Matsusaka M
Osaka, Japan
Wagyu beef in Osaka
If you like meat, Japan is the place to go. If you'd like to try the most delicious meat you will ever taste in your life, Matsusaka M is the place to go. It is located near Dotonbori, Osaka, in Japan and is absolute meat heaven! Just be careful; when you have tasted Japan's legendary wagyu beef, there is no going back, and a regular steak back home will never taste the same again.
Matsusaka M serves wagyu beef from Matsusaka cattle, and it is the best meat we have ever tasted. Just to make this clear, we are huge beef and steak enthusiasts, and we have tried many of the world's best beef eateries including wagyu teppanyaki joints in Ginza, Tokyo and the best steakhouses in both Singapore, Bangkok, Paris, Copenhagen and many other places. Matsusaka M takes the prize, and it is definitely a must visit if you ever come to Japan.
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Wagyu directly translates to "Japanese cattle" which is a highly regarded quality of Japanese beef, known for its massive marbling that you won't find anywhere else in the world. You might have heard of Kobe beef, which is from wagyu cattle in the Kobe precinct. Likewise Matsusaka meat is a distinguished wagyu product and it is known as one of the best meats in the world. You will not be able to get it anywhere other than in Japan. Japanese wagyu is the most expensive meat in the world, so you must prepare your wallet for this.
Yakiniku style dining in total privacy
In Matsusaka M in Osaka, the dining experience is high class. The restaurant is situated in a charismatic narrow and tall building with a crampy winding stair spanning several floors. You get your own sleek private booth with a couple of leather benches situated around a table grill. The dark and dimmed booth has 3 solid walls and a curtain on the 4th side which will be closed at all times giving you complete intimate privacy. If you need the waiter's attention, you ring the bell with the press of a button and wait for him to come to your booth, which is both fun and slightly awkward.
The juiciest marbled melt-in-your-mouth beef
You grill your own meat at the little integrated table-grill, so it is up to you how you want to cook your cuts.
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The various meat courses are accompanied by a set of delicious sauces and salts as well as assorted vegetables perfect for grilling.
They serve various different cuts from their Matsusaka cattle, which means you get to taste the variability and marbling of the different parts. We had a course with 6 different wagyu cuts, and two of our personal favorites were the incredibly marbled Kyukyoku which almost dissolves on the grill and totaly melts in your mouth, and the likewise marbled but more meaty Sirloin Steak. The first-time-experience of eating wagyu meat will definitely bring a big smile to your face. It is incredible and must be tried by any meat lover. The meat is more tender than anything you can get outside Japan, and the taste is so rich and savory. The meat literally melts in your mouth.
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which is a sushi with the highest grade A5 wagyu meat on top instead of fish, sprinkled with a special sauce and thinly cut onion. We can highly recommend these, as well as their kim-chee. It is all so incredibly good! Must be accompanied by a drink of saké, of course!
we also ordered their wagyu beef nigiri
Good to know before you go
We had a course with 6 different wagyu cuts and 4 pieces of each cut, which can be seen in the photos above. The set seen in the photos is for 2 people, and coupled together with a side of kim-chee and some wagyu nigiri, it is definitely enough to make two people incredibly full. Don't underestimate the wayu beef's potential of making you full. It is very heavy since it is so marbled and thus you don't need as much to fill you up as you would with lean beef.
The wagyu course was $120 for two persons and the grade A5 wagyu nigiri were $5 each. This is a fair price for wagyu which is the most expensive meat in the world, and it is definitely worth it!
The restaurant is sometimes referred to as Matsusaka M and other times by its full name Matsusakagyu Yakiniku M.
Reservations are strongly recommended.