Yakiniku Toraji Kyoto

Yakiniku — grilled meat — is often a trade-off between quality and quantity. The highest quality wagyu is often served in slivers, while inferior cuts and meats may come in larger portions, but may lack the marbling or flavor characteristic of higher quality meats. Not so at Yakiniku Toraji. The restaurant, which shares its name with the legendary network of beef suppliers, believes that true enjoyment comes in satisfying both conditions; the thicker the slice, the more directly the flavor of the ingredient is conveyed, it believes. As such, Toraji serves all of its meat in solid, hefty slices, from skirt steak to beef tongue to even the highest A5-grade wagyu beef — anything else would be doing the quality of the restaurant’s meat a disservice, after all. But this doesn’t mean that vegetables are neglected; guests will find nothing but the freshest seasonal vegetables served to them, in accordance with the restaurant’s belief that yakiniku, too, should be enjoyed with a sense of balance. And just as importantly, such luxurious meat and vegetables should also be enjoyed in an equally luxurious setting. Yakiniku Toraji Kyoto is constructed in the style of a traditional kyomachiya, a style of wooden architecture characteristic of downtown Kyoto. The interior is decorated with traditional Korean handicraft, and makes heavy use of wood and gold to create an air of opulence. Every table in the restaurant is semi-private seating, separated by partitions for a simultaneously private and yet communal dining experience.