Yes, if you're visiting Japan and it's your first time, definitely make time for sushi and seafood dishes… but also spare a meal or two to explore the vast possibilities of Japanese beef, including the world-renowned wagyu variety and other premium meats.
If you’re in Tokyo, you’re in luck. There are many restaurants that serve incredible wagyu courses — so many, in fact, it might be hard to pick just one!
1. Yakiniku Kappo Note
In recent years, Tokyo's Azabujuban neighborhood has seen dozens of yakiniku and niku kappo restaurants open for business. But if you only have time for one, it should be Yakiniku Kappo Note.
This intimate restaurant only seats about eight people, which, in true kappo style, allows for easy conversation with the chef. The base course features about 20 dishes that showcase creativity while enhancing the flavors and textures of the highest-grade wagyu.
While the beef is the star of the show, it's accompanied by delicious seasonal ingredients. The dishes are minimalist, but every bite is an explosion of flavors. We promise you will love every single moment.
2. Oniku Karyu
The concept behind Oniku Karyu spawned from Chef Katayanagi Haruka's first dining experience with steak, which he described as "exquisite." The restaurant's name is taken from a Zen saying about beauty, and Chef Katayanagi is fully committed to showing the true beauty of wagyu beef.
He personally selects cuts of A4- and A5-grade kuroge wagyu from the finest suppliers all over Japan, presenting them in kaiseki-style course menus with luxurious seasonal ingredients. Even the tableware leaves a lasting impression, chosen specifically to enhance the visual aspect of the dining experience by highlighting each ingredient's color.
How better to enjoy the richness of wagyu than with a glass of wine or sake chosen by Chef Katayanagi himself? A trained sommelier, he also handpicks the spirits served at his restaurant and expertly pairs them with every dish.
An omakase course meal at Oniku Karyu is on the pricier end, which makes this restaurant a good pick for special occasions and celebrations.
Read our review of Oniku Karyu to learn more about this Tokyo dining experience.
3. Ginza CAVE
Amidst Ginza's buzz, Ginza CAVE offers a hushed escape. Owner-chef Manabu Miyama's passion for Western cuisine, ignited during his bartending days, shines through his unpretentious menu. A sommelier too, he expertly pairs dishes with his vast wine knowledge.
The star? A daily wagyu beef chateaubriand sandwich — a testament to his culinary journey, limited to just 10 servings. Imagine: house-made, melt-in-your-mouth bread cradling premium wagyu, perfectly paired with a hand-picked burgundy.
4. Yakiniku Toraji
Yakiniku Toraji defies the usual yakiniku choice: skimpy portions of top-tier wagyu or bulkier cuts lacking flavor. Here, they believe true satisfaction lies in having both. Toraji serves all cuts, from skirt steak to A5 wagyu, in hearty slices, letting the ingredient's essence shine through. But fear not, vegetarians; seasonal vegetables ensure a balanced, delicious yakiniku experience.
Yakiniku Toraji has multiple locations across Tokyo:
5. Salon de AgingBeef
This Korean-inspired yakiniku restaurant in Ginza is a true hidden gem. Salon de AgingBeef provides diners with a luxurious meal in a casual setting that perfectly matches the mood and vibe of its home neighborhood. Its specialty, as its name implies, is aged beef.
Lunch here is relatively affordable, ranging between ¥3,000 and ¥5,000 for filling lunch sets. For dinner, you can pick from the many courses — all feature fun twists on your standard grilled beef, like beef sashimi, which leaves room for discovery without straying too far from the meat lovers' comfort zone.
English-speaking staff and easy meal adjustments (just let them know of any dislikes or allergies when booking) make it all the more enjoyable and stress-free. Preface your meal with a shopping spree around Ginza or follow up at one of the neighborhood's cozy jazz bars.
6. Nikutei Futago Shinjuku
Nikutei Futago offers an intimate yakiniku experience despite being located in one of Tokyo's liveliest neighborhoods. The extensive 80-dish menu uses carefully selected wagyu: Ota beef sourced from Hyogo Prefecture and Sendai beef from Miyagi Prefecture. The sizeable list of cut meat allows visitors to embark on a culinary venture or choose familiar dishes — or do both.
Nikutei Futago exclusively offers dinner courses, making this the perfect spot for a special night in Shinjuku.
7. USHIHACHI
With hundreds, if not thousands, of yakiniku restaurants nationwide, Ushihachi's claim to the monarchy does not go unchallenged. As a celebratory meal, yakiniku shouldn't have to be expensive, according to Ushihachi's philosophy. As such, it aims to be the most reasonably-priced yakiniku franchise in Japan: a place where you can bring your family, your partner, or a group of friends to enjoy high-quality grilled meat, all without worrying about breaking the bank.
And the quality doesn't suffer for it either. Ushihachi is uncompromising in its choice of meat, purchasing and using only female kuroge wagyu cows.
