北野天満宮 肉と庭 まつを - Wagyu Don MATSUWO - — Restaurant in Kyoto

Kinda bad for a small ‘wagyu’ beef place, run by a man and a lady. Firstly when we arrived at around 7.30pm, the shop was completely empty. We were warmly welcomed by the man and got our hopes up, but the lady serving us was the complete opposite. Did she have a bad day? But whatever. She told us it’s mandatory to order one drink per person during dinnertime — which was fair — however ¥400 for a cup of non-refillable hot black tea was nOT fair… Is black tea supposed to be expensive? Lady also did not bother to explain what each side dish presented was. Did not bother to smile. Did death-stared us when we were chatting and laughing though. The only two staff in the shop did not even interact and the atmosphere was coooold.

When the beef don came we opened the box and got disappointed immediately. See the photo, it did not look appetising at all and the first bite was a let-down… What wagyu? Wagyu striploin? Did they even marinate the beef? Tasted more like cheap beef, mostly tough and chewy. They only have wagyu beef set on the menu so how did they mess this up? Not sure where the other reviewers got the “melt-in-the-mouth” beef but ours were definitely not it. There are three of us. Three of us did not approve. ):

I attempted to take a good photo of a spoonful of rice and beef with their steak sauce (kinda nice red wine sauce) but you can tell there’s barely any redness on the beef. I took another photo without the sauce. Where’s the red ):

Only one word can describe this place!

PERFECT!

I really love this place. I could never go back to any wagyu don once I tried this. Once you try this place you set the bar really high.

First of all, the food of course. The food was amazing They gave a choice of how many grams of beef you want. Started from 80g, 120g, 140g, 160g, 200g. The cheapest price for 80g was around 3.1k yen. The most high one was 5k++ yen. They served it as a set meal with wagyu don, stew beef, soup, pickles, tea, matcha, and ice cream. So it was really worth the price. The wagyu don cook perfectly fine I could say medium rare. They have their home made sauce I think it was like teriyaki sauce I might be wrong tho hahaha.

The service was amazing, the time I went there only 2 people to handle customers. 1 cooked and 1 waiter. Although there were only 2 people they really took care of their customers. That is why they only accept by reservation. Once again ONLY RESERVATION. They are not accepting walk-in customers.

The ambience was perfect. It was prepared for the table but I asked them if we could change to the bar so that we can see how they cook the meat.

They also have beers from local Kyoto. You could try it. Personally, I like the one called Silky Weike it was smooth.

Overall, 10/10 I really recommend this place to whoever wants to...

My experience with Wagyu at this restaurant was truly a melt-in-your-mouth euphoria. I was impressed by the tenderness and depth of flavor, not to mention the quality of the Wagyu beef. The atmosphere of the restaurant is relaxed and the service provided by the staff is impeccable. In particular, I take my hat off to the skill of the chef, who has mastered the grill to perfection.

In addition to the quality of the meat, the wide assortment of accompaniments also complements the flavor of the Wagyu beef. Personally, I was very impressed with the fresh vegetables served with the tender Wagyu beef. Well worth it.

I definitely recommend this restaurant to those who want to enjoy Wagyu to their heart's content. It provided an unforgettable dining experience that makes me want to...