Nikuya no Daidokoro Ueno is right in front of Exit 5b of Ueno Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.

The main attraction for this restaurant is the all-you-can-eat A4- and A5-ranked Japanese beef. The Premium Wagyu Finest Course is very popular with tourists. Each of the 100 items, including the A4- and A5-ranked Japanese beef, are all-you-can-eat over the span of 2 hours, and are only 6,000 yen (excluding tax)! There isn’t space here to cover all of them, so here are a few of the best menu items.

The photo below shows a typical menu of the Premium Wagyu Finest Course!

The meat is beautiful, and you will be excited just seeing it.

Upper row
・ Specialty thickly cut beef tongue
・ Seafood platter (squid, shrimp, scallop)
・ Wagyu Aitchbone "rock" steak

Middle row
・ Japanese beef sukiyaki - meat with egg
・ Assortment of 3 Japanese black beef (Japanese beef special ribs, Japanese beef top ribs, butcher's ribs)
・ Mixed rice

Lower row
・ Long Beef Tongue
・ Jar-pickled harami

The specialty of Nikuya no Daidokoro is the 3 Japanese black beef platter of A4- and A5-ranked Japanese-style beef. The two wagyu beef ribs in front are the butcher's ribs, and the wagyu beef ribs are in the back.

Just watching the meat cooking on the iron plate is sure to satisfy you. Meat juices ooze out, and after a while, a layer of transparent fat forms on the surface of the meat. This is how you know it's the perfect time to turn the slice over and continue grilling. After turning it, give the slice a little more time to cook before eating. Voila, cooked to perfection.

Using this same approach for thinly sliced meats works perfectly, too! If you have never done yakiniku, you should definitely give it a try.

Here is what the meat looks like when it is done grilling.

My first bite melted in my mouth. That's how soft the meat is! It tastes great with the sweet tare dipping sauce, and you can have as much rice as you want with your Kalbi short ribs. The Kalbi Platter is one of the items on the Recommended Teppanyaki section you should consider ordering.

Next up is the Aitchbone "rock" steak. It may be hard to believe, but thick meat that you would eat at a steak shop is included in the all-you-can-eat menu. As shown in the picture, it is about 2 cm thick. If you were unsure, Aitchbone is the meat near the rump area of the cow.

It is even more impressive on the grill. There aren’t many steak restaurants where you can eat meat that's so thick.

For thick cuts like this, it is best to grill each side thoroughly first, then cut into smaller pieces using the meat cutting scissors and tongs that are provided, and then finish grilling these slices up.

Similar to the ribs, the delicious taste of the melting fat is outstanding. However, rather than the meat melting in the mouth like rib meat, it has a good chewy texture.

Personally, I like Aitchbone because you can enjoy the delicious taste of Japanese beef and have a chewy texture. Either way, I am surprised that such delicious meat is included in the all-you-can-eat menu...!

Here is an introduction to the next type of meat using photos.

Bibimbap is what I want to eat at the end. Crush the egg and mix the sweet sauce and namul leaves well before eating - it's superb!

You can order all-you-can-drink-alcohol to all courses for an additional 500 yen (excluding tax). When you go to Nikuya no Daidokoro, be sure to order this with your meal!

The most important thing to remember is the meat parfait. When you request a meat parfait at the time of reservation, a beautifully arranged meat tower will be included for free. It's a very powerful and exciting dish!

Also, when you place your meat parfait order, you can get a custom message card that you can tailor to whatever you want to say. It's the best treat for your family, friends, or partner. Be sure to order the Meat Parfait when you go to Nikuya no Daidokoro!

In addition to the Nikuya no Daidokoro Ueno store, the Nikuya no Daidokoro Ueno Park store opened in December 2019. The Ueno Park store has a chic and peaceful interior. There is a private room that can accommodate from 2 to 30 people.

We recommend the Nikuya no Daidokoro Ueno store for friends and family and Nikuya no Daidokoro Ueno Park for dates with romantic partners or business partners. Nikuya no Daidokoro is where you can eat the finest A4- and A5-ranked Japanese beef to your heart's content!

The Wagyu Tabehodai Nikuen Ueno restaurant is about a 4-minute walk from Ueno Station. This is a trendy shop where you can enjoy the highest quality Japanese beef at a reasonable price.

The most popular is the all-you-can-eat A Course, where you can wholly enjoy the finest Wagyu beef such as short ribs, Wagyu beef loin, and tongue. What is truly amazing about this course is its low price! There are 85 all-you-can-eat dishes including Japanese beef for only 3,980 yen (excluding tax).

Since it is one of around 10 other yakiniku shops that are directly managed by a meat wholesaler, you can enjoy high-quality meat at a low price. It truly is an outstanding opportunity for meat lovers.

See the photo below! The following is a typical menu of all-you-can-eat A course.

You will fall in love with the high-quality Japanese beef.

Upper row
・ Ishiyaki Bibimbap
・ Korean spicy cold noodles
・ Negi-tongue with salt

Middle row
・ Japanese beef loin
・ Wagyu beef ribs
・ Harami (skirt steak)

Lower row
・ Short rib
・ Specialty tongue
・ Stewed beef tongue

In addition to Wagyu beef ribs, Wagyu beef loin and upper skirt steak can also be ordered as a special version that's been marinated in a special tare sauce. The meat tastes great, so it's perfect with a side dish of rice!

