Ushikoi Shibuya

Location, location, location. Ushikoi’s Shibuya outlet is conveniently located on Shibuya’s bustling Meiji-dori, a lively street running northward from the Scramble Crossing to Miyashita Park. There, visitors will find all manner of Japan’s traditional foods and the din of merrymaking crowds — and perhaps no Japanese traditional food better embodies merrymaking than yakiniku. The popularity of Ushikoi’s Shibuya outlet doesn’t just stem from its location, but rather also its commitment to affordability and price-performance ratio. This is the philosophy of its founder “Koinosuke,” who only appears as a fictional superhero, wearing a full Superman-like outfit and paper lantern on his face to hide his true identity. Growing up in a lower-income household, Koinosuke made it his life’s mission to make yakiniku an everyday luxury for the common man, rather than the once-a-month indulgence imposed on his family by their limited budget. As such, the first Ushikoi was founded in 2012 in Kanda, with a clear focus on not providing the most fatty and marbled meats, but those that would give the best price-performance ratio. This meat comes from the finest wagyu producers in western Japan, incorporating some of the finest brands from suppliers based in regions famous for their wagyu beef, like Saga, Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefectures. But unlike most yakiniku restaurants, Ushikoi eschews the typical practice of choosing the most marbled meat possible, in favor of serving leaner meats. The logic is that eating too much fatty meat leaves one with a sickly feeling afterwards, explains Koinosuke. As such, each cut at Ushikoi is chosen for its “lean flavor,” and is prepared in a manner that brings out the characteristic flavor of that specific cut of meat. This emphasis on lean meat makes the restaurant popular with women and athletes, or those looking to indulge in a lot of yakiniku without feeling too guilty afterwards. Perhaps the dish at Ushikoi that best reflects the philosophy is the “Peace Beef.” Dubbed “pure edible protein,” the Peace Beef is a hand-cut piece of beef that is said to have half the fat of a typical beef loin, and an even deeper flavor. Another popular item is the “neginchu,” which is chopped green onions in spicy sauce, then wrapped in cuts of meat — an explosion of spice, umami and pure lean meat flavors in a single bite.