Ushihachi has numerous branches in Tokyo, each with a slightly difference atmosphere:
8. Yakiniku Ushi Jirushi
Yakiniku often conjures the image of a group around one single grill, flipping meat until it's cooked — sometimes too cooked. It's safe to say we don't always know the best ways to grill or cook a specific meat. What about various parts of the tongue — how done is too done?
This issue is what gave rise to the Yakiniku Ushi Jirushi series of restaurants, the latest dining experience innovation from arguably the most famous name in yakiniku, the Toraji Group. Rather than have customers grill the meat themselves, each party is assigned a "master griller" — one of the restaurant's expert chefs trained to cook each type and cut meat to maximize the flavor and texture.
The beef served at Ushi Jirushi is all Toraji's brand of kuroge wagyu. Each cow is raised on Toraji Ranch, the first company-owned ranch in the industry. There, strictly female cattle from the Kanto region are safely, sustainably, and humanely raised in extremely limited numbers.
Hungry?
Check out Yakiniku Ushi Jirushi's two Tokyo locations:
9. Wagyu Teppanyaki Katsura
Katsura's chefs will prepare dinner before your eyes on an impressive teppanyaki iron grill. Fall flavors like earthy miso and mushrooms grown in the cool, serene Japanese mountains pair smartly with the specially selected Hida wagyu beef, served to great acclaim nationwide!
Wrap-around seating allows guests to view the whole experience up close, from introducing each ingredient to the chef's careful treatment of the grill. Enjoy a fiery grill and intimate mood lighting for an unforgettable night of one of Japan's most visually stunning cooking techniques.
10. IDEA GINZA
This steakhouse in Ginza serves mouthwatering Kobe beef, which has the best marbling possible, bursting with the umami flavors craved by Japanese gourmets.
Their beef is twice skewered and then placed over the Binchotan charcoal of the large brick oven, with salt and pepper resting on top. After a short grilling, the pieces are moved to another compartment to gently roast after being infused with the smoky flavor of the coals.
Fittingly, even the cutlery here is carved from cattle bone, crafted by a historic French knife company. Although beef is the main focus, other seasonal dishes add colorful accents to the set-course menu.
11. GINZA KOKORO
This French-style steak restaurant, in the heart of Tokyo’s central business district, provides a classic European dining setting with plenty of modern elegance. The charcoal-colored walls, highlighting the white of the tablecloths, exude contemporary class. Behind the counter lies the kitchen, equipped with a furnace over which is filled nightly with premium binchotan charcoal. Their prime Kobe wagyu beef is skewered twice, then held over the crimson coals to absorb their beautifully smoky essence.
Two course options are available, one short and the other long. Expect prime cuts of rump, tenderloin, sirloin, filet, and aitch bone served up across the evening, interspersed with seasonally cycling dishes like sea urchin and caviar, for an extra dab of luxury.
12. Koishikawa Nakasei
Tokyo steakhouse and butcher Nakasei is a former Michelin-starred steakhouse, serving up an exquisite “pureblood” Tajima beef, meaning it has never been cross-bred with other cattle breeds — as you’d expect, it’s an extremely exclusive cut of meat.
No expense is spared during the preparation phase, either, as each cut is aged for up to three months and said to enrich the wagyu’s optimal flavor, aroma and juiciness. Especially when paired with something from Nakasei’s extensive selection of wines.
Based on Bunkyo’s famed Harimazaka Slope, where over 120 cherry trees are planted, springtime bookings become incredibly different to get as the blossoms bloom. And wait until you see the three decadent course menus available…
Exclusive offer: Wagyu beef delivery with ZIPAIR?
Exclusive to ZIPAIR passengers flying from Narita airport to US or Singapore destinations, you can order hand-selected A5-grade wagyu beef from Japan without any of the usual paperwork and declarations.
ZIPAIR will make sure your chosen wagyu beef is waiting for you at Narita airport when you arrive, ready to present your gourmet parcel at check-in so you can confirm its quality and freshness firsthand before boarding your flight.
When you arrive at your destination, simply collect your tantalizing souvenir alongside your luggage.
Order your A5-grade wagyu beef.
FAQs
What is wagyu steak or wagyu beef?
Wagyu steak or wagyu beef is a cut of meat that comes from one of four Japanese breeds of cattle: Japanese Black, Japanese Brown or Japanese Red, Japanese Polled, and Japanese Shorthorn.
By crossbreeding native cattle with certain overseas cattle, these four breeds of cattle have become famous for their tender, flavorsome cuts of meat, recognized at a glance for their unique marbling.
Where can I get A5 wagyu?
You can find A5-grade wagyu all over Japan, including in Tokyo! You’ll find A5 wagyu in many of the must-visit wagyu restaurants in Tokyo that we mentioned above.
When did wagyu beef start?
Wagyu as it’s known today likely began with Kobe beef, which first began to garner fame in the 1860s for its unrivaled quality. Since then, many areas have laid claim to their own type of wagyu beef, but Kobe is still known to have one of the best wagyu steaks in Japan.
