For travelers in Japan looking to enjoy yakiniku, chain restaurants are a convenient and reliable choice. These establishments are often located near train stations, offering easy access and consistent quality, thanks to their bulk meat sourcing. Options range from high-end Wagyu to affordable, hearty servings, with all-you-can-eat deals and solo dining setups becoming increasingly popular.

Yakiniku chains feature a variety of meats and side dishes, with a self-grilling approach for a personalized experience. Many have also modernized with touchscreen ordering and mobile apps, often including grilling instructions and multilingual support for a seamless dining experience.

The options listed below are also listed on Gurunavi.com, a popular online restaurant guide and reservation platform in Japan and LIVE JAPAN's parent company. Gurunavi provides comprehensive information about a wide range of restaurants across the country, including details about their menu, prices, location, and hours of operation. The platform is particularly useful for travelers, as it offers an English version and often includes photos and reviews, making it easier to choose where to dine.

We will now introduce 13 recommended yakiniku chain restaurants located throughout Japan. Each of them offers top-quality meat and is perfect for enjoying with family and friends. So, if you have plans to visit these areas, be sure to check them out!

Gyukaku is a prominent yakiniku brand with over 600 locations across Japan. They pride themselves on their selection of high-quality black Wagyu beef sourced from across the country by reliable Wagyu professionals. Each piece is meticulously hand-cut to ensure optimal freshness, allowing you to indulge in black wagyu beef fat’s rich, umami flavor.

One of Gyukaku’s most recommended features is their selection of all-you-can-eat courses. There are three courses available: the 70-Pc. All-You-Can-Eat Course (3,278 yen), the Gyukaku 90-Pc. All-You-Can-Eat Course (3,938 yen), and the Indulgent 100-Pc. All-You-Can-Eat Course (5,368 yen). Notably, the Indulgent 100-Pc. Course allows you to enjoy premium items like salted beef tongue, bone-in prime ribs, and upper skirt steak at better prices than ordering a la carte.

Menus include English and Chinese translations, as well as photos, making it easier to order, too!

Jojoen is a high-end yakiniku chain primarily located in Tokyo. Skilled experts carefully select and use cuts of meat based on Jojoen's rigorous standards. Their menu includes classy dishes such as the Jou Negitan Yaki (Grilled Tongue), a beloved choice throughout Japan, featuring top-quality salted beef tongue so tender you can it with chopsticks. Another popular choice is the Harami Yaki (Grilled Skirt Steak), which is super soft and recommended for children, and the Akami Roast (Sirloin), offering the rich flavor of lean roast beef.

Some Jojoen locations offer live piano and harp music, pair seating, and other romantic touches for customers' special moments, enhancing the dining experience beyond a mere meal.

Menus are available in English, Chinese, and Korean. You can find Jojoen locations throughout Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka, Hokkaido, Okinawa, and other areas across Japan.

Shichirin Yakiniku An-An lives up to its name by being safe, secure, and affordable (all possible meanings for the word “an”), making it an ideal place for casual yakiniku dining. They prioritize quality standards and manufacturing through their central kitchen, ensuring consistency in high-quality offerings across all locations. They currently operate around 170 branches throughout Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi, Hokkaido, and Okinawa.

Amongst their highly recommended dishes is the An-An Kalbi, a balanced cut of lean marbled beef slowly grilled over charcoal. An-An’s all-you-can-eat course starts at 2,530 yen. There are also two 100-minute all-you-can-drink options: 1,430 yen for alcohol and only 500 yen for soft drinks.

Prices and menu offerings may vary by branch, which you can check via the touch panels at each location (available in English). Touch panels also display the remaining time left for all-you-can-eat sessions.

Gyushige uses its expertise, cultivated since its establishment, to procure rare parts that are difficult to secure in quantity from domestic or overseas sources and then offer them at reasonable prices. The restaurant uses charcoal grilling with high far-infrared effects with fine grates to remove excess fat, all in an effort to ensure customers enjoy delicious yakiniku.

The Gyushige Course (3,619 yen) is another must-try, which allows you to enjoy the top five signature items of the restaurant, including King Ribs, Dragon Deji Kalbi (Pork Ribs), Aburi Sukiyaki Kalbi, Do Desu! Sirloin, and Andes Highland Sirloin, all available in an all-you-can-eat format. You can also enjoy the luxurious Domestic & Selected Beef Deluxe Assortment (4,389 yen), featuring favorites like Salted Beef Tongue and Top Ribs.

