Anyone who’s ever had a taste of Kobe beef knows that its amazing flavour and tenderness is one that you can’t easily get off your mind. ? For years now, halal Kobe beef has continued to gain a lot of attention and worldwide popularity for being considered an expensive and delicious premium meat. While it is a delicious and highly-regarded delicacy, it can be quite pricey and hard to find if you’re in Tokyo. But not to worry, there is a solution to this predicament - introducing Issho Ueno, one of the (very) few places in Tokyo that serves halal Kobe beef! ✨
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Located in the FUNDUS building not far from JR Ueno Station (about a minute walk), you could easily miss this quaint restaurant because of its obscure location near a busy road and its signage placed amongst many others. ? However, even though hidden it is relatively easy to get to Issho Ueno from the Station where it’s a very quick walk.
Issho Ueno serves halal cuts of meats including sirloin and tenderloin! Their speciality, however, lies in its Kobe beef set which serves two people. ?The Kobe beef is included on the menu, along with tempura, fresh sashimi, motsunabe (Japanese hotpot), and dessert. If you enjoy being adventurous with your food, you can either eat it as it is, dip it in a sweet sauce, or serve it with some wasabi! Don’t be surprised but the wasabi actually pairs well with Kobe beef and heightens the overall experience.
And don't worry if you have trouble eating wasabi, Issho Ueno uses high-quality wasabi that doesn’t taste too spicy and blends into the taste of the meat so that it doesn’t overpower your taste buds! ?These flavours are appreciated by both tourists and locals alike. Even many locals that visit the eatery enjoy the meats without realising it's halal!
If you want to try something else on the menu, you can’t go wrong with their motsunabe or Japanese hotpot. There is nothing like a bite of Issho Ueno's motsunabe to get you addicted! In fact, Issho Ueno was originally famous for their motsunabe which includes offal (a variety of meat organs), cabbage, and leeks in a broth flavoured with soy sauce, garlic, miso, and chillies. The soup is brought to a boil where the umami flavours are more pronounced. ?
Ps. Ask for noodles or rice to be added to the soup when nearing the end of your meal! This is called ‘shime’ in Japanese, which translates to finishing up the rest of your food.
The halal Kobe beef ribeye steak meal set costs 15,000 yen and includes Striped Jack ikizukuri (the preparation of sashimi), chicken wings skewers, seasonal vegetable tempura, halal Kobe beef ribeye steak (75 g), motsunabe using halal Japanese domestic beef and dessert.
So if you’re in Tokyo and looking for a place that serves halal authentic Kobe beef, you have to pay a visit to Issho Ueno to get the freshest and delicious cuts of premium meat! Don’t forget to make a reservation one week in advance to order the Kobe beef sets as they are not available for walk-ins.
Issho Ueno
Halal status: Halal-certified
Address: FUNDES Ueno Bldg. 8F, 7-2-4 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0005
Contact: 03-5830-3785 (for reservations)