Yakiniku guide to Tokyo
In the land of wagyu, yakiniku is a must-have meal whenever in Japan. If you’re a fan of marbled meat, it doesn’t get any better than this. These are the yakiniku restaurants I’ve visited so far and my thoughts about them.
Sumibi Yakiniku Nakahara
Worth trying once: Yes
Would I go back: Yes
Price: $$$$
Nakahara is my favorite yakiniku restaurant. You order a set course and they bring you different sections of the highest quality Japanese wagyu. They are well known for their “Legendary Wagyu Tongue” which used to require preorders months in advance. I believe it is now included in all of their courses, but I would add a request to the reservation just to be sure. It’s not something you want to miss. The tongue is thick, juicy, and bursting with flavor.
Undoubtably, the highlight of the meal for me is the sirloin. It is cut thin and only takes a few seconds to cook. When eaten, it just melts in your mouth with a couple of bites. This sirloin is one of my favorite things to eat in all of Japan.
The restaurant is very English-friendly and service is great. All the meats are cooked to perfection by the staff. Reservations are not too difficult and can be made online. I recommend trying to reserve other difficult-to-book restaurants first and leaving one dinner open for Nakahara. It will be well worth the visit.
Yakiniku Jambo
Worth trying once: Yes
Would I go back: Yes
Price: $$$$
Yakiniku Jambo is also a very famous yakiniku restaurant and highly rated on Tabelog. Their meat quality is top-notch. However, I did not find the restaurant to be very English-friendly when I visited. There wasn’t a set course and I had to select my own cuts. I then realized that their English menu did not offer the same cuts as their Japanese menu, so I asked what was popular and picked items from the Japanese menu without knowing what they were. Despite that, the food was still delicious but the experience could’ve been better.
Since I’ve visited, they now accept online reservations and offer a set course. I believe this will result in a much smoother dining experience for foreigners and I wouldn’t mind trying it again in the future.
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Rokkasen
Worth trying once: Yes
Would I go back: Yes
Price: $$$
Rokkasen is an all-you-can-eat wagyu restaurant. The meat quality is excellent and prices are very reasonable. There are many courses to choose from. Some of them offer all-you-can-drink as well. Others let you choose if you also want shabu-shabu or sukiyaki. My recommendation is to get the Tsuki 90-minute course. It’s a great value at around $110 per person and 90 minutes is plenty of time to get full on wagyu.
The restaurant is quite spacious and perfect if you are traveling with a larger group. Reservations are required and available online. I recommend this restaurant if you’re looking for delicious bbq at a great price.
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