Yakiniku Like signature dish Yakiniku Like interior Yakiniku Like dish Yakiniku Like menu item Yakiniku Like ambiance
Chain☪️ HalalSolo BBQ

Yakiniku Like

📍 PLQ Mall #B1-28 🥩 Solo Yakiniku · Halal 💰 $$ · S$9–20 ⭐ 3.9 Google Rating
🔗 Website 📍 Map

Highlights

Concept
Individual smokeless grill · solo dining
Halal
MUIS certified · no pork · no alcohol
Value
Sets from S$9.80 with meat, rice, soup, salad

About

Yakiniku Like (焼肉ライク) at PLQ Mall #B1-28 is the brand's first Singapore outlet — the location that introduced solo yakiniku dining to Singapore. Founded in Tokyo, the concept gives every diner their own individual smokeless grill, eliminating the need for group dining. The advanced ventilation pulls smoke downward so you leave without BBQ smell — crucial for office workers. MUIS halal-certified, making it one of Singapore's only halal Japanese BBQ restaurants. Set meals start from S$9.80 (chicken) with meat, rice, miso soup, and salad. The Karubi Set (S$10.90) and Like Quattro Set (S$18.90, 4 meats) are bestsellers. Self-service tablet ordering means food arrives in 3–5 minutes. The entire meal takes 15–25 minutes — the fastest quality Japanese dining at PLQ.

The smokeless grill technology uses advanced ventilation that pulls smoke downward through the grill surface — you leave smelling fresh. Each seat has its own grill, rice button, and ordering tablet. For Muslim diners: all beef is halal-sourced, no pork on premises, no alcohol served. MUIS certification displayed at entrance. Premium a la carte: Sukiyaki Karubi (S$11.90 set), Beef Tongue (S$14.90 set), Wagyu (market price). Solo dining culture (ohitorisama) from Japan — Yakiniku Like removes every barrier: individual grills, no social pressure, tablet ordering, set pricing. For PLQ's thousands of office workers, this is the ultimate weekday lunch: fast, satisfying, affordable, and halal. Paya Lebar MRT (EW8/CC9) interchange connects East-West and Circle lines — B1 location means 2 minutes from MRT gantry.

Recommended For

Solo Diners Muslim Diners Quick Lunch Budget

Menu & Pricing

ItemPriceNotes
Karubi Set
Beef short rib set
S$10.90Bestseller
Like Quattro Set
4 meats — best value
S$18.90Best value
Chicken Set
Budget entry
S$9.80Budget
Beef Tongue Set
Premium cut
S$14.90Premium
Sukiyaki Karubi Set
Sweet marinated beef
S$11.90Popular
A la carte Karubi 100g
Extra meat add-on
S$4.90Add-on

* Prices subject to GST. Menu may vary.

Practical Info

Location
PLQ Mall, 10 Paya Lebar Road, #B1-28, Singapore 409057
Hours
Daily 11am–10pm
MRT
Paya Lebar MRT (EW8/CC9) Exit E direct
Payment
Cash, cards, PayNow

Dietary Info

☪️ MUIS Halal No pork/alcohol

Your Visit

1

First Solo Yakiniku

Sit anywhere. Order via tablet: Karubi Set (S$10.90). Food in 3-5 min. Grill meat 15-20 sec/side. Dip in tare. Press rice button for refill. Add Karubi 100g (S$4.90) for more. Total 15-25 min.

2

Halal Japanese BBQ Guide

For Muslim diners: MUIS cert at entrance. All beef halal-sourced. No pork on premises. No alcohol. Other halal Japanese nearby: limited. Yakiniku Like is the only halal grilled-meat Japanese in east Singapore.

Photos

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Map

Editor's Note

Our honest take

The original — the outlet that started solo yakiniku in Singapore. Halal certification, smokeless tech, sub-S$10 entry makes it genuinely democratic. For PLQ office workers, the most efficient Japanese lunch: 15 min, satisfied.

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Solo Dining Culture: From Tokyo to Singapore

Solo dining (ohitorisama) is a celebrated cultural movement in Japan. Tokyo, Osaka have restaurants designed for individuals: ramen counters, gyudon partitions, personal-grill yakiniku. This reflects longer work hours, later marriages, smaller households, and growing appreciation for personal time. Yakiniku Like was born from this — recognizing traditional yakiniku excluded solo diners. The genius: individual grills remove awkwardness, smokeless tech removes smell, tablet ordering removes staff interaction, set pricing removes bill uncertainty. In Singapore, Yakiniku Like helped normalize eating alone — proving it is liberating, not lonely. The PLQ location specifically serves the massive office worker population: Paya Lebar Quarter houses thousands of workers who need fast, satisfying lunch within walking distance. At S$9.80-18.90 for a complete meal with grilled meat, Yakiniku Like competes directly with food court pricing while offering a vastly superior experience.

