Yakiniku Fufu-tei: Ikebukuro Station East Gate, is, as its name suggests, conveniently located just 1-minute from the east gate of Ikebukuro Station. This 5th floor all-you-can-eat yakiniku paradise is directly run by a meat wholesaler, so you know you’re getting the good stuff fresh!

Their spacious restaurant has semi-private booths and Japanese-style tatami rooms, providing a comfortable atmosphere to gorge freely on their massive menu! And with a touch-screen tablet ordering system, all your dishes will be brought to you! The tablet’s language can be easily changed to English or Chinese.

We recommend Fufu-tei’s thrifty 2,980 yen (+ tax) All-You-Can-Eat course! With a selection of 95 different dishes and a 2-hour time limit, it’ll be sure to satisfy even the biggest appetites! Along with a classic Korean BBQ, you can order sukiyaki, fresh salads, vegetables, seafood, kimchi, rice, noodles, and even desserts! Definitely don’t eat anything before coming!

One of the highlights are the thickly-sliced meat chunks. Weighing at 150g a piece, you can enjoy these juicy slices of heaven from all kinds of cuts, including tenderloin, rump, and even tongue!

Speaking of tongue, Fufu-tei’s most famous item is the ‘Giant Cow Tongue,’ which boasts huge pieces of tongue sliced from the very back to the tip. They are served with three kinds of additional flavoring; ‘salt-grilled lemon,’ ‘spring onion and garlic tare,’ and ‘savory salted kombu.’ Fufu-tei pride themselves on ensuring their flavorings and sauces are as plentiful as their food!

When asked how to best grill meat, Fufu-tei’s manager responded: “put your meat on the grill and don’t touch it. Once the side being cooked begins to drip, flip it over!” This technique removes the excess fat, grilling the meat to a juicy and tender perfection!

We also recommend the ‘Makanai Gohan,’ which was devised initially to feed the restaurant staff during or after their shift and wasn’t available to customers! This photogenic and unusual dish has been recently blowing up on Japanese social media, so don’t miss out!

Best of all, unlike many all-you-can-eat menus, everything is extremely high-quality and fresh! There will be no next day regrets! Apart from the yakiniku classics, the salads and desserts incorporate unique seasonal ingredients, so don’t hesitate to venture outside the meat menu.

Fufu-tei is such a great place for yakiniku in Ikebukuro - you're sure to enjoy stopping by!

Current anti-COVID-19 measures:
Restaurant, facilities, and equipment are thoroughly disinfected, sanitized, and cleaned. Tables, chairs, etc. are disinfected after each customer. Disinfectant spray is provided. Restaurant is well-ventilated. Coin trays are in use. Staff wear masks, wash hands, sanitize, gargle, and check temperatures. Customers feeling unwell are refused entry. Customers are required to wear masks.

Established in 1995 in Tokyo’s classy Ebisu, Yakiniku Toraji paved the way for yakiniku across Japan. They have expanded to 3 outlets in the Ikebukuro area alone, one of which is the renowned JR Ikebukuro West Gate Outlet, just a minute’s walk from the station.

Presenting both casual counter seats and tables, the day’s best cuts are presented on a blackboard hanging on the wall. A relaxing, yet refined atmosphere, each table is separated by an elegant bamboo screen, making for a classy way to ensure social distancing and allow privacy.

The menu allows for customers to select their desired items individually or choose from a course, which start from 5,500 yen (+ tax) for 12 items. In addition to Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean menus are available.

Their all-you-can-eat course is limited to Tuesdays only! Costing 5,000 yen for 90 minutes (last order at 75 minutes), it’s far from the cheapest option in town, however, the quality of the dishes are second-to-none. After you order, you’ll be presented with a salad and two plates of meat.

The first of the plates boasts a lineup of unique high-quality cuts all thickly sliced to a bulky perfection. These are all intended to be fried and served with tangy tare sauce.