In this way, the meat is presented in a compact format for grilling.

The meat while being grilled.

Wagyu Kalbi is very soft. The fat of the beef melts in your mouth. It's soaked in a dipping sauce, so it's delicious even on its own!

Like Kalbi, the skirt steak and Wagyu beef loin are soft and easy to eat. Each time you taste the skirt steak, the umami of the meat spreads over your mouth. Wagyu beef goes well with the tare dipping sauce and also is delicious with rice.

There are other items to order with meat. One of them is the famous marinated short ribs!

You'll be overwhelmed by how much you get. The marinated short ribs come in a dish. We will grill it ourselves!

Since it is finely scored with a kitchen knife, the tare sauce will seep between the fibers. When the surface is properly cooked, cut it with scissors and grill a little more for the inside to cook. Once done, be sure to enjoy this treat while it's hot.

Cut the grilled meat like this.

The way the scored meat cooks while grilled gives the surface a crispy mouthfeel, while the inside is juicy and very soft. It's thick meat, so it's a bit chewy, but it has a smooth taste and you can fully enjoy the distinguished flavor of fine Japanese beef.

There are so many delicious items that we can't go into depth about them all - but let's touch on some of them in photos.

This is called "ichigo hime," or "strawberry princess." When I cut it with a fork, there was condensed milk stuffed inside! The strawberries are frozen, so your mouth will be totally refreshed. The tartness of the strawberries and sweetness of the condensed milk match, making it perfect for a refreshing treat.

In addition, you can also enjoy the Meat and Wine Marriage at Nikuen Ueno. There is an image that Korean liquor such as makgeolli is offered at a yakiniku restaurant, but since the restaurant's owner likes wine, he also started offering wines that go well with yakiniku.

Yakiniku that goes well with wine is on the menu! It's something of a novelty. For wine lovers, be sure to order the recommended wine with Yakiniku.

In addition to the meat offerings on the menu, the side menu is also amazing. Almost all dishes are Nikuen handmade originals and not available at other stores. The "beef tongue burger" on the side menu is also very popular!

The last restaurant on our list is Gyu Star Ueno. It's a conveniently located 5-minute walk from Ueno Station. The recommended dish is the Gyu Star Course (4,280 yen excluding tax). You can enjoy all 48 all-you-can-eat dishes, including Japanese black beef from Sendai / Yamagata!

First of all, please see the photo! The typical dishes that can be ordered in this course are described below. I was excited even before I ate them. They are introduced from left to right below.

Upper row
・ Kimchi
・ Seafood platter: squid legs, oyster, scallop, mussel, shrimp

Middle row
・Vegetable platter: eggplant, sweet pepper, shiitake, sweet potato, pumpkin
・Bibimbap
・Lamb
・Kalbi Gukbap
・Korean pancakes (chijimi)

Lower row
・Ox tongue
・Assorted meat 1: Japanese beef rib, loin, pork rib
・Meat platter 2: Tontoro (fatty pork), chicken thigh, pork belly

The characteristic feature of the Gyu Star course is that you can fully enjoy not only meat but also Korean dishes such as Kalbi Gukbap and chijimi. It’s fun to enjoy yakiniku and Korean food at the same time! This is a very nice course for those who order it.

Among the Gyu Star courses, the most recommended are the beef ribs and loin. Wagyu beef ribs are on the front with the beautiful marble, and red meat on the right is the loin.

Wagyu beef ribs have a gorgeous marble to them, so you can fully enjoy the deliciousness of the natural fats in the meat. The melting point is so low that the meat will melt in your mouth. And for a delicious twist, be sure to try it with the moderately sweet, special soy <tare|i@> sauce as well. It's a dish you'll feel like you can enjoy with unlimited portions of rice.

Contrary to what it looks like, loin is very soft and you can fully enjoy the juicy, natural full-flavor of the meat and its fats. I felt that the meat quality was exquisite and irresistible for meat lovers. Personally, loin was the most delicious!

Beef tongue is the most delicious after Wagyu ribs and roast. It has a good elasticity and the taste of meat spreads around your mouth as you chew. The tangy lemon tare sauce is an excellent addition!

Speaking of yakiniku, every time the fat of roasted meat drips from the grill, it sizzles and makes a delicious juicy sound. Cooking and eating meat in this way at Gyu Star is such a lovely experience. Ah, even the time waiting for it to reach grilled perfection is also a moment of bliss.

Finally, as a dessert, vanilla ice cream will be provided free of charge. The rich vanilla ice cream was a perfect match for me after eating the meat. The portion size is just right.

Enjoy the finest Japanese beef from Tohoku at Gyu Star! We especially recommend Wagyu beef ribs and loin.

We introduced all-you-can-eat yakiniku where you can fully enjoy Wagyu. When you visit Japan, of course, you will want to try the delicious sushi, but I also encourage you to enjoy the delicious and tender, finest Japanese beef! These are some perfect restaurants to try it out at.

There are many other recommended yakiniku restaurants around Ueno Station. Here are some recommendations from our editors. Please drop in after visiting Ameyoko and the museums.

Written by Narikawa Sayaka, Dali Corporation