Wagyū (beef sourced from specific Japanese cattle breeds) is a must-try for any meat lover visiting Japan. Globally renowned for its melt-in-your-mouth texture, exquisite taste, and unique marbling, it can be enjoyed in many different ways, from grilled yakiniku cuisine to hotpot cooking.
In this article, we will introduce some of the best wagyu restaurants Tokyo has to offer, and their unique and delicious dishes!
- Premium wagyu beef at an amazing price in Ueno: Bouya Horumonkan
- Photo-perfect delicious wagyu hamburger steaks at Ikura Shibuya!
- Japan's top wagyu sushi and yakiniku in Shinjuku: Beef Professional
- Must-try wagyu shabu-shabu hotpot: Okaka Shinjuku
- Wagyu roast beef rice bowl in Akihabara: Roast Beef Ohno
- An all-new way to try wagyu in Shibuya: Wagyū to Kome Miyoshitei
Premium wagyu beef at an amazing price in Ueno: Bouya Horumonkan
Located in Ueno, “Bouya Horumonkan Uenorokuchōme” is an incredibly popular yakiniku restaurant, constantly filled with customers, nearly half of which are international diners. The reason for this is the restaurant offers a wide selection of delicious wagyu at prices that are too good to believe!
Their “Wagyu Assortment Platter” is particularly popular, as it allows you to sample different wagyu cuts on one plate (with sizes of four cuts and six cuts available).
“和牛４種盛り,” Wagyu Assortment Platter (4-types) 6,578 JPY (tax included)
Pictured above from the day of our visit is the four-type assortment, which included sirloin, outside round, center-cut ribeye, and inside skirt. Each cut is rich in sweet fat, requiring only the lightest of grilling for perfect cooking.
Bouya Horumonkan Uenorokuchōme also offers a special tare (yakiniku dipping sauce) made from green onions, radish, and peach puree that pairs perfectly with rich wagyu, but also provides a refreshing aftertaste to reset your palate in between trying out the various cuts.
For a chance to try out a wide variety of delicious wagyu on a budget-friendly menu, be sure to head to Bouya Horumonkan Uenorokuchōme in Ueno!
Photo-perfect delicious wagyu hamburger steaks at Ikura Shibuya!
Hamburger steaks and omurice (omelet rice) have become quite popular with international visitors to Japan, but you wouldn’t usually associate something as extravagant as wagyu with them.
“プレミアムハンバーグオムライス,” Premium Hamburger omelet rice 3,000 JPY (tax included)
“Hamburger Steak and Omurice Shop Ikura Shibuya” will definitely have you rethinking that! Their “Premium Hamburger omelet rice” features a fluffy and creamy omelet that is a viral sensation on social media, and mouthwatering hamburger steaks made from 100% wagyu beef!
Many visit the restaurant to capture a video of the meal being prepared, which is quite a social media spectacle. However, the flavor is just as worth it. The shop tops a bed of butter rice with a mouth-watering wagyu hamburger steak, your choice of sauce, and an incredibly creamy omelet. For an additional 200 JPY (tax included), you can add a cheese topping as well, which is highly recommended!
It’s rare that you get to enjoy omurice, hamburger steak, and succulent wagyu all in one meal. Hamburger Steak and Omurice Shop Ikura Shibuya provides just that. Don’t forget to take a picture!
Japan’s top wagyu sushi and yakiniku in Shinjuku: Beef Professional
Yakiniku restaurant “Beef Professional Nishi-shinjuku all private room,” (referred to below as “Beef Professional”) holds the rare distinction of being one of the few places in the Tokyo metropolitan area that is licensed to serve “Kagoshima Kuroushi.” This is a type of wagyu that has taken top prize in wagyu competitions, and is often regarded as the country’s very best.
At Beef Professional, a great introduction to the exquisite flavor of Kagoshima Kuroushi is the “Takumi Course.” This course features a wide variety of creative dishes, but one treat we highly recommend is “Seared Wagyu Nigiri Sushi!”
