Sumibi Yakiniku Nakahara

Yakiniku is one of my favorite things to eat in Japan, and Tokyo has an incredible number of places to choose from. Sumibi Yakiniku Nakahara is on the ninth floor of the GEMS building in Ichigaya, Chiyoda, a little way from the most touristy neighborhoods. Dinner here turned out to be one of the visits that stood out most on the trip, and it's a place I'm happy to recommend to anyone who wants to eat truly top-tier wagyu. Sumibi Yakiniku Nakahara is a yakiniku restaurant in Ichigaya in central Tokyo with a focus on wagyu. Sumibi means charcoal, and hand-cut meat grilled over charcoal is exactly what everything revolves around. The restaurant has about 40 seats and sits in the upscale, pricier end of Tokyo's yakiniku scene. You can sit at the bar for an extra fee, and then you get to watch the meat being prepared up close. The place is also known for its fillet katsu sando, a breaded fillet in a sandwich that many people come here for in particular. We had the Standard course, Nakahara's own original menu, which includes what's called phantom tongue and several offal cuts. Everything was at a fantastic level, and you can tell they only use the very best ingredients. The meat is cut by hand and grilled over charcoal, and the combination of great produce and precision lets every piece shine. The much-talked-about fillet katsu sando also lived up to its reputation, a really enjoyable dish that's worth trying if you're here anyway. We paid about 28,000 yen, plus 4,000 yen per person for the bar seats. It's not a cheap dinner, but I still think it's very good value given the quality and the whole experience. Sitting at the bar is something I strongly recommend. There you see the chef prepare the meat right in front of you, and you can talk to him during the evening. It makes the dinner more personal than at a regular table and gives you a better understanding of how careful they are with every detail. Everything felt well thought out, and you can tell they care about the whole experience and not just the meat. Sumibi Yakiniku Nakahara is exclusive and expensive, but you get a lot for your money, and for me it was one of the real highlights of the trip. My tip is to pay a little extra for a bar seat, go for the original menu with phantom tongue and offal, and make sure you get the fillet katsu sando. If you like wagyu and meat grilled over charcoal, this is worth a detour in Tokyo.