Gyutan (not to be confused with gyudon), is a delicacy of Japanese cuisine originating from Sendai, the capital city of Miyagi prefecture.
Sendai is often regarded as Japan’s “military capital” for its prominence during the Feudal Japan era. Nowadays, it has become a thriving city with historical artifacts, amazing castle structures, and delicious local delicacies like gyutan!
Reasonable Prices
There are plenty of gyutan restaurants all over Sendai City, and after trying a few of them out, I can honestly say they each deliver an equal level of exceptional quality.
My travel buddy and I visited this particular gyutan restaurant in Matsushima Bay and were absolutely impressed with our experience.
Given its proximity to the sea, we had the added bonus of enjoying high-level fresh sashimi as part of our ox-tongue sets.
The price range for the sets was around 2,000 to 2,500 yen (14–18 USD), which is quite reasonable for an otherwise expensive piece of Japanese beef.
Awesome Gyutan Sets
I opted for the standard gyutan and sashimi set which cost me around 2,300 yen (16 USD).
The set included a generous helping of juicy tender gyutan slices, fresh salmon and tuna sashimi pieces, plenty of steamed rice, beef bone broth soup, and even a small green tea mochi dessert.
Given the rather expensive nature of gyutan, I’d highly recommend this set as it ensures you will leave with a full stomach while also experiencing the delicious taste of Sendai’s ox-tongue!
Succulent Sashimi!
I know this is a gyutan article, but I need to give a quick shoutout to the amazing quality of these sashimi rice bowls at Matsushima Bay’s gyutan restaurants.
In my opinion, it almost stole the show with the incredible freshness, texture, and taste of these perfectly sliced pieces of raw fish.
More importantly, it was an important factor in ensuring we were full, as we were given a generous helping of thick-cut sashimi and tamago (Japanese egg omelet) on top of a large bowl of freshly cooked steamed rice.
All-in-all, eating gyutan in Sendai is the equivalent of eating a croissant in France or curry in India, it simply must be done!
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