Yakiniku Like: The Solo Japanese BBQ Restaurant That’s Perfect for One

If you’ve ever wanted to eat Japanese BBQ but felt put off by the group-dining format, Yakiniku Like was made for you. This yakiniku chain built its entire concept around the solo diner — one person, one personal smokeless grill, at a counter seat. No waiting for a group, no sharing plates, no explaining your food preferences. Just you and the meat.

What Is Yakiniku Like?

Yakiniku Like was founded in 2019, with its first branch in Shinbashi, Tokyo. The concept was immediately striking: a yakiniku fast food restaurant where every seat has its own individual grill. When the chain launched, solo yakiniku was still a novelty — something that felt mildly transgressive to attempt. Yakiniku Like made it the default.

The chain’s tagline — TASTY! QUICK! VALUE! — captures it perfectly. This is yakiniku as fast food: efficient, affordable, and designed for people who want good meat without the ceremony of a traditional group dining experience.

One particularly clever feature: the grill is smokeless. No smoke, no lingering meat smell on your clothes. You can come during a lunch break, or before heading somewhere else in the evening, without anyone knowing where you’ve been.

Why I Go Solo

My first visit was at the original Shinbashi branch, back when the chain had just opened. The family was out for the evening, I was home alone, and I thought — well, if there’s ever a time to try that solo yakiniku place everyone’s talking about, this is it. I walked in, sat down at my own little grill, and thought: this is genuinely brilliant.

Since then, going to Yakiniku Like has become one of my regular ways to get a good hit of protein after circuit training at the gym. When I’m hungry and want quality meat without fuss, this is where I go.

There’s also a deeper reason I prefer going alone: I’m a picky eater when it comes to beef. I don’t eat fatty cuts, which means group yakiniku often involves either explaining my preferences or awkwardly leaving uneaten pieces on the grill. Solo dining at Yakiniku Like eliminates all of that. I order exactly what I want, cook it exactly how I like it, and there’s no one to negotiate with.

The Counter Setup

This visit was to the Ikebukuro East Exit branch, a compact store one minute’s walk from Ikebukuro Station — very convenient after catching a film at the nearby Grand Cinema Sunshine.

The interior has more style than you might expect — poster art on the walls, directional spotlights, a compact but carefully designed space. It doesn’t feel like a budget chain.

Each counter place consists of: your personal smokeless roaster, a touch-screen ordering panel, and a tray space in front of the grill where your meat is delivered. The counter width is 74.5cm per seat, with a partition between each diner. It’s compact but not uncomfortably so — everyone is focused on their own grill, and the partitions provide enough separation that you quickly forget there are people on either side of you.

(How do I know the exact counter width? In April 2021, Yakiniku Like ran a PR campaign selling a home counter kit for two seats — complete with one year of free yakiniku — for ¥4.01 million. The spec sheet listed 74.5cm per seat. One of the more memorable press releases I’ve read.)

What I Ordered

Everything is ordered via the touch panel — no need to flag down staff. My order this visit:

The Jo Rosu (premium beef loin) is my favourite cut here — lean, tender, and satisfying to grill. I added the Takumi Karubi mostly out of curiosity, since it was slightly cheaper. As expected, it had more fat than I like, so I trimmed it quite aggressively before eating — meaning the effective calorie count was probably closer to 420kcal than the listed 522kcal.

The choregi salad (a Korean-style sesame and garlic dressed salad) was a good call — vegetables first is a habit I try to keep. The negi-dare (spring onion sauce) was nice but strong, and left quite a bit of onion flavour in my mouth afterwards. I’d skip it next time.

My planned next order: Jo Rosu 100g (¥720, 240kcal) + Choregi Salad (¥190, 74kcal) = ¥880 / 348kcal. Simpler and better value.

One small detail I appreciated: chopsticks and a wet towel are stored in a pull-out drawer in the side of the counter — no reaching over others, no communal dispenser. Thoughtfully designed.

Is Solo Yakiniku Lonely?

Not in the slightest.

The majority of the diners around me were also solo. A few pairs had come together, but even they were mostly eating quietly, focused on their grills. The atmosphere is one of calm, absorbed concentration — everyone managing their own little cooking project. It feels completely natural.

There’s also something genuinely relaxing about eating exactly what you want, cooked to your exact preference, without having to explain anything to anyone. For me — someone who has always been particular about meat and has spent years awkwardly navigating group yakiniku — it felt like a small liberation.

Practical Information

Summary

Yakiniku Like quietly solved a problem many solo diners didn’t know they had: the desire to eat Japanese BBQ without the social logistics of group dining. Individual grills, counter seating, a touch-panel that removes the need to interact with staff, and smokeless technology that won’t follow you out of the restaurant. It’s a small but genuinely clever piece of restaurant design.

If you’re travelling solo in Japan and want to try yakiniku without having to form a group, this is your answer. Look for a branch near your hotel — they’re now all over Tokyo and across the country.