The best thing about yakiniku is digging in while having a lively time with everyone.
But every now and then, it’s nice to relax and enjoy yakiniku on your own with a casual drink.
And it’s even better if there are izakaya-style snacks to go with it.
There’s a place we recommend for times like that.
It’s Izakaya Tomo Hormone Yakiniku Kurashiki Branch, located in the Kurashiki Department Store in central Kurashiki City.
It’s an unusual place that combines a yakiniku restaurant and an izakaya.
What’s more, it serves a Japanese-style take on Korean samgyeopsal. The yakiniku cooked on its distinctive iron griddle is superb.
The izakaya dishes are all delicious, too, including raw senmai, oden, and a variety of obanzai.
Here’s an introduction to Izakaya Tomo Hormone Yakiniku Kurashiki Branch.
The information presented here is as of when this article was published in November 2019. Please note that it may differ from current information.
There are other shops with similar names in Kurashiki City. Be sure to confirm that the address is “Tsurugata” before contacting the shop or visiting.
Izakaya Tomo is a new kind of place that combines a yakiniku restaurant and an izakaya
Izakaya Tomo is located in one corner of the Kurashiki Department Store in Tsurugata.
Walk through the nostalgic Kurashiki Department Store and you’ll find Izakaya Tomo.
▼Recommended dishes are posted outside the shop.
Izakaya Tomo has two floors.
▼The first floor has a kitchen and five counter seats.
The first floor is non-smoking.
▼Upstairs, there are four tables that seat four people each.
Smoking is permitted on the second floor.
Solo yakiniku, too! Grill meat on an original griddle made of Nambu iron
At Izakaya Tomo, yakiniku is cooked on a special griddle.
▼The griddle is made of Nambu iron, a specialty of Iwate Prefecture.
▼Look closely and you’ll see that the griddle is tilted slightly.
▼There’s actually a small hole in one corner of the griddle.
▼Because the griddle is tilted, the juices and fat from the meat and other food run through this hole and collect in the dish below.
It’s an interesting setup unique to Izakaya Tomo.
What’s more, cooking meat on the griddle makes it come out juicier than charcoal-grilled yakiniku.
Another appealing feature of Izakaya Tomo is that you can enjoy yakiniku on your own.
Izakaya Tomo also offers izakaya dishes, not just yakiniku
▼As its name suggests, Izakaya Tomo offers a wide selection of izakaya dishes, including obanzai, as well as yakiniku.
▼Everything looks delicious.
Some customers even come just to enjoy the izakaya dishes without having yakiniku.
Whether you’re on your own or with a group, Izakaya Tomo is a great place to casually enjoy yakiniku, drinks, and snacks.
Izakaya Tomo is a new style of restaurant, combining a yakiniku restaurant and an izakaya—something you don’t see often in Kurashiki.
If you’re unsure, try the “Tomo Set”! A great-value assortment of three cuts
One of the great things about yakiniku is getting to enjoy different cuts.
But with so many to choose from, it can be hard to decide what to order.
▼When that happens, go for Izakaya Tomo’s great-value Tomo Set.
The Tomo Set is an assortment of three recommended cuts! There are two options: Red and White.
▼The Red set includes three cuts: salted beef tongue, kalbi, and skirt steak.
The White set lets you choose any three from hormone, premium tripe, liver, heart, and senmai.
For this visit, we chose Red.
▼Salted beef tongue
▼Kalbi
▼Skirt steak
▼First, we’ll grill the tongue.
▼The tongue has a distinctive, crunchy texture.
▼Next, we’ll grill the kalbi and harami.
▼Kalbi is the star of yakiniku.
It offers the sweetness of the fat and the savory flavor of the meat, and is satisfyingly hearty.
▼Harami is another yakiniku staple.
It is popular because it is low in fat and easy to eat.
Freshly butchered, fresh parent chicken from Misaki Town: “Tomono Special”
“Tomono Special” is another recommended dish.
▼Tomono Special is thigh meat from parent chickens (kashiwa) raised in Misaki Town.
Tomono Special is one of the most popular items on the Izakaya Tomono menu, ranking among the top two!
The area around Misaki Town is known for poultry farming.
▼Every day, we source freshly butchered parent chicken from a supplier in Misaki Town.
▼Grill Tomono Special as one large piece.
▼Once it is cooked, use the special scissors to tear it into pieces of your preferred size and enjoy.
▼If any parts are not cooked enough, grill them a little more after cutting them up.
Tomono Special also comes with distinctive sauces.
