YAKINIKU KINTAN Akasaka — Restaurant in Tokyo

It was a very special Saturday for my husband and me, because it was his Name Day (a Latvian tradition, like a birthday but for your name).

I found this restaurant on Tabelog with great ratings, and luckily, they had same-day availability. We made a reservation for 1:30 pm and we arrived on time. The restaurant was spacious and calming, with just enough tables to feel cozy without being crowded. We were seated at a lovely table and immediately felt welcomed by the warm atmosphere.

They offer several lunch sets, all including refillable soup, salad, and rice. My husband chose the Special Lunch “贅沢遅得ランチセット (Luxury Special Lunch Set)”.

I chose the Seasonal Lunch “さっぱり和牛赤身と国産秋野菜 - 大人の秋味焼肉セット (Lean Wagyu & Domestic Autumn Vegetable - Adult Autumn Flavor Yakiniku Set)”. I also swapped my rice for 明石産天然もみじ鯛と九条ねぎの炊き込みごはん (Akashi natural maple sea bream & Kujo green onion rice) to try something seasonal. On top of that, we received a complimentary Wagyu sushi from the restaurant app, a lovely surprise.

A small note: all weekend and holiday lunch sets require ordering at least one drink each, so we ordered two glasses of Tokyo Craft beer. The beer arrived first, small but beautifully fragrant and fruity. We savored it while anticipating the feast ahead.

The Wagyu sushi was divine, incredibly soft and melting in my mouth alongside the slightly chewy rice.

The soups were rich and comforting, filled with tender vegetables. The salads came with two dressing options: sesame oil and creamy sesame dressing. Both were tasty, but I preferred the sesame oil, light, refreshing, and full of flavor.

My husband’s set was a feast for the eyes and heart. We tried the クリームチーズキムチ (cream cheese kimchi) with 韓国のり (Korean seaweed) first, absolutely delicious. The creamy cheese paired perfectly with the flavorful, non-spicy kimchi and the crispy seaweed.

Then came the すき焼き (sukiyaki), 角煮 (braised pork), and メンチカツ (minced meat cutlet). The sukiyaki had a bold flavor that paired perfectly with rice, the tofu and beef tender and flavorful. The braised pork was melt-in-your-mouth soft. The minced meat cutlet was a revelation, crispy outside, savory inside, with just the right balance of meat and potato. We secretly wished for more!

The grilled beef, 牛バラ (beef short rib), KINTAN塩ハラミ (salted KINTAN skirt steak), and 黒毛和牛ツラミ (Black Wagyu cheek), was all wonderfully tender. Each bite, dipped in the sweet yakiniku sauce and paired with 温泉卵 (onsen egg) on rice, felt heavenly.

For my seasonal set, I began with the autumn vegetables. My favorite was the Hokkaido pumpkin, sweet, soft, and comforting. The Wagyu beef on my plate included 30-day aged KINTAN, prime skirt steak, Wagyu rump, sirloin, round, and chuck flap. Each piece was cooked to perfection by my husband: thicker cuts were bouncy and flavorful, thinner cuts tender and melt-in-your-mouth. My absolute favorite was the last piece, so thin yet perfectly balanced in fat and meat, it practically dissolved on my tongue. I could have eaten twenty pieces!

Just when we thought the meal couldn’t get any more special, the staff surprised us with a cake and a tall candle! We were delighted, it was such a thoughtful gesture. They even offered to take photos for us. The cheesecake was lovely, accompanied by fresh sorbet and fruit. I especially adored the sorbet.

Our lunch sets also came with dessert, a small, creamy pudding that was the perfect sweet ending.

We left the restaurant feeling joyful, full, and grateful. We highly recommend this place and can’t...

Tourist trap, foreigners get a special menu which is extremely overpriced and has only 3 options. The waiter insisted that there is no way to just pick exactly the type of meat I want. But then I saw a Japanese person next to me getting a normal menu with dozens of items on it.

So obviously the staff is just discriminating against foreigners, and their "English menu available" claim is a lie.

After I ordered the course, I had to wait a rally long time for every item, spent over 90 minutes and it was still not even halfway ready. Serving my table was clearly not a priority. They charged us around 100 USD per person and offered no discounts or even apologies. Very frustrating experience and a...

To be clear I didn't eat here so I can't rate the food - we asked for a table of 2 and were waiting and suddenly a waiter burst out laughing when he walked past looking at us (perhaps the maitre d made a comment) and then 4 other waiters and waitresses walked past and smirked also. Now the only thing I can think of is we were casually dressed and perhaps they didn't think we could afford it I'm not sure and I have heard of racism aganist foreigners, maybe it was innocent - either way it was unprofessional. We felt pretty uncomfortable and left after that. Just in case others have experienced...