Yakitori is a Japanese dish consisting of skewered chicken that is grilled over charcoal fire. The preparation of yakitori involves skewering the meat with kushi, a type of skewer typically made of steel, bamboo, or similar materials. Yakitori is made from different parts of the chicken, such as the breasts, thighs, skin, liver, and other innards. It is typically seasoned with salt or tare, a soy-based sauce often incorporating dashi, vinegar, and sake. Yakitori is a popular, inexpensive dish commonly enjoyed together with a glass of beer.

Yakitori is traditionally cooked using portable charcoal grills, which are still used by yatai, small shops specializing in yakitori. However, restaurants may use stationary grills and higher quality binchōtan charcoal. Yakitori is also sold pre-cooked, as frozen vacuum packs, or even canned. Yakitori can be found on the menus of izakaya all across Japan and is readily available as street food, often sold from small carts and stalls known as yatai.

When eating yakitori, it is typically eaten with hands, and customers may directly eat them off the skewer or use chopsticks. Yakitori is usually sold by the stick or a set of two sticks, and cost around 100-200 yen per stick. Many restaurants also offer combination plates with multiple types of yakitori (moriawase). Since yakitori is cooked to order and served hot off the grill, it may be better to order them in small batches rather than in a single large order.