On the second dish is a mouth-watering lineup of tongue meat, fatty pork, seafood (often shrimp or squid), sausage, and more! As this is an all-you-can-eat course, you’re free to order as many rounds as you like; however, your plate must be completely empty! You can combine these dishes with anything else from the all-you-can-eat menu, which includes kimchi, namul, Korean lettuce, soup, rice, bibimbap, and other meat dishes! Finish it off with a helping of sherbet ice cream for dessert and you’ve got yourself a satisfying dinner!

The ‘Offal Set,’ is an assortment of 4 kinds of animal innards that change depending upon the day’s delivery. When we visited, the set included cheek meat, offal, liver, and tripe. While this may not be for everyone, the soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture will surely delight!

The restaurant is fixed with charcoal grills, filling the space with that mouth-watering BBQ smell sure to whet your appetite! Each kind of meat has a different cooking method, so feel free to ask the staff for their expert advice!

Meticulously sourced ingredients of the highest quality – that sums up Yakiniku Toraji! If you’re in town, the renowned Toraji wagyu is served on the 29th of every month, so make a note in your diary! This wagyu comes from Toraji’s own pioneering Toraji Farm, where Japanese black cattle are lovingly raised in safe and hygienic conditions. Definitely check it out!

Current anti-COVID-19 measures:
Restaurant, facilities, and equipment are thoroughly disinfected, sanitized, and cleaned. Tables, chairs, etc. are disinfected after each customer. Disinfectant spray is provided. Restaurant is well-ventilated. Coin trays are in use. Staff wear masks, wash hands, sanitize, gargle, and check temperatures. Customers feeling unwell are refused entry. Customers are required to wear masks.

If you’re longing for a taste of premium wagyu, Reika offers a range of extremely high-quality cuts for an unbelievable all-you-can-eat price! A 3-minute walk from Ikebukuro’s North Gate (on the west side), Reika, run by a chief hailing from Mongolia, is full of welcoming and hearty vibes!

Their all-you-can-eat set starts at just 1,980 yen and boasts meat ranked at least A4. Depending on the course, carefully-selected premium A5 wagyu from Japanese Blacks is available, along with numerous other cuts. Each menu tier gives you a bigger and better range, with 2,980 yen, 3,980 yen, 4,980 yen courses available (all + tax).

The most popular selection is the 2,980 yen tier, which flaunts a whopping 80 menu items including the famous ‘Tsubo Galbi.’ The 3,980 yen tier, which treats customers to an additional 10 items, including a wagyu Korean BBQ set, is also well-received. All courses are limited to 120 minutes.

As introduced above, Reika’s hottest menu item is the ‘Tsubo Series.’ Meat is soaked in Reika’s secret sauce in eloquent Japanese tsubo pots, creating tender and juicy strips packed with flavor! Such an exquisite dish is rarely found on the average all-you-can-eat menu, so don’t wait around!

Japanese children also adore the salted tongue meat, which is included in the 3,980 yen menu.

Naturally, the best is saved for the 4,980 yen course. This includes the ‘Thickly Sliced Choice Tongue,’ a rare delicacy of which only two slices can be sourced per animal. Delicately sliced to preserve the quality, its thickness is balanced by its soft and juicy texture. The owner’s pick!

Along with the all-you-can-eat menu, items can be ordered à la carte. For the daring, ‘meat sushi’ made from perfectly marbled melt-in-your-mouth chuck flap is a must-try!

To yield the best flavors, Reika employs specially-ordered high-grade charcoal produced from wood of the kishu mikan tree. From the meat to the sauce, and even to the flame, Reika has every detail covered!

Current anti-COVID-19 measures:
Restaurant, facilities, and equipment are thoroughly disinfected, sanitized, and cleaned. Tables, chairs, etc. are disinfected after each customer. Restaurant is well-ventilated. Coin trays are in use. Staff wear masks, wash hands, sanitize, gargle, and check temperatures. Customers feeling unwell are refused entry. Customers are required to wear masks.

* The information in this article is as of November 2020. The information provided is subject to change, so please check the official website of each store for details.