12 Best Steak Restaurants In Tokyo: Where You Can Taste The Most Delicious Beef Steak In Japan

Tokyo’s restaurant scene is very competitive, and several well-known eateries serve up delicious steaks, especially meals made with mouth-watering wagyu beef. Here are 12 best steak restaurants in Tokyo, from upscale hangouts to laid-back hangouts, and from long-standing eateries to just-launched ones.

While visiting Japan, don’t limit yourself to sushi; you must also experience the wonders of beef steak.

12 Best Steak Restaurants in Tokyo You Must Try

Kobe Beef Teppanyaki Hakushu

One of the greatest ways to taste Japanese Wagyu Beef is through teppanyaki, or grilling on an iron griddle in the Japanese style. Hakushu, a genuine Teppanyaki restaurant that opened in the 1960s, serves exquisite Kobe meat, the highest-rated Wagyu beef in Japan. The restaurant has been included in the rankings several times and was awarded first place for “Best fine dining restaurant in Japan” by Tripadvisor in 2016.

Hakushu, a genuine Teppanyaki restaurant that opened in the 1960s, serves exquisite Kobe meat, the highest-rated Wagyu beef in Japan. (Source: Internet)

This family-run restaurant provides great Wagyu Steak prepared in the most genuine manner in a cozy ambiance with friendly and attentive service. Patrons may order Kobe beef fillets, squid and shrimp at this restaurant, pairing them with reasonably priced wine to complete the meal. Remember to make a reservation for your table in advance because the restaurant is quite well-known.

  • Address: 17-10 Sakuragaokacho MCD Bldg. B1F, Shibuya 150-0031 Tokyo  (Shibuya Station is a 4 minute walk away)
  • Times: 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM
  • Phone number: +81 3-3461-0546
  • Price: around 8,000 Yen to 15,000 Yen (~$60 to ~$114)

Gyuan

Ginza, Tokyo’s toughest and most cutthroat gourmet neighborhood, is where this long-standing restaurant is located. This steakhouse is in the traditional Japanese manner, and is able to provide high-quality Kobe Beef meals at extremely reasonable costs.

Ginza, Tokyo’s toughest and most cutthroat gourmet neighborhood, is where this long-standing restaurant is located. (Source: Internet)

You may choose a multitude of beef meals, including hamburg, shabu-shabu, steak, and sukiyaki, so decide how you want your beef cooked. Kobe beef steak is available for just around 1000 Yen during lunchtime.

  • Address: 6-13-6 B1F Kakyoshokokai Bldg, Ginza, Chuo 104-0061 Tokyo
  • Time: 11:30 AM – 2:15 PM; 5:30 PM – 10:00 PM
  • Phone number: +81 3-3542-0226
  • Price: 1,000 Yen to 8,000 Yen (~$8 to ~$60)

Kawamura

Kawamura is not only a well-known steakhouse in Ginza but also throughout Tokyo. This restaurant is located on the ground floor of a tiny structure. Here, meat is cooked and hardened but when you slice and chew them, the umami flavor permeates throughout your tongue, yet it is refreshingly chilling. It has developed into an extremely famous restaurant in recent years and is inundated with bookings.

Kawamura is not only a well-known steakhouse in Ginza but also throughout Tokyo. (Source: Internet)

Hiroyuki Kawamura is notable for his Western-influenced culinary techniques and strict adherence to provenance. Wagyu tartare is as silky as pure silk, the clear, rich beef consommé is astonishing in its flavor, and the blushing steak is so soft you might also cut it with a spoon.

  • Address: 6-5-1 Burioni Ginza Bldg. 8F, Ginza, Chuo 104-0061 Tokyo
  • Time: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM; 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM (closed on Monday)
  • Phone number: +81 50-3476-2270
  • Price: average of 10,000 Yen to 30,000 Yen (~$75 to ~$226)

Lawry’s The Prime Rib Ebisu

It is part of the Lawry’s restaurant chain, which has the first Los Angeles establishment with a focus on prime rib that opened in 1938. Thickly sliced “Prime Rib” (roast beef) is the restaurant’s signature dish, which combines perfectly with the unique sauce.

Thickly sliced “Prime Rib” (roast beef) is the restaurant’s signature dish, which combines perfectly with the unique sauce. (Source: Internet)

The dimly lit inside atmosphere is made pleasant by the use of brickwork and old furnishings. Lawry’s The Prime Rib Ebisu is a place where you may enjoy a fantastic ambience that is appropriate for celebrations and dates.

