowl of rice and soup. I also order beer when I go to Totoya after work.

Totoya is just around the corner from the Tsukiji Market area. It is located along Harumi-dori and is easy to find, so there is no need to worry about getting lost! Please note that there is not a big sign or anything like that, so you may pass by it.

I shared my impressions of visiting Totoya. Tsukiji is famous for its seafood, but the grilled chicken here is delicious! This is a famous restaurant in Tsukiji loved by market workers and the locals, so please give it a try!
This website provides information on Tsukiji’s seasonal produce and great places for lunch and dinner. “Tsukiji Sabuchan” is a shopping service that makes it easy to order food from Tsukiji by simply placing an order via smartphone! We deliver frozen seasonal foods from Tsukiji to your hotel. You can take the fresh ingredients home with you on the plane! Please contact us through Instagram DM and Twitter (X)DM.