22Jul 10
I love my meats, and I love my Japanese BBQ or Yakiniku. There are many Yakiniku restaurants in Tokyo, but finding one that is well priced and has great cuts, well thats hard.
My favourite place is this small restaurant in Shinjuku. It’s a very local place, packed with locals and smokey. There are almost no foreigners there that I noticed. Don’t expect any of the waiters to speak English fluently. The younger staff may understand bits and pieces of the language, and sometimes, being in Shinjuku, there may be chinese immigrant waiters working there.
There is an English menu though, and you can ask for one. Though the descriptions may not be very clear for some. A hint, if you’re look for good ‘ol beef cuts and not any of the innards or weird stuff, then order the Cow Outside Skirt. 
As you can see from the pic above, it’s smokey! Which adds to the atmosphere. Just take note, you need to have a bath after to wash off the BBQ smell! lol.
This place lies in one of the many alleys in Shinjuku, a bit closer to the red light area. It’s not dangerous, so don’t worry. You can check out the google map below for clearer directions.
View Tokyo Foods in a larger map
Another popular place for locals to go for Yakiniku is the every popular Gyu-Kaku. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because they have a few outlets in Singapore, at Chijmes, UE Square and Holland Village. The outlets in Singapore are good would be the better places for Yakiniku in Singapore. But they are more premium and expensive than compared to the outlets in Japan. In Japan, Gyu-Kaku are more family friendly restaurants and are definitely cheaper.
The outlet I visited was in Shinjuku and because of the crowd, we had to book a day in advance. Or you can try going early. Gyu-Kaku can be found in nearly every suburb in Tokyo, yups, it’s that popular.
The BBQ is good, but I must say it does lack the atmosphere and maybe I’m being biased, but not as good cuts of meet than compared to the other Yakiniku restaurant. Below is a google map directing you to Gyu-Kaku, Shinjuku. Have a blast!
View Tokyo Foods in a larger map
Related posts:
