HALAL MASTER CHICKEN SHIBUYA — Restaurant in Tokyo

The location of this restaurant is excellent—very central and easy to reach. The prices are surprisingly low, which would normally be a huge plus. Unfortunately, that’s about where the positives end.

The menu, printed on both sides, lists 35 items, but 16 of them were either “sold out” or “coming soon.” That means nearly half the menu wasn’t even available. Who wants to sit in a restaurant and be reminded of all the things they can’t order?

Service was also an issue. The food took quite a while to arrive, and we noticed another guest complaining about the long wait. Two other customers even left because their order wasn’t taken after 10 minutes. We also had to wait about 10 minutes just to place our order. Then, when our food finally arrived, it came at completely different times. I had to watch my colleague eat first, and later, he had to return the favor while I ate.

Now, let’s talk about the food itself. The most ridiculous part? If you order a burger menu that comes with “chicken wings” (yes, plural!), you actually get one single wing. Just one! But if you order wings separately, you get two. Who wants a menu with only one wing? And who orders chicken wings to get two? The chicken itself wasn’t particularly good either.

What surprised us the most were the many positive reviews—until we saw the sign inside: “Leave a good review and get free fries.” Seems like a lot of people were happy to sell their opinion for some free food.

Pros:

✔️ Central location ✔️ Cheap prices ✔️ Halal

Cons:

❌ Long waiting times ❌ Cramped seating ❌ Confusing menu with many unavailable items ❌ Tiny wing portions ❌ Average taste

Overall, this place was just not worth it. The restaurant is clearly not capable of handling many customers in time. A more organized menu—where everything is actually available—would be a great first step. And I’m sure most customers wouldn’t mind paying a bit more if that meant better taste and...

I was out filming a video on restaurants to check out while in Tokyo, and Master Chicken popped up with some solid reviews. So naturally, I went in with high hopes and an empty stomach. When we got there, the line was wild—out the door, up the stairs, and on to the street. With a line like that, you’d think they were serving fried gold.

After waiting about 45 minutes (long enough to question several life choices), we finally made it to the counter. The guy there was super friendly—honestly, shoutout to him, he earned them a whole extra star just by being nice.

We sat down, food came out fairly quick, and it was go time. First up, the “popcorn” chicken. And I use “chicken” lightly—it was like biting into crunchy air. Basically just deep-fried breadcrumbs with a distant memory of poultry. Dry, crumbly, and disappointing—like a bad Muzz date.

Then came the Yangnyeom chicken. A few small pieces drowned in what tasted like sweet and sour sauce from a budget food court. Best thing on the tray, but that’s like saying you enjoyed the least-burnt toast in the batch. Still mid.

Finally, the Master Chicken Sandwich. I’ve seen better bun integrity from a school lunch. The chicken was sliding around like it was trying to escape, and the bun itself was harder than my will to finish the meal. Tried to break it apart and it basically turned into sawdust. The chicken inside? Just oily sadness with no flavor. It was giving “fried regret.”

I sat there wondering how this place had such glowing reviews and a line long enough to qualify as a tourist attraction. Did I just catch them on a bad day? Or are people leaving five stars in exchange for that 10% discount on a future stomachache? Either way, I wouldn’t wait in line for this again. In fact, even if they paid me in free food, I’d politely decline—with my stomach's best...

Alhamdulillah, we finally found a restaurant that serves halal chicken after days of struggling to find places offering halal chicken or chicken from People of the Book. Most chicken in Japan usually comes from Japan or Thailand, which we as Muslims cannot eat.

The place is in a somewhat less clean area in Shibuya, but it’s easy to access. It’s a small restaurant serving a variety of delicious chicken dishes. Alhamdulillah, we were fortunate to find it. Many thanks to the owners, and I wish them success.

I just hope they pay a little more attention to cleanliness—especially the floors and the staircase leading to the restaurant. Since it’s a halal restaurant, it should at least maintain the same level of cleanliness as most non-halal restaurants in Japan.

Other than that, it’s a really great restaurant, and I definitely...