Paya Lebar: Singapore's Eastern Business Hub

Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) is the centrepiece of Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority plan to create a vibrant regional business hub between the Central Business District and Changi Airport. The precinct — developed by Australian property group Lendlease — comprises three Grade A office towers, PLQ Mall (340,000 sq ft of retail), and Park Place Residences. It is directly connected to Paya Lebar MRT (EW8/CC9), an interchange station serving both the East-West Line and Circle Line, making it one of the most well-connected commercial hubs outside the CBD. For Japanese dining, PLQ Mall currently offers Yakiniku Like (halal solo BBQ, B1), Donburi King (seafood donburi, L3), NeNe Neko (izakaya café, Plaza L1), and Chen's Mapo Tofu (Japanese-Szechuan, L2). This concentration reflects PLQ's positioning as a modern, diverse dining destination catering to the area's multinational office workforce. The Paya Lebar neighbourhood also has deep cultural roots: it sits within the Malay-Muslim heritage zone, with Geylang Serai market and the Malay Heritage Centre nearby, making halal-certified options like Yakiniku Like particularly valuable for the local community.

Yakiniku Like vs Traditional Yakiniku: What's Different

Traditional yakiniku in Japan and Singapore is a group dining format: a large charcoal or gas grill in the centre of the table, shared by 2-6 diners, with platters of raw meat ordered à la carte. Sessions typically last 60-90 minutes, prices run S$30-80 per person, and the experience requires coordination — someone has to manage the grill, flip the meat, and make sure nothing burns. Yakiniku Like inverts every aspect: individual grills (no sharing), smokeless electric (no charcoal management), set meals (no à la carte uncertainty), 15-25 minute sessions (no lingering), and S$9-20 pricing (no bill shock). The trade-off is atmosphere: traditional yakiniku is social, communal, and leisurely. Yakiniku Like is efficient, individual, and fast. Neither is superior — they serve different needs. For a celebratory dinner with friends, go to Gyu-Kaku or a premium yakiniku. For a weekday lunch where you want grilled meat in 15 minutes at S$11, Yakiniku Like is unbeatable. The halal certification adds another dimension that traditional yakiniku rarely offers: most premium yakiniku restaurants use pork (tontoro, pork belly) extensively and serve alcohol, making them inaccessible to Muslim diners. Yakiniku Like's halal model proves that quality Japanese BBQ and halal compliance are not mutually exclusive.

Complete PLQ Japanese Dining Guide 2026

PLQ Mall at Paya Lebar offers four distinct Japanese dining experiences, each serving a different need. Yakiniku Like (#B1-28, halal, S$9-20): Solo smokeless BBQ. Best for quick weekday lunch, solo diners, Muslim diners, budget-conscious. Food in 3 min, meal done in 15-25 min. Donburi King (#03-26, not halal, S$16-58): Overflowing seafood rice bowls. Best for sashimi lovers, Instagram-worthy meals, seafood cravings. Air-flown sashimi, generous portions. NeNe Neko (#01-K7 PLQ Plaza, not halal, S$15-25): Japanese café by day, izakaya by night. Best for variety, late-night dining, drinks with friends, casual atmosphere. Donburi, tempura, yakitori, sake. Chen's Mapo Tofu (#02-02, not halal, S$12-20): Japanese-Szechuan fusion. Michelin Bib Gourmand. Best for mapo tofu lovers, affordable quality, Shisen Hanten heritage. All four are accessible from Paya Lebar MRT (EW8/CC9) within 3 minutes. For the PLQ office population of 10,000+ workers, these four restaurants cover every Japanese dining need: budget halal (Yakiniku Like), premium seafood (Donburi King), social evening (NeNe Neko), and quick comfort (Chen's). This is a more focused Japanese selection than most suburban malls, reflecting PLQ's positioning as an urban business district rather than a typical neighbourhood mall.

The Smokeless Grill Revolution

Yakiniku Like's smokeless grill technology deserves special attention because it solves the single biggest complaint about yakiniku dining: the smell. Traditional charcoal and gas yakiniku grills produce significant smoke that permeates clothing, hair, and skin. Diners leaving a yakiniku restaurant typically smell strongly of grilled meat for hours afterward — a dealbreaker for office workers returning to afternoon meetings. Yakiniku Like's solution uses an advanced downdraft ventilation system: a powerful fan beneath each individual grill creates negative air pressure that pulls smoke, grease particles, and odour molecules downward through the grill surface and into a filtration system below. The result is genuinely remarkable: you can grill beef directly in front of your face and leave the restaurant with clean-smelling clothes. This technology was developed specifically for urban Japanese restaurants where space is tight and ventilation is challenging. The individual grill format amplifies the effect: because each grill has its own dedicated ventilation channel (unlike shared grills that must ventilate a larger area), the smoke capture rate is extremely high. For PLQ's office workers — many of whom wear business attire — this practical advantage alone makes Yakiniku Like viable for weekday lunch in a way that traditional yakiniku simply is not. The technology also enables the restaurant's compact footprint: without the need for massive overhead ventilation hoods, Yakiniku Like can pack more seats into a smaller space, improving the economics that allow sub-S$10 pricing.