Best Yakiniku in Tokyo: 7 Tasty Havens of Grilled Delight

Toraji offers sumibi-yakiniku, barbecue cooked over a charcoal brazier set into the tabletop. Their beautifully marbled Japanese black beef is cut thickly in the Korean style, allowing even more opportunity to savor the rich bevy of beef flavors on parade. Meat connoisseurs will want to try their Ultimate Sampler, featuring a hearty combination of specially selected fillet meat, top sirloin, thickly-sliced salted beef, and specially selected skirt steak. Easily accessible from the west exit of Ikebukuro Station, this restaurant is recommended for groups as well as private parties.

Dinner: 5,000 JPY / Lunch: Varies

#2 Yakiniku no Meimon Tendan Akasaka

Akasaka restaurant Tendan is popular among both locals and businesspeople working in the area. Their signature boned beef ribs, each coveted cut larger than can be found anywhere else, are grilled quickly to sear in their meaty flavor and then served with a spicy, salty gochujang miso paste. The course menu includes the highly recommended “Two Kinds of Salt-Grilled Meat” dish, featuring a thick chateaubriand steak of Omi beef from Shiga prefecture, one of the top three kuroge wagyu beef brands in Japan, as well as thickly-sliced premium pork.

Dinner: 7,000 JPY / Lunch: 1,500 JPY
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#3 Yakiniku & Seafood Kaen

Conveniently located near the east exit of Shinjuku Station, Kaen is the place to go for grilled meat and seafood. Because Kaen orders its stock of high-quality A5-grade Japanese black kuroge wagyu beef cattle by the head, they offer premium meat—from rare cuts such as “top blade” and “chuck flap” and even the giblets—not easily obtainable anywhere else. Savor the unique differences in the flavor, marbling, texture, and aroma among these unique cuts of beef, each a coveted treasure worthy of being ranked among the best yakiniku in Tokyo.

Dinner: 3,800 JPY

#4 Matsunaga Bokujo Ginza

Yakiniku in Tokyo has never been more diverse than at Matsunaga Bokujo, where a grand total of 18 different courses for every taste, from parties of young women to important business dinners, are on offer. They purchase whole Japanese black beef cattle, certified in Shimane prefecture to be of the finest quality, cutting the meat only upon receiving an order. Their “Matsunaga Bokujo Selection” showcases a hearty array of their most popular cuts of meat, including extra-quality galbi (Korean-style beef rib), extra-quality beef shoulder, and Japanese beef skirt steak, which features enough masterfully-cooked meat for two to three guests.

Dinner: 5,500 JPY / Lunch: 1,000 JPY

#5 Yoroniku

Sourcing their beef from Hiyama, the renowned Tokyo butcher shop founded in 1912, Yoroniku proudly serves only the best yakiniku. In addition to featuring the high-quality meat and sauce indispensable to great yakiniku cuisine, the preparation of food and the speed of service all represent the essence of the Yoroniku restaurant brand. Be sure to try their signature dish, the “Silken Loin”, a piece of finely marbled beef that has been quickly seared and dipped in sauce, then wrapped around an exquisite ball of rice.

Dinner: 12,000 JPY / Lunch: Varies
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#6 Yakiniku Motoyama Shinjuku

Yakiniku Motoyama offers high-quality kuroge wagyu beef from Miyazaki prefecture, known for its excellent balance of lean meat and marbling. For diners who may find Japanese beef too rich or fatty, the “Lean Meat Jungle”—an item from the secret menu featuring a selection of five fresh cuts of lean meat varying daily—comes highly recommended. Meat is sourced via a trusted supplier, who inspects the beef from farm to market, painstakingly checking not only the quality of the food but also the transportation process and even temperature control. Their process proves that serving the best yakiniku in Tokyo requires both grilling prowess and exacting standards.

Dinner: 4,000 JPY
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#7 Kobe Yakiniku Kanteki

The Tokyo branch of Kobe yakiniku restaurant Kanteki, located in Shibuya, offers A5-rank black beef supplied not only from Kobe but all throughout Japan. Kanteki gets their beef shipped directly from top meat markets across the country, and sources black beef heifers for only the most tender and juiciest meat possible. The “Maboroshi (Illusion) Ribs”, an exceedingly lavish arrangement of grilled beef so fresh it could be eaten raw, comes highly recommended. This extremely fresh rib meat, just lightly grilled on the surface and tossed in raw egg yolk for supreme flavor, may have patrons believing that it is indeed merely an epicurean fantasy.

Dinner: 4,500 JPY
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Yakiniku in Tokyo Just a Click Away with Savor Japan

The best yakiniku in Tokyo can be experienced at restaurants throughout the city all offering a sumptuous taste of Japan’s finest domestic beef with each premium cut grilled to sizzling perfection. Of course the above list is only the first step in a larger culinary journey that, if followed to its natural conclusion, will lead discerning epicureans throughout the country’s metropolitan capital and beyond. Find an extensive guide to even more Tokyo yakiniku restaurants only at Savor Japan, where gourmands and the gastronomically curious can come for the news and the reviews—and stay for the food.

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