The best Yakiniku restaurant that I encountered in Shibuya, Tokyo
Contents
-The best Yakiniku (BBQ) restaurant-
When I asked my friends from Tokyo, “Where do you think the best Yakiniku restaurant?”, most of them replied “Yuji in Shibuya!”…
You can encounter three things at Yuji: incredibly beautiful horumon (giblets), a dead serious owner, and nice customers who are incredibly happy to be here.
When leaving the restaurant, I was damp and felt “Wow! Today’s yakiniku was also superb.
Then I became absent-minded for a while.
You cannot forget Yuji once you feel fulfilled at delicious yakiniku here.
You will even feel affection for its smoky, hot, and uncomfortably small space.
I sincerely want to be a good customer and visit here regularly.
What features do good yakiniku restaurants have?
You can find the answer here.
Salted horumon
Shining, white horumon is beautiful.
Its fatty part is tender and its mouth-melting texture is the best.
The price is 680 yen so that it is the best value for money as well.
Deluxe row tan (beef tongue)
You can enjoy its perfect thickness, firm texture, and rich juicy flavor.
The price is 1,400 yen, the best deal ever!
Tail (Right)
It has rich and tasty flavors like lean meat. Therefore, my impression towards tail has completely changed.
This is the result of elaborate preparation.
1,800 yen,
Restaurant information
Tel: +81-3-3464-6448
Address: 11-1 Utagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Access: A ten-minute walk from JR Shibuya
Opening hours: 19: 00-23:30(L.O.) *18:30-23:30(L.O.) on Saturdays
Closed days: Sundays and public holidays
Price range: 5,000-7,000 yen (Credit cards not accepted)
Seats: 40 (including counter-seats 8)
Smoking allowed
Opened in 1990
Draft beer 530yen
Omakase (Chef’s selection) course: 8,000-10,000 yen
*Reservations are available only during the opening hours.
The second rotation for the tables will start around 21:00.
When it comes to Shibuya, Yuji is the place to go.
The owner Yuji started serving salted horumon eight years ago.
At that time, people couldn’t believe to eat salted giblets.
He is one of the pioneer of establishing horumon cuisine.
However, the restaurant inside is always smoky, hot, and uncomfortably small.
It is not easy and convenient space.
Even under such circumstances, customers are always smiling in the smoky restaurant.
Why did all yakiniku enthusiasts say “Yuji is the best!”?
The answer is horumon.
Sated horumon that oozes out its refined fat, elegant raw tan that is incredibly tender, hatsumoto (connective tissue and blood vessels between the heart and liver) that has a pleasant texture, and sensual sibire (sweetbread)….
Customers nod or scream in joy with each of tasty meat.
Efforts to enhance deliciousness.
Use the best ingredients.
At yakiniku restaurants, grilling meat, the most crucial part of cooking, leaves up to customers.
Therefore, Yuji will strive for preparing good conditions so that everyone can grill meat to make it tasty.
Preparation and cutting will vary depending on the meat part. The flavor of the same part will slightly differ based on the seasoning.
For examile, mino (rumen)
Strip cut when seasoning salt or sauce, thinly slice when seasoning ponzu (citrus-based sauce), and score the surface of meat when seasoning spicy miso based sauce so that the meat will be coated with the right amount of the rich-flavored sauce.
The owner Yuji himself will always prepare delicate meat part that will slightly vary its flavor depending on the conditions of that day, such as shimacho (large intestine), hatsu of red horumon, liver.
In addition, he developed a charcoal-grilled roaster so that everyone can grill meat well.
The roaster combines a grilling net that helps grill meat together with infrared light effect as if the meat was covered with the net and an iron plate that quickly scorches meat and seals its umami.
The roaster can be used in two ways: net and iron. They can be changed quickly based on the suitability towards the meat.
Preparation is completely done!
After its opening, the kitchen is completely dominated by the owner Yuji.
First, he arranges the flow of combination and flavors based on the customer and order.
Then, arrange two kinds of basic sauce and seasoning right before serving and quickly marinate meat with the sauce or seasoning.
He never prepares sauce in advance, because he wants to utilize flavors of garlic and ginger and arrange the sauce in accordance with the customer’s request, such as spiciness.
Delicious and reasonable!
Most of meat served at the restaurant costs below 1,000 yen even he has elaborately prepared.
“I want to keep the prices reasonable so that young people who don’t have much money, like I was at the age of 21 when I opened my restaurant, can come here.” said the owner Yuji.
That is another the best reason for “The more you visit here, the tastier meat becomes”
The owner Yuji” passion
I asked him, “How can you continue such hard work?” He replied with passionate gaze, “I want customers who like my restaurant to visit here regularly without losing their intrests.
The favorite flavor of each person will change as he or she gets older.
He wants customers who have eaten all menu items and loves his restaurant to visit here regularly forever.
He always wants to make customers satisfied.
His reply came from his motto “Response to customer’s seriousness with his sincere attitude.”
Therefore, if you visit here several times blindly, you cannot order “omakase (leave your order up to the chef).
Is this person really satisfied with my restaurant? Does this person seriously accept my restaurant?
The owner Yiji carefully looks at you from the kitchen
Therefore, if you like yakiniku, I recommend to start with classic menu items.
The restaurant’s warm atmosphere
Yuji will create a friendly atmosphere between meet lovers and the staff like they share the same values.
The restaurant where the staff always take care of customers until it is closed and the customers who lean forward to enjoy delicious meet by using their whole body.
Everyone is lively like the whole restaurant looks alive.
I suddenly noticed that the sense of unity at the restaurant due to smoky, uncomfortable small space helps customers enjoy yakiniku like a stage setting.