▼Enjoy it with fresh tomato sauce (left) or jalapeno sauce (right).
▼The fresh tomato sauce is a refreshing sauce with the tang of tomato.
▼Its light, refreshing flavor lets you savor the parent chicken.
▼The jalapeno sauce, on the other hand, has a spicy kick.
▼The spiciness and heat complement the savory aroma of the grilled parent chicken, whetting the appetite.
▼The skin of the parent chicken is crispy.
▼The meat has the springy, chewy texture characteristic of parent chicken.
The appeal of parent chicken is that the more you chew, the more you taste its savory flavor.
It’s an irresistible dish for anyone who loves parent chicken.
“Sweet-and-Spicy Offal” is addictive with its sweet, mildly spicy sauce
I love offal (small intestine), and always order it when I have yakiniku.
Of course, Izakaya Tomono also serves offal (small intestine), and it’s popular.
In addition to regular offal, they also have “Sweet-and-Spicy Offal.”
Grill and enjoy offal marinated in a special spicy sauce!
▼The spicy offal is served in a pot.
▼Spread the offal directly on the hot plate and start grilling.
▼The trick to enjoying offal is to grill it skin-side down first.
▼The fatty offal sizzles away, looking absolutely delicious.
▼The fatty parts of the offal are springy and tender, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and an irresistible sweetness from the fat unique to offal.
▼The skin has the chewy, satisfying texture characteristic of offal.
The sweet and spicy sauce spreads across your palate.
It’s the kind of flavor that makes you want rice.
Like something out of a manga! A spectacular mountain of rice
When you’re eating yakiniku, you start craving rice.
There are plenty of other dishes that are sure to make you want rice, too.
Of course, Izakaya Tomono serves rice.
It comes in two sizes: medium and large.
We ordered the large rice, and…
A magnificent “mountain” of rice appeared!
We were blown away…
We’d only ever seen a mountain of rice this picture-perfect in manga.
Feel free to share it among several people!
Finish with grilled udon! The “finishing udon set” cooked on the hot plate
▼We recommend the “finishing udon set” to end your meal.
The set comes with udon and a raw egg, and you cook the yaki udon yourself on the hot plate used for grilling yakiniku.
▼Udon noodles
▼Raw egg
You can also save some yakiniku ingredients and use them in your yaki udon!
When we visited, we saved some offal to use as an ingredient in the yaki udon.
We also recommend adding the free bean sprouts as a topping.
▼Grill it vigorously on the hot plate.
Season it with the special “finishing sauce” or yakiniku sauce.
▼Here is the bowl that collects the juices and fat that run off the hot plate.
▼Pour this over the yaki udon to give it a deeper flavor.
▼Once it’s looking just right, it’s time to add the raw egg.
▼Right after adding it, break the yolk and mix everything together.
▼At last, the yaki udon is ready.
▼Since we used the offal we’d saved as an ingredient, it felt like a bit of a luxurious treat.
▼The freshly made, piping-hot yaki udon is fragrant and delicious.
I thought one of the charms of Tomono is that you can enjoy a meal right through to the final dish.
Apparently, some customers come just to eat the yaki udon.
The crunchy texture of “Raw Senmai” is addictive
From here, I’ll introduce izakaya dishes such as snacks and obanzai.
▼The top recommendation on the izakaya menu is “Raw Senmai.”
▼Just as the name suggests, it’s raw senmai.
I’ve eaten grilled senmai before, but this was my first time trying it raw.
Raw senmai is the most popular item on Tomono’s entire menu!
▼Senmai is thin and string-like, but when you try it, its crunchy texture is addictive.
▼The special sauce served with it has a sweet, refreshing flavor.
▼Eating the raw senmai with the sauce gives it a very distinctive flavor.
Note that the raw senmai was served as part of Harenomino Kurashiki 2019.
“Changja” is the perfect snack with drinks
One of the classic accompaniments to yakiniku is “changja.”
Izakaya Tomo also serves changja.
▼Changja is made by salting the intestines and other internal organs of cod, then seasoning them with gochujang, sesame oil, and other ingredients.
Perfect as a snack with drinks or as a topping for rice!
“Asian Bonito Salad” with an irresistible dressing
Sometimes you may want to enjoy a light salad, too.
▼“Asian Bonito Salad” is a popular salad at Izakaya Tomo.
▼Diced bonito tataki is placed on top of the salad.
The main vegetables are either red-leaf lettuce or garland chrysanthemum, depending on the season.
At the time of my visit, it was made with red-leaf lettuce.
The dressing is another secret to the popularity of the Asian Bonito Salad.
