Yuina’s Favorites—Meat. Meat. And More Meat! Where to Go for Lunch or Dinner in Umeda

Konnichiwa!
I’m Yuina Deguchi from the idol group NMB48.
Whether I’m working hard, or studying hard, or even keeping a clean house, I like to reward myself with something special to eat. How about you?
In this post, I’d like to show you some of my favorite wagyu restaurants in Umeda. They’re just a little bit special so you can feel a little bit luxurious.

Rare? Or well-done? Cook it just the way you like it! Hamburger steaks and rice

From JR Osaka Station, you’d take the central exit (toward the Daimaru Umeda department store), and as soon as you enter the basement look to the right. Here you’ll find a restaurant run by a butcher called Nagata Hamburg, which specializes in hamburger steaks and freshly cooked rice. Enjoy their delicious 100% minced beef hamburgers that you grill and eat at the table.

First, you order at the ticket vending machine and they’ll bring your meal to you right away! The motto seems to be fast, cheap, and delicious. It’s a perfect lunch spot for working people or anyone in a rush☆

The hamburger steaks come in small oblong patties that you cooked to your taste.
This was my first time eating here, so I was excited to get cooking. I placed it on the iron grill right away!

Thoroughly heat it…

Once you’ve cooked it as you like, remove it from the grill and place it on your plate. Add your favorite condiments and enjoy.
They offer 6 types of condiments: wasabi, miso peanuts, mustard greens, doubanjiang bean paste, curry salt, and mustard mayonnaise. The restaurant manager recommended the miso peanuts with doubanjiang bean paste. I, personally, liked the mustard greens.

As if that weren’t enough, there are some other flavor additions! Try the three types of sauces available at your table (soy sauce, salty dressing, and ponzu sauce).
The special house-made salty dressing really stood out, compared with the soy sauce and ponzu. It’s made of salt, sesame oil, and pepper giving it a rich and delicious flavor that was a perfect match for the hamburger.

To finish your meal, put the hamburger steak and egg yolk on top of your rice, and enjoy this decadent bowl of rice with egg☆ It is absolutely delicious!

This hamburger steak made of shank meat is chewy and delicious!
With only a few additional ingredients: breadcrumbs, salt, and eggs, you can really taste the meat’s natural umami and richness.
Rice refills are free, so balance your meal nicely with the first bowl of rice accompanied by salad and hamburger steak, and your second bowl topped with egg.
I really enjoyed this restaurant because you can eat the hamburger steak in so many different ways.

6 types of meat sushi at OKITAYA in Umeda’s Higashi-dori

Enjoy the 6 fabulous types of meat sushi at OKITAYA’s Umeda Higashi-dori location
OKITAYA’s Umeda Higashi-dori restaurant is located inside the Hankyu Higashi-dori shopping street, about a 10 minute walk from the entrance. The street is lined with of restaurants, karaoke bars, and other fun spots. OKITAYA is on the second floor of a building, and the entrance is so small you might miss it. So keep your eyes open!

Yakitori, meat dishes, seafood… the restaurant has about 40 to 50 items on the menu. But their specialty is the meat sushi, which they have been serving since they opened!
Once you are seated, you fill out the order sheet. There is an option to order the house recommendations for meat sushi too.

There are 6 types of meat sushi, so I tried them all. What a luxury!

Look at that! It’s so beautiful!
Here are the 6 varieties: topped with sea urchin, topped with salmon roe, lightly broiled meat, horse meat, fatty meat, and salted beef tongue!
I wasn’t sure which one to eat first, so I started with my favorite—horse meat.

Mmm! The texture is amazing! The ginger has a good kick and goes well with the meat.
I love that everything is the perfect size to eat in one bite♪
Sprinkle fresh lemon juice over the tongue. The flesh isn’t stringy or tough at all, so it’s very easy to eat.
The fatty meat is topped with plenty of wasabi. It’s smooth and melts in your mouth!

The restaurant’s most popular dishes are the tongue, fatty meat, and horse meat! My top three favorites were the fatty meat, horse meat, and meat topped with salmon roe.
It seems that OKITAYA gets a lot of customers who are trying meat sushi for the first time. And there is no way they wouldn’t fall in love with something as delicious as this meat sushi! Everything I tried was absolutely amazing.

For lunch, there is also an all-you-can-eat meat sushi course, but it is only available for three parties per day. So if you are interested, please make your reservations from their official website!

We also recommend courses such as the all-you-can-eat lunch including meat sushi (from 2,178 yen)!

A relaxed atmosphere and choice cuts of meat at Yakiniku no Gyuta in LINKS UMEDA

Yakiniku Gyuta Honjin is located in the restaurant area on the 8th floor of LINKS UMEDA, which is conveniently located near Osaka Station. The restaurant features a very relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere. Seating options include floor-level kotatsu tables with sunken space to comfortably put your legs and private dining rooms. So it’s a perfect choice for couples, families, and even entertaining business guests!

The restaurant purchases fresh whole cow wagyu from areas famous for high-quality beef, like Hyogo, Hokkaido, and Miyazaki. Because they purchase the whole cow, this means you can enjoy a variety of meats here, including rare parts that are hard to find elsewhere.
When I visited, I ordered a colorful platter that included choice salted beef tongue, fatty pork, skirt steak, top sirloin, and short ribs.

How pretty! The marbling is beautiful and the meat is so vibrant.
I asked the staff for some advice and they recommended to first coat the meat with beef tallow. Then it’s best to grill the salt-based meat, such as the tongue, followed by meats with sauce on them.

When I go out for yakiniku, I’m usually with my family and friends. Since I don’t usually grill the meat myself, I’m a little nervous. I hope I can do a good job!
I usually prefer meat to be well-cooked. But Honjin’s meat is such high quality wagyu, that even if it’s only lightly cooked, you have nothing to worry about.

I’m starting with the beef tongue.

And I’m eating it hot off the grill.

Yum! It melts in your mouth! Oishi!
It’s time to get grilling all the other meats too.

The pork jowl is flavored with grated garlic and is so easy to eat. And the skirt steak is very tender with just the perfect amount of fat!
All of the meat is so delicious, you can’t help but smile.
Finally, I tried the restaurant’s recommended salted thickly-sliced tongue.

They serve only the best parts of the tongue, and so there are only a few servings cut from each tongue.

After eating the beef tongue, I definitely think you should all to try it too!
Many customers end up ordering a second serving since it’s so delicious, and I can understand why. It’s thick and chewy, but soft enough to swallow easily. This is a dish you don’t tire of. I could keep on eating!
The beef tongue is very popular and seems to sell out quickly. So if you’re interested, make sure to get there early!

I really enjoyed my day and all the restaurants where I could eat a variety of meat dishes.

I hope you have a chance to get out for the end of the year for a meal with friends!
I was happy to be able to eat lots of delicious gourmet food in 2023. And I will be introducing many more amazing restaurants in Osaka in 2024, so please read Yuina’s Favorites and visit all the places I recommend.
Happy New Year everyone☆

●Profile

Yuina Deguchi

I’m a member of the idol group NMB48 from Osaka. Someday I hope to be a food reporter. I love to eat so you can find more of my favorite restaurants and foods on my social media accounts. Or look for my hashtag #ラビグルメ
Twitter：@yuina_laby
インスタグラム：@yui_laby0622
TikTok：@yui_labygurume

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