our story

Irori 囲炉裏 is the traditional Japanese sunken hearth. A gathering place built around warmth, food, and community. It's the perfect name for what we do.

We're a Japanese street food truck operating across Brighton and Sussex, serving genuine Japanese food - at markets, taprooms, vineyards, private events, celebrations, and external catering. We also serve Japanese craft beers, sake, and Japanese soft drinks at events that don't already have a bar sorted.

Irori is our dream. We are Koji and Kev, and we met in Tokyo, fell in love, and never quite left that world behind.

Koji started cooking at 13, learning from his mum in Yonezawa, in the north of Japan. Around that time he also started reading Oishinbo, a Japanese manga about food, a different way of learning, and the start of his journey. What began as a childhood obsession became a lifelong craft, taking him through some of the most renowned kitchens in the world, from Tokyo, New York, Paris, and London. But through every kitchen, every country, one idea stayed with him: a food truck.

Kev supported the vision and wanted to help make Koji's dream a reality. Together, after years of saving, planning, and waiting for the right moment, we're finally doing it.

Irori isn't just another food truck. It's the real thing, made by someone who has spent a lifetime earning it. Koji always said he cooks to make people happy, and we can't wait to share that happiness with you.