  • Address: 4-20-3 Ebisu Garden Place Tower B2F, Ebisu, Shibuya 150-6090 Tokyo
  • Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM; 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
  • Phone number: +81 3-5488-8088
  • Price: 7,000 Yen to 15,000 Yen (~$53 to ~$114)

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The Steakhouse

The Steakhouse is a genuine American-style restaurant situated on the third floor of the ANA InterContinental Tokyo, one of the most opulent hotels in Tokyo’s Roppongi district. The steakhouse features a cozy and friendly atmosphere for both Japanese and foreign customers thanks to the idea of “The Neighbourhood Steakhouse.”

The Steakhouse is a genuine American-style restaurant situated on the third floor of the ANA InterContinental Tokyo, one of the most opulent hotels in Tokyo’s Roppongi district. (Source: Internet)

Steaks, burgers, seafood, side dishes, and salads are just a few of the options available on the restaurant’s menu, which also has other meals made using seasonal delicacies and well-chosen ingredients. The Steakhouse’s hallmark dish is undoubtedly steak, as the name indicates. A wide variety of meats are served at the restaurant, including high-quality, top-notch domestic and foreign beef, and tasty dry-age beef. The best beef cuts are grilled over charcoal to bring forth the most flavor and taste.

  • Address: 1-12-33 Ana InterContinental Hotel Tokyo 3F, Akasaka, Minato 107-0052 Tokyo
  • Time: 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM; 5:00 PM – 9:30 PM
  • Phone number: +81 3-3505-1111
  • Price: 3,000 Yen to 10,000 Yen (~$23 to ~$75)

Ikinari Steak Shinjuku Nichome

With more than 100 branches around Japan, Ikinari Steak is an extremely popular franchised steakhouse restaurant. Ikinari Steak offers several cuts and grades of steak meat that are purchased by the gram. All mouth-watering steaks placed on an iron plate will whet your appetite!

With more than 100 branches around Japan, Ikinari Steak is an extremely popular franchised steakhouse restaurant. (Source: Internet)

It’s one of the top steakhouses in Tokyo, serving premium steaks at affordable prices. One of their most famous branches is located at Shinjuku, a popular tourist attraction which has the busiest streets in Tokyo.

  • Address: 2-5-11 Shinjuku Senju Shinjuku Bldg, Shinjuku 160-0022 Tokyo
  • Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM
  • Phone number: +81 3-6273-2929
  • Price: 2,000 Yen to 5,000 Yen (~$15 to ~$37)

Kobe Beef 511

One of the famous spots in Tokyo to taste the best Kobe beef is Kobe Beef Kaiseki 511. The greatest Kobe beef, graded A5 (the highest), is served in a variety of ways, including steak, shabu-shabu and sushi.

The greatest Kobe beef, graded A5 (the highest), is served in a variety of ways, including steak, shabu-shabu and sushi. (Source: Internet)

You can order the sukiyaki meal to taste the meat in a more classical way. But, their kaiseki menu, which features Kobe steak in practically every course, is much more fascinating and swoon-worthy. Also, there are steak options that can rank among your most delicious steak dining experience.

  • Address: 4-3-28 Dear Plaza Akasaka, B1 – Akasaka, Minato 107-0052 Tokyo
  • Time: 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM; 5:30 PM – 10:30 PM (Mon – Fri)
  •            6:00 PM – 10:30 PM (Sat); closed on Sunday.
  • Phone number: +81 3-6885-0511
  • Price: around 3,000 Yen to 20,000 Yen (~$23 to ~$150)

Trois Fleches

Trois Fleche is located in Ginza 8-chome. Only the finest cuts of beef are chosen, and they are expertly cooked over Kishu Binchotan charcoal. The restaurant aims for optimizing the delectability of the steak and has grown to be well-liked with a steady stream of patrons. We suggest that you should enjoy the steak with wine.

The restaurant aims for optimizing the delectability of the steak and has grown to be well-liked with a steady stream of patrons. (Source: Internet)

You may choose from five different sirloin and tenderloin beef from Kagoshima, Iwate, and a few other prefectures at Trois Fleches. If you want to taste various parts, they also let you share. Then, you decide which one or two appetizers you’ll eat with the steak.

  • Address: 8-2-8 2F Ginza Takamoto Bldg, Chuo 104-0061 Tokyo
  • Time: 11:00 AM – 03:00 AM (Mon – Sat)
  •           11:00 AM – 10:00 PM (Sunday)
  • Phone number: +81 3-3572-0003
  • Price: 30,000 Yen to 50,000 Yen (~$226 to ~$377)

Shima Steak

A restaurant called Shima is tucked away in an office building’s basement. The owner chef and his wife, who are kind and hospitable, run it. Although being tiny, the restaurant’s atmosphere is really friendly and cozy.

