From Ghibli Museum, we headed down to Satou Steak House located nearby in Kichijoji. Satou Steak House is famous for its quality Japanese wagyu steaks. It’s a tiny restaurant located just above a butcher store which sells quality cuts of meat as well as their very popular mince beef patties and meatballs. The queue for the meatballs was crazy and stretched down the street with at least 40 people in line.
The lunchtime queue for Satou Steak House is also known to be long but we managed to get a table after a 20-minute wait. The guy at the restaurant recommended the 10,000 yen set which I think was for the Matsuzaka beef (aka the holy grail of beef). Meh. We passed. For the simple reason that we didn’t think our taste buds could tell the difference. That plus we had read reviews from food bloggers who weren’t quite blown away as well. We went for the Satou Set (1500 yen) and the Special Set (2000 yen). And yes, it was really really good. The meat was tender and flavourful, with just the right amount of fat. Funny thing is, we thought the Satou Set tasted better even though it was cheaper. Oh, well.
Our verdict: Excellent choice for wagyu beef and we will be back.
Directions: The shop is about a 5-minute walk from the north exit of Kichijoji station. Head for the North exit and when you get out, cross the road and take the third alley. You’ll soon spot the super long queue for meatballs and the butcher shop.
Bullfrogs Symposium 