We had beef for lunch. Then we wanted beef again for dinner. No regrets. My husband and I had been eyeing Gyukatsu Motomura for ages, and their Shibuya branch sits at a ridiculous 4.9 stars across 16.5k Google reviews. That’s not a typo. So off we went to find out whether the hype holds up.
What exactly is Gyukatsu Motomura?
It’s a Japanese chain built around one dish: deep-fried beef cutlet, served medium-rare. You get a personal hot stone grill at your seat, and you sear each slice yourself to whatever doneness you fancy. That’s the whole concept. No sprawling menu, no fusion nonsense.
They’ve got outlets all over Japan and even in Taiwan. Check the store list on their website before you go, because some branches queue harder than others.
We went to the Harajuku outlet
The Harajuku branch sits at B1, down a narrow flight of stairs. The queue forms on those very stairs, so you’ll be shuffling down in single file. We turned up around 5pm and waited roughly 30 minutes.
Inside is tiny. Maybe ten-plus seats including the counter.
The Gyukatsu Motomura menu: one dish, three sizes
One item. The beef cutlet set meal. Three sizes:
- 1 cutlet – 130g – ¥1,930
- 1.5 cutlets – 195g – ¥2,600
- 2 cutlets – 260g – ¥3,060
Every set comes with rice, miso soup, three sides (grated yam, spicy cod roe, warabimochi) and a spread of condiments. You also get one free rice refill per person, which mattered enormously to my rice-loving husband.
We both took the 130g. The full set looked substantial enough.
How the meal actually goes down
The moment we ordered, the staff brought out our personal hot stone grills. One each. They sat sizzling on the table while we waited, and the food arrived fast.
The cutlet is very lightly breaded. Barely any grease, despite being deep-fried. Slice through and the middle is properly rare. Your job: lay the pieces on the stone and cook them how you like. I go for a slight char on the surface. The meat turned out surprisingly tender.
On the plate alongside the beef, you get shredded cabbage and potato salad. There’s sesame dressing on the table, help yourself.
Skip the fancy sauces
They give you horseradish mustard and shoyu with wasabi. Honestly? Both overpowered the beef for me. I preferred a small pinch of salt instead. Let the beef taste like beef.
The sides deserve their own paragraph
Underrated. The grated yam went beautifully with rice, but the spicy cod roe was the winner. Piquant, salty, wildly appetising. My husband didn’t like it, so he passed his over. I demolished my rice with it, then ate the beef cutlet on its own like a proper glutton.
Then the warming miso soup. Then warabimochi to finish. Veggies, protein, rice, soup, dessert. That’s the beauty of a Japanese set meal, you get a little bit of everything, different textures on every bite.
We genuinely debated ordering another set to share. Massive regret: we should have gone for the 260g.
Things to know before you queue at Gyukatsu Motomura
- You’ll leave smelling like a deep fryer. The space is small, cramped and barely ventilated. Frying oil and grilled meat cling to everything. Don’t wear your nice jacket.
- Seats are shoulder to shoulder. Normal-volume conversation means everyone hears your business. Keep it low or keep it boring.
- It’s an eat-and-go place. Not a chill, lingering, catch-up-over-drinks kind of meal.
- Go early or go late. We hit 5pm and still queued half an hour.
- Size up. If you’re even slightly hungry, take the 195g or 260g.
Is Gyukatsu Motomura worth the queue?
Yes. Absolutely. If you’ve never eaten gyukatsu before, Gyukatsu Motomura is the place to start. The hype is real, the beef is excellent, and the price feels fair for what lands on your tray. Just manage your expectations on comfort, and go hungry.
Highly recommend. I’d queue again tomorrow.