The menu is available in English and Chinese. Gyushige has branches in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, and Yamanashi. The JR Oimachi Ekimae branch also allows consultations about vegetarian options or menus tailored to specific countries or religions, so be sure to ask when making reservations.

Yakiniku-ya Sakai is a popular chain amongst families, offering a range of reasonably priced dishes beyond yakiniku. Embracing a family-friendly approach, the restaurant provides kid’s menus and aprons, while the warm, wooden Japanese-modern interior design allows diners to enjoy their meals in comfort from any seat.

Their reasonably priced party courses (for groups of three or more) include the Manzoku Course, priced at 2,300 yen. This course offers a total of 10 dishes, including thick-cut ribs and steamed Choshu chicken. There’s also a 90-minute all-you-can-drink option for 1,400 yen. Be sure to indulge in their popular desserts, too, like the Sakai Special Tsubo Pudding!

Yakiniku-ya Sakai has 55 locations nationwide, spanning from Hokkaido to Nagasaki Prefecture. The Kanto Region is home to ten locations, including one in Shinjuku Kabukicho, while the Kansai Region has eleven, including one in Ichijoji, Kyoto. The touch panels in the shops can also be switched to English for added convenience.

Yakiniku Heijo-en prides itself on offering A5-grade black wagyu beef and other carefully selected delicacies, all served with warm and attentive hospitality.

The restaurant presents a variety of high-quality meats, including Kobe beef, Chateaubriand, and other premium cuts, alongside exceptionally fresh and delightful innards, which will all leave flavor dancing on your tastebuds. Amongst their popular menu items is the Ajikurabe (3,960 yen), which allows you to savor 9 varieties of rare Japanese beef cuts.

We also recommend the Wagyu Beef Course and the Special Wagyu Beef Course, both offering a choice of two types of Wagyu beef for an exquisite Japanese beef-tasting journey. There’s also an extensive selection of over 30 wines and sakes to complement the authentic Wagyu beef. Enjoy the rich and exquisite flavors that true Wagyu beef has to offer!

Daishogun specializes in top-tier yakiniku, offering carefully prepared, finely-marbled, and delectably sweet Wagyu beef. Their meticulous preparation includes hand-cutting the meat and manually seasoning it with a secret sauce to bring out its original flavors, demonstrating their commitment to taste. Their diverse menu showcases fresh and high-quality ingredients, earning them high praise.

We recommend trying their assortment platters, such as the "Two Kinds of Sirloin and Premium Harami Assortment" (4,048 yen). You’ll also want to try the Yamagata Pork Toro, raised in the open air.

Their branches span various regions, from their home in Chiba to Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa, and the Chubu Region. While they don’t have multilingual menus, their menu features photos, so you can point or use translation apps to order.

Shokudoen was founded in 1946 in Sennichimae, Osaka. It was the first restaurant in Japan to devise a unique sauce for each part of the meat, and was also the first in the world to introduce smokeless roasters.

Indulge in Shokudoen's finest yakiniku with the Kuroge Wagyu Beef and Isoyaki Course (18,000 yen). This lavish course not only offers top-quality black beef, like special fillet Chateaubriand, special sirloin steak, and premium brisket, but also includes lobster, tiger prawn, and abalone, ensuring a sumptuous journey from appetizer to dessert.

Their official website is available in English and Chinese, as are their menus. They operate 12 stores in the Kansai Region, mainly in Osaka City, as well as in Nara Prefecture.

Yakiniku Rikimaru offers reasonably priced, high quality ingredients procured through its own channels cultivated over many years of experience. Their commitment to freshness also means no frozen or processed meat is served.

Artisans at the restaurant hand-cut the meats according to type and section, resulting in an unparalleled texture that practically melts in your mouth. The Standard 90-min All-You-Can-Eat Course is priced at 3,278 yen, while the Premium 90-min Course (3,828 yen) offers an array of specialties like salted beef tongue, loin steak, and a 4-Specialty Assortment.

Additionally, to finish up your yakiniku experience, a variety of ice cream flavors—vanilla, chocolate, and green tea—are offered, often enjoyed by locals after a yakiniku meal.