The restaurant has an innovative method of roasting beef using a massive, unique steak furnace kiln which baked the meat on the skewers. (Source: Internet)

The restaurant has an innovative method of roasting beef using a massive, unique steak furnace kiln which baked the meat on the skewers. The higher stage is a design that will catch fire using electric heat, while the lower level is a charcoal fire. Enjoy the greatest steak, fine wine, handmade bread, and a mouthwatering dessert for a perfect dinner.

  • Address: 3-5-12 Nihombashi MM Bldg. B1F, Nihonbashi, Chuo 103-0027 Tokyo
  • Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM; 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM (Mon – Sat)
  • Phone number: +81 3-3271-7889
  • Price: 13,000 Yen to 20,000 Yen (~$98 to ~$150)

Steak House Pound Ginza

The highly rated Steak House Pound is well known for its premium Japanese beef. In the center of Ginza, the restaurant launched its first branch in Tokyo. The restaurant provides high-quality wagyu beef from carefully raised cows on the Hiramatsu Farms in Kagoshima Prefecture.

The restaurant provides high-quality wagyu beef from carefully raised cows on the Hiramatsu Farms in Kagoshima Prefecture. (Source: Internet)

The restaurant serves it “black and blue beef” which is a technique of cooking the steak very fast at high heat, keeping the exterior seared crispy and the interior staying juicy and rare. This gives guests the opportunity to experience the delectable flavor to the fullest. The rich flavor and scent of the steak will surely please guests’ palates.

  • Address: 5-9-5 Cheers Ginza 8F, Ginza, Chuo 104-0061 Tokyo
  • Time: 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM; 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM
  • Phone number: +81 3-6274-6869
  • Price: 2,000 Yen to 10,000 Yen (~$15 to $150)

Ginza Hirayama

The owner, Mr. Hirayama, is a student of Mr. Kawamura of the renowned steakhouse “Kawamura.” He has a cheerful manner. The ideal cutting method greatly enhances the meat’s taste. Even the flavoring of salt and pepper is reduced to a minimum, letting you completely appreciate the foods’ natural flavors.

Hirayama san will always purchase whatever is the greatest regardless of provenance or gender. (Source: Internet)

Hirayama san will always purchase whatever is the greatest regardless of provenance or gender. The tenderloin is among my favorite meals ever. It is very juicy and astonishingly soft, unlike Sirloin, which melts in your tongue. So much so that using a fork to cut the steak made the offered knife unnecessary.

  • Address: 7-17-1 1f, Ginza, Chuo 104-0061 Tokyo
  • Time: 11:30 – 14:00; 17:30 – 23:00 (closed on Sunday)
  • Phone number: +81 3 6264-0688
  • Price: 5,000 Yen to 15,000 Yen (~$38 to ~$114)

Yakiniku A Five Toku Ginza 8chome

YAKINIKU A Five Toku Ginza 8Chome is located a 6 minutes walk from Ginza Station on the Tokyo Metro and a 4 minutes on foot from Shimbashi Station. The huge window was the first thing we saw when we stepped inside the restaurant. On the ninth level, diners may enjoy stunning views of the sprawling city of Tokyo.

YAKINIKU A Five Toku Ginza 8Chome is located a 6 minutes walk from Ginza Station on the Tokyo Metro and a 4 minutes on foot from Shimbashi Station. (Source: Internet)

One of the most well-liked dishes of this restaurant is Yakiniku A5-rated Japanese Black wagyu.  Four different types of meals are available: 90 or 120 minutes plus, with or without unlimited drinks. Each meal includes all-you-can-eat rice, side dishes, salad, soup, desserts and noodles in addition to A5-rated Japanese Black wagyu.

  • Address: 8-3-1 Ginza Tokiden Bldg, 9F, Ginza, Chuo 104-0061 Tokyo
  • Time: 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM; 5:00 PM – 12:00 AM
  • Phone number: +81 3-6228-5929
  • Price: around 3,000 Yen to 10,000 Yen (~$23 to ~$76)

FAQs

1. What is Kobe beef and Wagyu beef? Are they different?

Japanese Black, Japanese Shorthorn, Japanese Brown and Japanese Polled are the four breeds (or strains) that make up the term “Wagyu” which refers to “Japanese cow”.Only Japanese Brown and Japanese Black Wagyu are distributed beyond Japan, and Japanese Black constitutes more than 90% of all Wagyu beef.

