When we were planning our trip to Japan, we knew that yakiniku was one of the foods we wanted to eat a lot of. My boyfriend LOVES steak, and yakiniku was at the top of his list of things he wanted to do/eat in Japan. In our 9 day trip to Japan, we had yakiniku three times and at three different price points. Yakiniku translates to “grilled meat” in Japanese and refers to the style of cooking. The beef is sliced into thin strips, and you will cook it (or a staff will) right at your table. Sometimes the beef is marinated, and sometimes it’s best eaten plain with the array of sauces provided. We like to enjoy our yakiniku with a bowl of hot rice and some side dishes like kimchi, salad, and other pickled vegetables.
The quality of beef in Japan is amazing. From the lower-end stalls to the high-end restaurants, finding marbled beef that’ll melt in your mouth is not hard to find. Each experience was different, but all three meals were memorable and delicious.
GYUSHIGE – Shimokitazawa in Tokyo, Japan
We decided on our last day to visit Shimokitazawa to do some shopping at the second-hand stores. On our way out of the town, my boyfriend was drawn to this one restaurant that had a banner filled with photos of marbled beef so we decided to try it out.
Thankfully we made it in time to experience their lunch menu sets, which started at only 990 yen ($7.43). My set was 990 yen and came with three different cuts of thinly sliced marbled beef, rice, salad, and kimchi. My boyfriend ordered a different set that had two cuts of marbled beef that were higher quality. I believe his set was only 1400 yen ($10.51). We also ordered some drinks that were all 330 yen ($2.47), and ended with a strawberry mochi dessert that was 550 yen (3.74). I love that the yakiniku was served with hot coals to cook over rather than an electric or gas grill.
This meal was so memorable because of how good the quality was for the price we paid. It was such a spur of the moment meal, and it ended up being a story we shared many times with our friends and family. My brother is traveling to Japan and I told him that he should check out Gyushige if he’s in the area!
SEX MACHINE – Dotonbori in Osaka, Japan
You may know Dotonbori from the many videos online as being a neighborhood filled with many different food vendors serving okonomiyaki, Takoyaki, tanghulu fruits, grilled seafood, and so much more. We went after shopping on Orange Street and got to try freshly baked egg tarts, Takoyaki, candied strawberries, buta-man (steamed pork bun like siopao), and we were still left at the end of the night feeling hungry.
If you didn’t know, most restaurants in Japan start to close at 9:00 and we were scrambling to find a place to eat. We laughed at the restaurant called “Sexmachine” as we walked into the Dotonbori area, and as we were walking out at about 9:00pm, they were one of the only restaurants left open. After finding out that they were a yakiniku restaurant, we crossed our fingers and hoped that they’d have a table available for us. Thankfully they were able to seat us, store our belongings so it wouldn’t smell from the smoke, and take our order with their last call for food of the night.
We ordered their Soul King set, which came with 6 cuts of marbled wagyu beef, rice, and a hot charcoal grill. The set was 6000 yen per person ($44.97), so for the both of us it was 12,000 yen (about $90.00). We were seated at the bar and it was nice to chat with the staff and have the chef explain each cut of beef to us. In our wagyu set was “dynamite loin”, a special misuji cut, loin, rib meat, skirt steak, and filet*. We were in yakiniku heaven. Each cut of meat had a different flavor and texture although it was all seasoned the same. There’s something so satisfying about eating yakiniku with a crisp cold Japanese beer, and becoming friends with the chef and staff. They were shocked that we could understand and speak some Japanese, and them telling us that we were good at speaking was the cherry on top of this luscious meal.
Don’t let the name fool you, Sex Machine should be on your list of restaurants to try in Osaka if you’re not too full after eating your way through Dotonbori.
YAKINIKU CHAMPION – Tokyo, Japan (multiple locations)
We met up with our friend at her family’s restaurant, Yakiniku Champion. It was a long day after lots of traveling and walking through TeamLabs Tokyo, and we were ready to eat! We were greeted by friendly staff in nicely pressed suits and were seated in a private dining room. Every part of the service was top-notch, and the staff were very attentive and ready to take our order. We let our friend order for us, and I was excited to see what she would choose for our dinner.
After receiving our ice-cold draft beers (so rewarding after a long day), we received the restaurant’s fresh kimchi. I really enjoyed picking at the kimchi throughout the meal as a nice refreshing crunch with a bit of spice. Then she ordered us two different types of beef tongue, one thinly sliced with marinated green onions, and one that was cut very thick. Both slices of tongue were very marbled and provided a different taste and texture. I really enjoyed the addition of the green onions in the rolled up thin beef tongue. The bite was delectable.
Following the beef tongue were more bites of yakiniku cuts of beef from our favorite, the wagyu skirt steak, a sukiyaki bite, and some cuts of organ meats. The skirt steak and sukiyaki cuts were both melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I’ve never had organ meats before, but I figured that if I had any time to try it, it would be in Japan from a friend’s family restaurant.
When you go to Japan, I highly recommend trying yakiniku at any price point. The quality of meats, and service will be top notch anywhere you go. We had a great time at all three restaurants we tried. I promise you, the quality that you can find in Japan will cost you an arm and a leg in the states. We miss it so much. Can’t wait to go back one day to try more yakiniku restaurants! Until next time…
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