Menus are available in English, Chinese, and Korean, while the Namba Minatomachi store in Osaka also employs staff proficient in each of those languages. There are eight locations in Osaka, including in Sennichimae, Dotonbori, Nankai Namba, and Umeda Doyama.

Yakiniku-tei Rokkasen is a restaurant dedicated to the highest quality meats and top-notch hospitality. They source the finest Japanese black beef from across the country, serving only the freshest, most succulent, and flavorful cuts.

Amongst the many courses, we recommend the "Snow Banquet" (11,000 yen, tax not included). In addition to the all-you-can-eat menu, other options include Yakiniku, Yakiniku & Shabu-Shabu, and Yakiniku & Suki-Nabe. For an additional 2,500 yen, guests can indulge in all-you-can-eat boiled crab.

The interior is carefully designed to provide a relaxed atmosphere in an intimate setting. Private dining rooms are also available, which offer night views of Shinjuku. Tablet-style menus are placed at all seats, and are available in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Thai. English-speaking staff are also available, and there are two locations in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

All-You-Can-Eat Wagyu Beef Hall Nikuya Yokocho is a butcher shop-inspired yakiniku restaurant where guests can indulge in an array of meats, all displayed in the showcase. Operating through two branches—the Udagawacho branch in Shibuya and the Akihabara branch—the restaurant sources all their high-quality beef from a single source.

To ensure optimal meat quality, each part is slowly cured in an in-house factory, then cut into individual pieces by hand before being delivered to each restaurant.

The way it works is to select your meat (as much as you want) directly from the showcase, specifying whether you’d like it cut, marinated, or prepared in a particular way before bringing it to your table.

The Akihabara branch offers two all-you-can-eat courses: the Wagyu Mamire Course, which includes all-you-can-drink soft drinks, and the Wagyu and Sake Mamire Course with all-you-can-drink alcohol and soft drinks. Although menus are available in Japanese only, you can ordering by simply pointing to what you want in the showcase.

Niku-en prides itself on using only the highest-grade beef, typically A5 or A4, carefully selected based on marbling quality and meat texture. This premium Japanese black beef offers not only incredible taste but rich aroma and texture, all of which you can now enjoy at an affordable price.

One of their specialty dishes is the “Tsubo 4 Kyodai,” serving tsubo ribs, skirt steaks, innards, and grilled pork belly. The "85-DIsh All-You-Can-Eat B Course" (4,378 yen) also includes some must-try meats, like Kurogi Wagyu ribs and beef tongue.

The restaurant's interior features stylish decor, adorned with pop paintings and illuminated by chandeliers, creating a cozy and welcoming ambiance.

English and Chinese menus are available. The Shinjuku branch offers menus in English, Chinese, and Korean, and has English-, Chinese-, and Korean-speaking staff. Along with the Niku-en Shinjuku branch, there are also affiliated Hormone Yakiniku-En branches in Shinjuku Kabukicho, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, and Nakano.

Osaka Yakiniku Minami offers a carefully curated selection of daily cuts for maximum meat flavor. Sourced directly from Japanese beef wholesalers, their selections promise outstanding taste at affordable prices.

They offer a wide variety of dishes, including chateaubriand tongue and sashimi, as well as Kuroge Wagyu beef. We recommend the "Yakiniku Minami Rare Beef Cuts Course” (4,500 yen), featuring popular dishes like thick-cut tongue.

Counter seating is also available, something you don’t normally see in yakiniku restaurants, allowing guests to watch the cooking process up close as they savor their meal.

In addition to the Umeda branch, there are three other affiliated locations: Yakiniku Lab Umeda Branch, Yakiniku Lab Namba Branch (for all-you-can-eat yakiniku), and Yakiniku Gang Umeda Branch (for all-you-can-eat wagyu beef yakiniku). Official websites and menus are available in English, Chinese, and Korean.

Japanese yakiniku chains allow you to enjoy high-quality, delicious meat with versatile courses that you can choose according to your preference, allowing guests to enjoy the finest Japanese beef and all-you-can-eat courses featuring a diverse array of delectable dishes.

So if you find yourself unsure of where to eat yakiniku during your Japan visit, be sure to refer back to this article!

Information in article as of October 2023. Please see official websites for the latest updates and information.

English translation by: Krys Suzuki