What, then, is Kobe beef? The fact that Kobe beef is also a type of Wagyu beef. The Tajima variety of fullblood Japanese Black cow, bred in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture, provided this meat.  Kobe is actually the name of the city that serves as the Hyogo Prefecture’s capital.

2. Why is Kobe beef more expensive than other types?

Kobe beef is regarded as the priciest and most sought-after beef in the world, with individual servings sometimes costing more than $200. Kobe beef starts to cost approximately $300 per pound in Japan. It can cost $50 per ounce in the United States, whereas other Wagyu that is not Kobe Wagyu can cost only half as much. How come? Kobe steak has the largest marbled out of all the beef in the world, including all Wagyu.

If a Wagyu meets the following criteria, it is Kobe beef:

  • A bullock or a young cow
  • Born and raised on a farm in Hyogo Prefecture
  • Meat was processed in Hyogo Prefecture
  • BMS marbling grade of 6 or above on a scale of 12
  • Overall meat quality score of 4 or better out of 5
  • A maximum total weight of 470 kg

Pure Kobe beef is quite hard to get when compared to these standards. The truth is that just 3,000 Tajima cattle annually are recognized as Kobe beef, and because there aren’t any USDA-approved slaughterhouses in Hyogo, only 0.06 percent of the meat consumed in Japan comes from Kobe beef. Because it’s so precious and hard to find, Kobe beef is usually very expensive.

3. What grade is Japan steak?

The grade is another crucial wagyu quality factor. Frequently, grades like “A5” will be printed on a restaurant’s menu or signboard. Grades are granted by the Japan Meat Grading Association, and this classification corresponds to a global system.

The “yield grade” denoted by letters ranging from A to C, describes how much premium meat each cow produces—naturally excluding skin and major organs. The A grade is the highest that may be achieved.

This letter is followed by a number between 1 and 5; it stands for “quality grade.” Marbling and brightness; meat firmness and texture; meat color and luster; and richness of fat are the four factors that define how excellent the quality grade is.

As a result, A5 is both the highest and most premium grade of Japanese wagyu beef. Knowing the basics of the wagyu grading system will be quite beneficial when deciding on a restaurant or what to eat.

4. Why is Japanese steak so pricey?

The cost of Japanese beef is influenced by a variety of factors. Japan’s terrain often restricts the quantity of land that can be used for agriculture, making its cattle sector significantly less than that of the United States.

Japanese farms often breed from 10 to 100 cows, which is a considerably fewer quantity than the thousands of cows on other feedlots. This enables farmers who have spent their life growing these special cattle to personally care for and carefully watch over every Wagyu cow. Also, Japanese cows are fed on an exceptional, high-energy meal for more than 600 days.

This method of caring for cattle is extremely specialized and unlike domestic methods in many ways. Under such meticulous and careful breeding, there is no doubt that Japanese beef is always top quality. That’s also the reason why Japanese steak is so expensive.

5. What is Japan’s top three beef?

The top three wagyu brands in Japan all come from the Kansai region, namely Matsusaka Ushi, Kobe Beef, and Ohmi Beef. Although all of these wagyu brands can trace their ancestry to Tajima beef, a Japanese Black cow subspecies originated in Hyogo Prefecture, they each have a distinctive flavor.

6. How much is a steak in Tokyo?

A satisfying meal at a steakhouse in Tokyo usually costs around 8,000 to 30,000 yen for a medium quality steak. A single steak made from higher quality beef, specifically Kobe beef, may cost up to $400 in the US or $200 in Japan. But, you can also get high-quality beef in Kobe at midday for less than $50 per person, therefore the cost of Kobe beef in Japan is often lower than half that of other countries.

7. What is the best way to enjoy a steak?

The ideal way to eat a steak, according to chef Michael Lomonaco, is rare to medium rare. The finest way to cook beef is medium rare because it gives the meat its greatest and purest flavor and enables for a charred exterior and cool interior. The texture and taste of the meat begins to suffer at any temperature higher than medium-rare.

Conclusion

Japanese Wagyu Beef always attracts patrons by its freshness and excellent flavor. Here are our carefully selected 12 best steak restaurants in Tokyo that have the best wagyu steaks, as well as some great Western steak options. Take note of their addresses and drop by anytime when you visit Tokyo.

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About Haruto Suzuki

Haruto Suzuki is a senior food and drinks blogger at Question Japan. He has a background in F&B industry and also experience of running his own Japanese restaurant in Tokyo for over 10 years. Therefore, he has a great knowledge of Japanese cuisine. So if you want to discover Japan through its unique traditional cuisine, Haruto Suzuki’s blog will be a great source of information for you.

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