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Japan

Steakhouses in Tokyo

Tokyo's beef restaurants fall into three traditions: teppanyaki counters where a chef cooks Japanese Wagyu on an iron griddle in front of the guest, yakiniku restaurants where diners grill sliced beef at the table, and American-style steakhouses serving dry-aged USDA Prime beef.

Tokyo
Photo: Thomas Marban / Unsplash

Japanese beef dominates the city's menus. Most top restaurants serve Wagyu from the Japanese Black breed, often sold under regional brands such as Kobe beef (Tajima cattle from Hyōgo), Matsusaka (Mie) and Ōmi (Shiga), the trio commonly called the sandai wagyu. Carcasses are graded by the Japan Meat Grading Association: a letter from A to C for yield (A is above 72 % usable meat) and a number from 1 to 5 for quality, with marbling scored on the Beef Marbling Standard (BMS) from 1 to 12. A5 means yield grade A and quality grade 5, which requires a BMS of 8 to 12.

Teppanyaki, steak cooked on a flat iron plate, is credited to Misono in Kobe, which says it began serving steak this way in 1945. In Tokyo the style is concentrated in Ginza, Roppongi and hotel restaurants, and several counters specialise in one regional beef, such as Akita or Yamagata Wagyu. Yakiniku, of Korean origin, is found across the city; this list includes yakiniku houses from Hongo and Ichigaya to Minami-Aoyama and Nishi-Azabu.

American steakhouse brands arrived from 2007, when Ruth's Chris opened in Kasumigaseki; Wolfgang's, BLT Steak, Benjamin and Lawry's followed, and in 2021 Peter Luger opened in Ebisu its first restaurant outside the United States. These houses grill USDA Prime beef under high-temperature broilers and several dry-age it in house for about 28 days. Charcoal grilling over binchōtan, used at places such as Aragawa (opened 1967), links the steakhouse and the Japanese kappō counter.

Also in the city: large chains such as Ikinari! Steak, Volks, Sizzler, Outback Steakhouse and Morton's, and yakiniku groups such as Jojoen, Kintan and Ushigoro, which are not listed individually here.

Listed by name, never by payment or score. Facts last verified: 20 Oct 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where to eat Kobe beef in Tokyo?

Kobe beef is a certified brand of Tajima cattle raised in Hyōgo Prefecture. In this directory, Aragawa serves Tajima beef grilled over charcoal and Okadamae lists Kobe beef alongside Matsusaka, Ōmi and Sendai beef; teppanyaki counters in Ginza also serve it.

What does A5 mean on Wagyu?

It is the top Japanese carcass grade: 'A' is the yield grade (more than 72 % usable meat) and '5' is the quality grade, which requires a marbling score (BMS) of 8 to 12 on a scale of 1 to 12.

What is the difference between teppanyaki and yakiniku?

In teppanyaki a chef cooks steak and other ingredients on a flat iron griddle in front of the guest. In yakiniku the diners grill bite-size slices of beef and offal themselves over a charcoal or gas grill set into the table.

Do Tokyo steakhouses dry-age their beef?

The American-style houses do: Wolfgang's states about 28 days in a dedicated aging room and Benjamin at least four weeks; Peter Luger and BLT Steak also dry-age without publishing the number of days. Most Wagyu restaurants do not state an aging period.

Related

American chophouse