Best Sukiyaki: Moritaya (in Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo)

High-End Sukiyaki for Locals, and Tourists

Sukiyaki is one of the must-have meals when visiting Japan. If you are going to splurge on a meal, you should make sure you go to a high-quality restaurant to guarantee a great dining experience. For sukiyaki, Moritaya is definitely one the best restaurants in Japan that is absolutely worth the price.

The History of Moritaya in Kyoto

Not only is Moritaya one of the best sukiyaki restaurants in Japan, but it is also the first beef specialty rest arrant in Kyoto.

Moritaya originally opened in 1869 as a beef butcher, then the restaurant. The high-end restaurant has a history of serving the imperial family, high-ranking military officers.

Since 1975 Moritaya continues to only serve beef from their own farm in Tanba in northern Kyoto. This ensures the restaurant consistently serves the finest quality of kuroge wagyu, Japanese black beef.

Today, it is accessible for all locals and tourists in Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo.

Moritaya Review & Dining Experience

Moritaya serves its top selection of beef in a simple preparation to truly enjoy the taste of the beef as the marbling melts in your mouth.

The restaurant offers 4 styles of beef preparation: sukiyaki, shabu-shabu (cooked in boiling water with vegetables), oiru-yaki (oil-broiled beef), and steaks. While you may be tempted with the others, stick to the origins and specialty of Moritaya – sukiyaki.

The Moritaya sukiyaki consists of Wagyu Kyoto beef, grilled tofu and vegetables that are cooked in a cast iron pan at the table with warishita soy sauce (using a secret family recipe) and sugar. The beef, tofu, and vegetables are dipped in beaten raw egg with every bite. The whole experience is magical because of that melt-in-your-mouth premium quality beef.

Read more about the differences between Tokyo’s style of sukiyaki vs. Kansai’s style of sukiyaki here: Kansai versus Kanto – Unraveling the Rivalry

Photos of Sukiyaki in Moritaya

Appetizer course with your set menu. Your appetizer selection varies according to what you ordered. The more special grade of beef, the more special bites of appetizer. Typically, one of the little bites will be a small piece of beef

Every sukiyaki course is cooked and served to your by a well-trained waitress. She first coats the pan with a cube of beef fat, adds crystal sugar, and then cooks the beef until beautifully caramelized

The addition of sugar and caramelizing the beef are how Kansai style of sukiyaki differ from Tokyo’s sukiyaki. This Kansai preparation brings out a depth of flavor in the beef from the browning and caramelization of the meat which then adds even more flavor to the vegetables

After cooking the first beef, it will be served in your cup of beaten raw egg. Enjoy this amazingly melt-in-your-mouth cut of beef while the server continues to cook the next piece of beef followed by the tofu and vegetables

As you take your time eat that first slice of beef, the rest of the pot is then prepared and cooked with more sugar and more sauce. After everything is cooked, the heat of the induction cooker will be lowered and it is now your turn to serve yourself from the iron pot

For a perfect light ending to one of your best meals in Japan, dessert comes in the form of local, seasonal fruit. Like the appetizer, the more special the beef you order, the more special the fruit you will receive. In this case, it is an in-season strawberry and a slice of the prized muskmelon

Watch my videos below featuring 3 of my visits to Moritaya in Osaka. And subscribe to my YouTube channel for my latest vlogs

Moritaya Branches in Japan & Hours

Kyoto Shijo Inokuma Main Branch | TripAdvisor Reviews
Shijo-agaru, Inokuma-dori
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
+81-75-842-0298
Su nday to Friday, 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5pm to 9pm
Saturday, 11:30am 2:30pm and 5pm to 10pm

Kyoto Kiyamachi Branch | TripAdvisor Reviews
Sanjo-agaru, Kiyamachi-dori
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
+81-75-231-5118
Monday to Friday, 11:30am to 2:30pm and 5pm to 10pm
Saturday, Sunday, Holidays, 11:30am to 2:30pm and 4pm to 10pm

JR Kyoto Station | TripAdvisor Reviews
11F Isetan, Kyoto Station
+81-75-365-7788
Monday to Sunday 11am to 3:45pm and 4pm to 9pm

JR Osaka Station Branch | TripAdvisor Reviews
10F Lucua 1100
3-1-3 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka
+81-6-6341-1029
11am to 4pm and 6pm to 10pm

Tokyo Marunouchi Branch | TripAdvisor Reviews
35F Marunouchi Building
2-4-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
+81-3-5220-0029
Monday to Saturday, 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 9:30pm
Sunday and Holidays, 5pm to 8:30pm

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Angela

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Angela

Tags Food ChroniclesFood HistoryJapanOsaka

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