All hail Yakiniku – What is it, and how can you enjoy it on a budget

If you are a long-time reader of the blog, you may have seen me refer to Yakiniku many times in passing. Today I wanted to write a piece explaining what it is and how you can enjoy it at different price points. First, what is it? Most of the time, Yakiniku is an interactive experience where you are the chef. You will be seated at a table with the grill at the centre. You can usually order in a few ways depending on the restaurant. But it will nearly always be you cooking your cuts of meat, vegetables and ordering in sides of your choosing. Yakiniku is fun, and I really enjoy the experience. People in Japan will splash out for special occasions, and many of my students have said they love going to yakiniku for their birthdays.

Yakiniku at its core is that you are the chef and you cook the food to your liking. There are many different experiences that can elevate this style of eating, and I will do my best to cover the most common. I will cover the high, mid and all-you-can price points, all-you-can-eat vs course menus and even explain that there are some yakiniku places which do the cooking for you too. Often with yakiniku, the option to have all-you-can-drink is included, and this makes things even more fun. You can order on the menu without worrying about the bill stacking up, as the price is fixed.

For the higher-end price points, the likelihood is that you will receive a menu featuring courses or individual cuts of high-priced meat that you can order portions from. The high-end yakiniku places are rarely all-you-can-eat, but there are some exceptions. If you do find an all-you-can-eat high-end option, prepare for the bill to reflect the quality. In Kobe, I ticked off my dream of trying Kobe beef at a course Yakiniku restaurant that offered a tower of selected cuts of pricey Kobe beef. At each step were four pieces of pristine wagyu with beautiful marbling. This experience cost around 22,000 yen for two people and is still on the lower side for Kobe beef; it was a treat for my first birthday in Japan. And it is an experience I will always remember. For those who have not had Wagyu, the experience is mind-blowing. In the UK, I hated beef; often it was tough and chewy, which resulted in me hating the experience. But Wagyu is not this, its buttery, melts in your mouth and is full of juice and flavour. It is worlds apart from the beef of my childhood.

Admittedly, I grew into a steak snob, and I started to learn about the differences between cuts and how quality really matters.

Some high-end Yakiniku restaurants will do the cooking for you often because the cut is so expensive they don’t want you to mess up. And because they are pros who know exactly how long to cook each piece for and how to enjoy each bite, bringing out the meat’s full flavour. So, the key takeaway from high end – Quality is insane; sometimes they will cook for you; all-you-can-eat at this price point is rare; you will probably feel the amount you eat was very little. At this price point, the drinks are often sold individually too. High-end Yakiniku is an experience as opposed to eating till you're full; think of it like the fine dining of the Yakiniku world. I have experienced an All-you-can-eat Saga beef place at this price point, for 20,000 yen for two people. It came with a big steak of Saga beef, which was out of this world, but after that, the Saga beef on offer was smaller cuts only. The menu offered tons of other cuts of domestic beef, which were all very tasty. But it wasn’t solely Saga wagyu.

There is a place in Saga City which is even more pricey than the two I have listed, but you hopefully by now realise the top of the Yakiniku world is very expensive, especially when dealing with pure-breed wagyu. The highest end could see you hit 80,000.

So, stepping down from the once-in-a-lifetime on very special occasions, we high midpoint. This is where your all-you-can-eat starts to appear more frequently. One of my favourite midpoint experiences was in Okayama; there is a chain of Yakiniku places which are all paired with butchers. The cuts are very good quality and change depending on what the butcher has in stock. I ended up going back for a lunch experience because I was very impressed with the quality of the meat. There was a huge array of sides that could be ordered, a dessert bar, all-you-can-drink, and plenty of variety for those wanting to try pre-cooked local cuisine. All-you-can-eat is one of my favourite ways to enjoy Yakiniku. You can select a course to match your budget. For those on a budget, you can enjoy lunch courses for less or even opt for lower-priced courses, which allow you to endlessly order from lower-priced cuts.

For midpoint, a lot of the high-end restaurants will offer cheaper lunchtime courses, so don’t fear that you will never try Kobe beef; there are many lunch options which cater for budgets whilst still bringing the quality. You will likely only get a set number of slices to enjoy. For lunch courses at midpoint, you will likely select a course which will include several cuts of the local wagyu, some vegetables, rice and maybe a miso soup. These are set features, so you know what you are getting. These options can be restrictive, but some places are flexible. I am not a fan of tongue, and many places have happily catered to me and swapped that cut for another.

For those on a budget or lower price points, all-you-can-eat is very common; again, a selection of courses will be on offer. They will usually tell you how many items are on each course so you can decide which suits you best. Often, the highest-priced course will only add a handful of extras being the best cuts of meat. The lowest courses will fill you up and allow you to enjoy more reasonable prices. It is possible to eat Yakiniku all-you-can-eat lunch for around 3000 yen. I will be writing a blog on my two go-to All-you-can-eat restaurants soon. If you are staying in Japan for a while, I would advise checking out the main chains and downloading their apps; many offer coupons and stamps for customer loyalty.

Yakiniku offers visitors the best way to enjoy the local Wagyu, domestic beef, vegetables and side dishes for each prefecture. Many prefectures have their own local Wagyu, and they all taste different. For those who are foodies, this experience is a must-do. There are usually extensive side options and even dessert! Yakiniku all-you-can-eat is my preferred way to enjoy this style; I love trying many different cuts and being able to compare them. I recently found out that Tottori has amazing wagyu that I have really fallen in love with. The flavour was buttery and mild, and every cut was a huge win.

What better way to celebrate exploring a beautiful country than to treat your family or friends to yakiniku and bond over the experience of cooking. Yakiniku teaches you to cook and about food safety, but it always helps you find which cuts of meat you really like. If we ever meet, let’s enjoy an amazing meal of Yakiniku!