The Asian-style dressing, which includes fish sauce, has an addictive flavor.
▼The “Tomato and Eggplant Italian Salad” is also recommended.
“Kando Oden,” featuring A4–A5-grade beef tendon
Oden is a classic accompaniment to drinks, isn’t it?
▼Izakaya Tomo serves oden under the name “Kando Oden.”
Each piece of oden costs 150 yen (before consumption tax).
The highlight is the premium A4–A5-grade beef tendon!
▼Their signature beef tendon lets you fully savor the flavor of the broth and the richness of the meat.
▼The meat is very tender and easy to eat.
Even as a beef tendon lover, I was impressed by the flavor.
The broth was delicious, too.
Next time, I’d like to enjoy more of their oden.
A perfect match for meat! “Italian Iced Tea,” a drink with a surprising flavor
I’ll introduce the drink menu, too.
▼The alcoholic drink recommended by the manager of Izakaya Tomo is “Italian Iced Tea.”
▼Italian Iced Tea is a cocktail made by mixing a sweet liqueur called amaretto with oolong tea.
Its name comes from its iced-tea-like flavor.
But when I actually tried it, I found the flavor very surprising.
Believe it or not, it tastes like almond tofu!
I was really surprised.
Be sure to try this uniquely intriguing flavor.
Note that although it is called iced tea, it is an alcoholic beverage.
Izakaya Tomo’s Menu
Here are some of the main items on Izakaya Tomo’s menu.
Prices exclude consumption tax. Menu as of October 2019.
▼Yakiniku menu
▼Snacks, obanzai, and more
▼Oden
▼Raw beef tripe
▼Italian salad with plenty of tomatoes and eggplant
▼Drinks
Special Offers at Izakaya Tomo
▼Izakaya Tomo offers these great deals.
Free, All-You-Can-Eat Bean Sprouts!
▼At Izakaya Tomo, bean sprouts are free and you can have as much as you like!
Bean sprouts are a must with yakiniku.
This is a really welcome offer.
▼Here’s another way to use the bean sprouts.
Bean sprouts aren’t just for eating—they’re also essential for enjoying your meal!
Free Ice Cream After Your Meal
▼Believe it or not, you can get free ice cream after your meal if you ask!
At the end of a meal, you want something refreshing to cleanse your palate.
Getting it for free is wonderful.
Show an Expired Coupon for a Free Draft Beer!
▼Izakaya Tomo’s most unique offer is that you get one free draft beer by showing them an expired coupon from another business.
Coupons from any other business qualify, regardless of whether it is a restaurant or another type of business.
I thought this was a fun offer I’d never heard of before.
However, the coupon must have expired.
Unexpired coupons are not eligible for this offer.
Please keep this in mind.
Luggage Storage Service
Izakaya Tomo also offers luggage storage.
It’s a welcome service for visitors to the area.
However, you must make a reservation to use it.
Luggage can only be dropped off and picked up during business hours.
Luggage storage is free for up to two hours.
After that, it costs 500 yen (including tax) per hour.
Discount for Disaster Victims Living in Mabi
Izakaya Tomo offers a discount to residents of Mabi who suffered major damage in Kurashiki City during the July 2018 heavy rains.
Those who live in Mabi and were affected by the disaster receive a 10% discount.
To qualify, you must show proof of residence in Mabi, such as a driver’s license or My Number card, when paying.
Izakaya Tomo is an izakaya where you can enjoy both yakiniku and izakaya dishes.
It’s an interesting place, with its distinctive menu and offerings.
We interviewed the manager of Izakaya Tomo, “Tomo.”
Izakaya Tomo Hormone Yakiniku Kurashiki Branch Information
| Name | Izakaya Tomo Hormone Yakiniku Kurashiki Branch |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-4-3-107 Tsurugata, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture (inside Kurashiki Department Store) |
| Contact | 086-441-8312 |
| Parking | None |
| Hours | 5:30 p.m.–11:30 p.m. (Last order at 11:00 p.m.) |
| Closed | Sunday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted Reservations by phone |
| Seating | 21 seats in total ・5 counter seats ・4 tables seating four |
| Smoking | Non-smoking (smoking permitted only in designated areas) |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Families with children | ・Strollers allowed ・Children’s chairs available ・Children’s tableware available |
| Accessibility | Wheelchair access on the first floor only (restroom is not wheelchair accessible) |
| Website | Izakaya Tomo Hormone Yakiniku Kurashiki Branch |
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Use the juices and fat collected in the dish when making udon or something similar to finish your meal!