Yakiniku Like in Shibuya, Tokyo: Thoughts after Spending 2,790 Yen Dining Alone

Around 7:30 PM in central Shibuya, I suddenly craved grilled meat. After spending a long time in Southeast Asia, eating alone has become second nature to me, but sitting alone in f…

Tokyo · Yakiniku Like Shibuya

Around 7:30 PM in central Shibuya, I suddenly craved grilled meat. After spending a long time in Southeast Asia, eating alone has become second nature to me, but sitting alone in front of a charcoal grill feels different. Yakiniku Like in Tokyo, specifically in Shibuya, has effortlessly broken down that barrier. One grill per person, counter seating, tablet ordering. There's no structural reason to worry about what the person next to you thinks.

The Restaurant Is Louder and Faster Than You'd Expect

What hits you the moment you open the door is the sound before the smell. A hood hangs from the ceiling on chains, humming as it spins, with a counter running in a single line below it. The walls are white tile with exposed concrete, a Suntory draft beer poster on one side, and two framed pictures of cow faces. The counter dividers have the logo YAKINIKU LIKE!! TASTY, QUICK, VALUE stamped on them—those three words pretty much sum up this entire place.

Interior of Yakiniku Like in Shibuya. Customers grill their own meat at counter seats beneath white tile walls and exposed concrete ceilings, with a chain-hung exhaust hood above. — Cups and sauce containers are placed at each divider, and more than half the customers were dining alone.

When I visited, there were notably many foreign customers. A man in a cap was quietly grilling on my left, and the staff's t-shirts had 'TEAM YAKINIKU LIKE' printed on the back. Water is self-serve, paper cups are self-serve. You get a tablet once you're seated, and that's it. You can eat and leave without saying a single word.

What I Ordered—Exactly as it appeared on the receipt

Here's what I ordered: a wagyu cut steak set, harami (skirt steak) medium, tamago kake gohan (egg over rice), and one draft beer. The receipt total came to 2,790 yen. The itemized amounts were roughly 1,610 yen / 380 yen / 210 yen / 800 yen, and the salt dipping sauce and spicy sauce came free.

A table setting with individual charcoal grill, egg over rice, kimchi, soup, draft beer, sauce dishes, and two plates of raw meat, alongside a receipt showing 2,790 yen — The table setting. The receipt shows 2,790 yen in the lower right.

The rice bowl is topped with seaweed strips and chopped scallions; the broth is clear beef stock with sesame seeds floating on top. The kimchi comes in a small bowl, just one spoonful. The sauces go in a divided square dish—you squeeze out the soy-based sauce and the red spicy sauce separately. First-timers often overlook this sauce plate, but harami tastes noticeably better when dipped in the spicy sauce.

Overhead view of the table setting. White rice with kimchi, water cup, a plate of thin seasoned meat, and a plate of thick skirt steak with onion garnish. — The two plates from above. The lower one is harami, which comes with a few onion slices on the side.

Your Own Charcoal Grill

The heart of this place is a small charcoal grill at each seat. It's engraved on a stainless steel frame with '焼肉ライク TASTY! QUICK! VALUE!', with a palm-sized grill grate inside. The heat is quite intense. Thin slices of meat will have their edges curling up in just 30 seconds if you're not paying attention.

A thin slice of meat cooking on the grill grate of an individual charcoal brazier, turning golden brown. — First bite. At this thickness, 30 seconds on each side is enough.

It's better to place the onions first, before the meat. Once the edges turn translucent and the natural sweetness comes out, that's when I layer the harami on top to grill. When the fat drips onto the charcoal, the flames shoot up suddenly, so it's good to pull your arm back a bit.

Three onion slices and one red piece of skirt steak being placed on the grill grate with tongs. — Laying down the onions first creates a base for the meat to absorb their sweetness.

A thick piece of skirt steak being held with tongs, with the outer surface cooked to a caramel-brown color while one onion slice remains on the grill beneath. — With harami, you want to cook only the outside while keeping the inside red to avoid toughness.

The single slice of wagyu that comes with the set shows marbling with tight grains visible to the eye. This isn't meant to be grilled for long. The moment you place it on the grate, the fat melts and flames shoot up, and one flip is all you need.

A densely marbled wagyu slice on the grill grate with red flames rising beneath it. — Just after placing it on. Go longer than 30 seconds at this point and all the fat will be gone.

Fat dripping from meat onto charcoal, creating large orange flames on the grill. — The moment the fat drips onto the charcoal. Watch your sleeves.

Close-up of meat cooking amidst flames on the grill grate. — The flames shot up twice. You have to accept that your clothes will smell afterward.

The best part was picking up the finished wagyu. The outside has grill marks in a crosshatch pattern, and the fat at the edges is curled and caramelized. I dipped it lightly in salt and ate it plain, without rice. That burst of juice between your front teeth—that's the whole reason to come to this place.

A fully cooked wagyu steak held with tongs, showing grill marks, with the next piece of meat ready on the plate below. — The wagyu cut steak that came with the set. That one piece was today's perfect answer.

Location and How to Get There

It's within walking distance from Shibuya Station. I've marked the coordinates below on the map. Shibuya has complicated alleyways layered on top of each other, and since there are multiple locations of the same brand throughout Tokyo, relying only on Google Maps search can easily lead you to the wrong branch. It's faster to navigate using the exact coordinates.

During the 7-8 PM time slot, almost all seats were full. However, the turnover is quick. Since the whole process of grilling and eating takes about 20 minutes, even with a line, you don't stand around for long. Operating hours and exact prices vary by location, so I recommend confirming on-site.

Thinking It's Cheap Is How You Lose

The most important thing I want to say is this: Yakiniku Like is genuinely great because you can eat meat alone without worrying about anyone's eyes on you. While you sit at the counter and grill at your own pace, no one bothers you. If you've ever ordered for two people alone at a Korean bbq restaurant, you know how convenient this setup is.

The issue is your sense of pricing. If you only look at the set prices on the first menu screen, you go "Wow, that's cheap." But it only takes 3 seconds to add items via the tablet. The meat is thin so it disappears fast, and once it's gone, you tap for more, then another beer, then an extra helping of rice. That's how I ended up with 2,790 yen on the bill. Individual numbers like 380 yen for harami or 800 yen for beer seem trivial one by one, but pile them up three or four times and they snowball like a snowball.

It's good to set a budget before you go in. Next time, I'm going to stop at 2,000 yen.
One beer costs as much as two plates of harami. If you're going to drink, you need to do the math of cutting back on meat.
I found greater satisfaction ordering just one wagyu set with rice than multiple plates of thin meat.
Tamago kake gohan is cheap at around 210 yen and really fills you up. Try ordering this instead of adding more meat.

There were a few downsides. The grill is small, so if you put meat and onions on at the same time, there's not enough space. And even though the ventilation is pretty good, the smell lingers on your clothes. If you have plans afterward, it's better to leave your jacket at home. Still, it's rare to find a place in Shibuya where you can eat charcoal-grilled meat alone and be done in 30 minutes. Walking out of the register with receipt in hand, I silently vowed to press the harami add button only twice next time.