Kirakuen Review: A5 Wagyu Yakiniku Near Nippori Station, Tokyo (Tried by First-Time Visitors)

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Tried by two first-time visitors from France — every reaction from the guests who experienced this restaurant is on video.

Traveler checklist

Information may have changed since our visit — please check the official website for the latest details.

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About this review

We are a Japanese host team (YouTube: Amazing Japanese Food!) that takes real foreign visitors to restaurants across Tokyo and films the entire meal. Every impression you read here is the guests’ genuine, real reaction. This visit: two friends from France, in Japan on working-holiday visas. They had tried ramen, sushi and okonomiyaki, but never yakiniku and never wagyu. Every quote below is taken word-for-word from the video.

🥇 If you order only one thing: the premium three-cut platter

The restaurant’s premium (特上) menu board — the three-cut platter is the one to ask for.

Sirloin, zabuton and geta-kalbi — the restaurant’s three best cuts on one plate. When asked to rank everything at the end of the meal, one guest picked zabuton as the No.1 (“the one that impressed me the most”), the other picked sirloin (“the taste and the shape and everything — the texture”). Both No.1s are on this platter.

What to order at Kirakuen

Zabuton — the cut that “melted”

Zabuton, thick-cut and glistening over the charcoal. From our video (14:10)

A rare shoulder cut named after the Japanese floor cushion it resembles — you will rarely find it outside specialist restaurants. It is cut with scissors at your table and best eaten over rice. This was the emotional peak of our guests’ entire meal:

The moment it hit the tongue — “本当に噚まなくていい!” (14:50)

Sirloin — the butcher’s daughter’s No.1

Thick-cut A5 sirloin, marbling on full display. From our video (15:20)

Served two ways: first with sauce, then with salt, so you can compare. One of our guests grew up in a butcher’s family in France — her verdict carries some weight:

“ん〜! わお!!” — no words needed (17:05)

Geta-kalbi — save it for last

Geta-kalbi cubes over the flame — the juiciest cut in the house. From our video (18:30)

The juiciest cut in the house — which is exactly why the restaurant serves it last: eat it first and everything after would taste flat. It is thicker than the other cuts, so grill it slowly.

“本当に一番ジューシーだね!” (19:06)

Kalbi — the crowd-pleaser

Kalbi glazed in sauce — served unsauced first so you can see the freshness. From our video (10:47)

The kalbi arrives unsauced first so you can see the freshness of the meat — “Wow, they’re really good quality” was the reaction before it even hit the grill. Try it with just salt and pepper. One guest ranked it his No.3 of the day: “very easy to eat and very tasty.”

“すごすぎる!” — first bite of kalbi (11:48)

Wagyu loin with salt — the right first plate

Wagyu loin hitting the charcoal grill, salt only. From our video (5:45)

This is where the meal starts, and there is a reason it comes salted, not sauced: with salt, nothing about the meat’s color or quality can be hidden. Kirakuen buys only A5-grade wagyu at the market every morning, so they can afford the honesty.

“良かった!” — the first wagyu of their lives (7:03)

Harami (skirt steak) — and your turn at the grill

Harami up close — tender, marbled, sesame-flecked. From our video (7:38)

Tender, soft and more strongly flavored than the loin. This is also where our guests took over the tongs themselves — “you can be the chef.” If it is your first time grilling, staff set the pace with the first cuts and it is easy to copy.

Grilling it themselves, laughing through it (8:36)

Sides: Kiraku salad & kimchi-namul platter

The Kiraku salad — the house starter. From our video (3:36)

Start the meal like locals do. The house salad opens the meal, and the kimchi-namul platter (radish kimchi, cucumber, namul) keeps the grill courses company. If you like spicy food, the kimchi was the favorite here — “I think kimchi!”

The kimchi-namul platter (4:40)

To drink: Dassai sake

Kampai with Dassai — a full bottle for the table. From our video (10:01)

After a draft beer for kampai, the table moved to Dassai — one of Japan’s most famous sake brands, from Yamaguchi Prefecture. If you think you don’t like sake, this soft, sweet style is the one to test that theory on:

“すごく飲みやすくて甘い!” (10:13)

Watch the full visit

21 minutes, unedited reactions — from the first “kampai” to the final ranking. At the end of the meal: “It was actually one of the best meals I ever had in Japan”, “Honestly, I will be coming back with my family”, “We should bring everyone we know.”

Getting there & booking

The entrance on the street — look for the “KOBE BEEF YAKINIKU” sign. From our video (0:50)

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FAQ

Do you grill the meat yourself?

Yes — yakiniku is table-grill dining. Staff and our host helped with the first cuts; our first-timer guests grilled the rest themselves without any trouble.

How much should I budget?

Per person: around ¥1,000–¥1,999 for lunch and ¥4,000–¥4,999 for dinner. Rough guide only — confirm when you book. The lunch deal makes this one of the cheapest ways to try A5 wagyu in Tokyo.

Is it beginner-friendly if I know nothing about beef cuts?

Very. The picture menu includes a beef-cut diagram — as one guest put it: “I never understood which part I was eating before. Now I know.”

Is it far from central Tokyo?

No — Nippori is on the Yamanote loop line, about 10 minutes from Ueno and 25 from Shibuya. It’s also the Skyliner’s Tokyo-side stop, so it works well on your first or last night if you fly via Narita.

Restaurant information may have changed since our visit — please check the latest details on the booking site.

🗺️ Explore more: See every restaurant we’ve actually visited and experienced on the Japanese Food Map