Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2010

Julio Shiiki

Meat lovers got a place to call their own when Shibuya Niku Yokocho (Chitose Kaikan 2F, 13-8 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku; http://shibuya.yokocho.info) opened its doors early last month. Billed as “Japan’s largest ‘meat restaurant’ complex,” the venue houses 16 stalls offering everything from Sendai beef tongue to yaki-ton. Overseas brands include “modern Korean” eatery Ri-san no Daidokoro (“Mr. Lee’s Kitchen”) and Lorenzo di Formoza, a Taiwanese café featuring locally produced sausage and other new-to-Japan dishes. Homegrown fare ranges from motsu sashimi at izakaya Masuya to horsemeat at Umakamon to premium kuroge wagyu at Niku No Rakuen. Shibuya Niku Yokocho’s interior is modeled on a Showa-era drinking den, with vintage posters on the walls and communal seating for garrulous salarymen.