A Long-established Yakiniku (Japanese-style Grilled Meat) Restaurant for Savoring Kobe Beef and Japanese Black Wagyu to Your Heart's Content

Beautiful marbling, a melt-in-the-mouth texture, and a rich umami that spreads the more you chew. What awaits at "Yakiniku Motoyama Honten" is carefully selected A5-grade branded Japanese Black wagyu, centered on Kobe beef. Top-quality meat can be savored here at a reasonable price—about 60% of what high-end restaurants charge.

Supporting that deliciousness are the discerning eye and the technique of professionals who know meat inside out. The ideal thickness and way of cutting differ with each cut and its condition. Picturing even the texture of the very first bite, the butchers judge the state of each piece and cut it carefully by hand, drawing out the full appeal of the meat.

Devoted to wagyu alone since its founding. Making the most of having a meat wholesaler within its group of companies, the restaurant manages quality consistently from purchasing through to serving. As an authorized dealer handling Kobe beef stamped with the "Nojigiku (Japanese wild chrysanthemum)" crest, it is a place where the genuine taste can be enjoyed close at hand.

The dish to try above all on a visit is "Niku Renga (Meat Brick)," the signature item of Yakiniku Motoyama Honten. A dish of striking impact, in which a bold block of meat resembling a brick is grilled with flair. After the whole surface is lightly seared, the staff cuts it into easy-to-eat pieces. Yuzu kosho (citrus-pepper paste) sauce, wasabi salt, and the house special sauce let you enjoy the flavor changing as you go.

The No. 1 favorite, "Kobe Beef Short Ribs," charms with its rich umami and the sweetness of fat grilled to a fragrant finish. Not to be missed either is the "Akami Ushi (Lean Beef) Assortment of Three Cuts," which offers the rare cuts momoshin (a core cut of the round), tenderloin, and kuri (a cut from the shoulder).

Furthermore, "Benkei (named after a legendary warrior monk)," available only at the main branch, is a lavish plate arranged with seven popular kinds of meat, including Kobe beef short ribs, outside skirt, and innards. From the classics to the rare cuts, it is a lineup that meat lovers cannot resist.

To take in all the appeal of Yakiniku Motoyama at once, the "Kiwami (Ultimate) Course," filled with popular menu items, is recommended. It is a course that lets you enjoy plenty of the restaurant's proud meat dishes, such as the specialty "Niku Renga (Meat Brick)" and the "Akami Ushi (Lean Beef) Assortment of Three Cuts," which gathers rare cuts.

A la carte dishes and dishes to finish the meal are just as extensive. The "Large-cut Sirloin Nigiri Sushi," which lets you taste the umami of Japanese Black wagyu directly, is a generously sized nigiri sushi made lavishly with top-quality meat. The umami of the wagyu and the refreshing heat of wasabi go beautifully together, making it a gem with a deliciousness a little different from yakiniku (Japanese-style grilled meat). There is also the "Stone-grilled Garlic Rice," whose aroma whets the appetite, and the "Sudachi (a small green Japanese citrus) Cold Noodles" with its refreshing tartness—a selection that keeps the meal enjoyable right to the end.

About a 1-minute walk from JR Okachimachi Station. Inside, a wide variety of seating is provided, beginning with table seats, along with relaxing sunken kotatsu (low table set over a recessed floor) seats and private rooms for 2 to 8 people. It can be used for a broad range of occasions, from meals with family and friends and business dinners to group gatherings.

The meat served is Kobe beef, whose quality is valued right from the environment in which it is raised—blended grain feed, pasture grass grown on contracted farms, and water from the Rokko mountain range. Hygiene is managed thoroughly from production through delivery to the restaurant, creating an environment where carefully selected meat can be enjoyed with peace of mind.