“和牛炙り握り,” Seared Wagyu Nigiri Sushi 4 pieces 1,800 JPY (tax included)
This luxurious dish delivers the unrivaled taste of Kagoshima Kuroushi in the form of sushi. The sushi uses a top blade (flat iron) cut of wagyu, characterized by an incredibly silky texture and fatty sweetness. Adding just a bit of soy sauce and wasabi really brings out the flavor!
Beef Professional in Shinjuku offers a full menu of fantastic wagyu dishes in a private dining room atmosphere, and is the perfect place to try out the delicacy of wagyu sushi.
Must-try wagyu shabu-shabu hotpot: Okaka Shinjuku
“Okaka Shinjuku” is a shabu-shabu restaurant with a strong emphasis on the flavorful dashi used in this popular hotpot dish. Their “Omakase (Kuroge Wagyu) Eight-Course Meal” features Kuroge wagyu (a prized Japanese cattle breed also known as Japanese Black) as its main dish, and the course fully shows off the deliciousness of wagyu beef as a shabu-shabu ingredient!
“おまかせコース≪黒毛和牛≫コースお料理八品,” Omakase (Kuroge Wagyu) Eight-Course Meal 7,000 JPY per person (tax included)
The restaurant uses an original dashi extracted from ingredients such as bonito, kombu seaweed, and mackerel. Diners can add bonito flakes to the dashi for even more flavor, and the course features a bounty of seasonal vegetables that complement the broth as well.
The finely marbled wagyu is sliced especially thin to use for shabu-shabu, and requires only seconds to cook through perfectly. An infusion of umami from the broth and the ingredients cooked in it really bring out this prized wagyu’s incredible flavor!
If you’ve ever wanted to experience the great flavor of wagyu in shabu-shabu, Okaka Shinjuku is a fantastic place to start!
Wagyu roast beef rice bowl in Akihabara: Roast Beef Ohno
When a restaurant has a line of customers waiting around the block, that’s a good sign that something very delicious is on the menu. That’s definitely the case at “Roast Beef Ohno Akihabara.” Their signature dish, the “Kuroge Wagyu Roast Beef Don Set,” a rice bowl topped with premium wagyu roast beef, sells over 300 orders a day!
“黒毛和牛のローストビーフ丼定食（M）,” Kuroge Wagyu Roast Beef Don Set (Medium) 1,980 JPY (tax included)
The Roast Beef Don is a rice bowl overflowing with flavor, and can be enjoyed with a number of condiments. A set comes with horseradish to provide some kick, and a miso-marinated cream cheese that adds a sense of luxury to the dish.
You can also simply add rock salt to bring out the umami of the meat, and appreciate how it perfectly complements the runny egg yolk.
The line at Roast Beef Ohno Akihabara is well-worth the wait to try roast beef like you’ve never had it before!
An all-new way to try wagyu in Shibuya: Wagyū to Kome Miyoshitei
Located adjacent to Shibuya Station, “Wagyū to Kome Miyoshitei” is a must-visit for diners looking to experience wagyu in a new way. The restaurant’s signature dish is the “Japanese Wagyu beef Spencer roll meat hitsumabushi.” This wagyu dish is inspired by the Nagoya-style eel dish hitsumabushi, which is enjoyed plain, with condiments, and finally soaked in a flavorful broth.
“和牛リブロースひつまぶし,” Japanese Wagyu beef Spencer roll meat hitsumabushi 2,200 JPY (tax included)
As you can likely guess, Wagyū to Kome Miyoshitei substitutes wagyu beef for eel, and the result is an absolutely fantastic meal!
At Wagyū to Kome Miyoshitei, this dish really allows you to savor a full-course meal that unlocks the fine flavor of wagyu in different ways. A menu in English explains the different flavor combinations you can create, using wasabi, poached egg, and finally broth.
Because the restaurant uses wagyu with lighter fat content, it is particularly easy on the palate, allowing you to really savor a subtle sweetness and umami perfect for the broth finish.
For a memorable wagyu meal hard to find elsewhere, be sure to stop by Wagyū to Kome Miyoshitei in Shibuya!
Wagyu is a highly sought out delicacy that is sure to be on the gourmet wish-list of many travelers to Japan. Hopefully this guide will help you get started on visiting the many great wagyu restaurants in Japan, and introduce you to different ways to enjoy this delicious beef!
