Maguro Mart

At the north exit of Nakano Station, three stations west of Shinjuku Station, there is a very popular restaurant named Maguro Mart (“Maguro” means tuna in Japanese), founded in 2011 in Nakano Fujimi-cho under the name “Jogashima Tuna Mart” and relocated several times before moving to its current location in 2019. The restaurant literally only serves tuna (and Pacific bluefin tuna!) , and the restaurant is famous for its difficulty in getting reservations. I have also approached the restaurant three times in the past and kept getting turned down.

One weekend in the summer of 2023, I was finally able to visit Maguro Mart, a restaurant that is extremely difficult to make a reservation for. I will introduce essential information on how to make a reservation, including my experience at that time, so please continue reading this article to the end…

How to make a reservation at the very popular Maguro Mart in Nakano. But unfortunately…

Let me explain how to make a reservation at Maguro Mart in Nakano, Tokyo, a very popular restaurant where reservations are hard to come by.

Reservations for Maguro Mart can be made by phone or on the web, with web reservations available through a website called TableCheck, and reservations begin at 12:00 p.m. exactly one month prior to the reservation date. However, you have to be in a fierce competition to get a reservation, especially during the so-called “golden hours” on weekends, and reservations are often fully booked within a fraction of a second after they are accepted. In fact, I once called the restaurant at exactly 12:00 to make a reservation, but while I was talking to the clerk, the time I wanted was already booked via the Internet. So, if you are comparing phone and web, I definitely recommend web reservations. You have to have your PC or smartphone on standby before the reservation start time, reload the page at exactly 12:00 pm, and make a reservation…that’s all you can do.

However, I have some very unfortunate news to share with you. Reservations at Maguro Mart can only be made by two or more people. In other words, a lone customer like me can’t get a reservation in the first place.

So, what should you do if you are alone? Anyway, you have to go to the restaurant on the day of the event. If you are lucky, you may be able to slip into one of the same-day seats that are (apparently) available when the restaurant opens (I once went to a restaurant before the opening time without a reservation and was completely disappointed). The only other way to get a table is to aim for one after the other customers have finished eating and left the restaurant, and I must admit that it is a very tough battle for a single person.

One Saturday night at 9:00 p.m., I entered Maguro Mart, a restaurant I had longed to visit! The tuna menu I ordered that day was…

After a few such setbacks, I finally achieved my long-cherished dream of entering Maguro Mart alone at 9:00 p.m. on a Saturday night! It’s been a long time since I got here… When I recall the long battle, I can’t help but drool from my mouth…or rather, cry from my eyes… Maguro Mart is a fairly large restaurant, with a total of 75 seats, according to the Tabelog information. And since there is a time limit (2 hours), it is just a simple calculation, but especially on weekends, it is calculated that there are 3 to 4 customer rotations. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to make reservations at such a restaurant?

Well, putting that story aside, let me introduce the menu I ordered at Maguro Mart. Actually, I wanted to order the 7 or 8-course tuna course, which can be ordered by two or more people, but it seems that this is also not available for one person. Well, this restaurant is not very friendly to lone customers… So, I had no choice but to order 8 single dishes (plus appetizers) according to the contents of the courses as much as possible. Let’s take a look at them in order!

Appetizer

First, as an appetizer (priced at 400 yen plus tax), I had seared scallops and simmered lotus root. The scallops were quite large, and although it was an appetizer, it was very satisfying. Incidentally, tuna is used in the soup stock, so this is also a fine tuna dish. From the very beginning, the name “Maguro Mart” is untainted and the gas pedal is at full throttle.

Tuna Dashi (Dashi broth)

The first item I ordered was the tuna dashi (priced at 180 yen plus tax), which is also served first in the course. The dashi broth is a little different from bonito broth, with a unique sour taste, and the slightly lower temperature also made it seem a little sweet.

Tuna Yukke

The second dish was tuna yukke (priced at 880 yen + tax). The meat is from the fillet part of the tuna, and it was very muscular and chewy. It was seasoned with a white sesame flavored soy sauce sauce. Stirred with an egg yolk, it is served with a rich, sticky flavor.

Maguro Mart Sashimi

The third item on the menu is one of Maguro Mart’s popular dishes, an assortment of sashimi named “Maguro Mart Sashimi” (priced at 980 yen plus tax). From left to right in the top row are chutoro (medium fatty tuna), two kinds of lean tuna (one with more fat and one with less), brain, hachinoko (temple meat), and jaw meat, with the addition of seared cheek meat for a total of seven different flavors.

Aside from the chutoro (medium fatty tuna) and the lean meat, there are a variety of rare parts such as enuten (brain) and hachinoko (temple), whose names we usually do not even hear. The brains have sweet fat and the jaw meat is quite chewy, allowing you to experience the difference in taste depending on the part of the fish. The selection is “professional!

Left-over flesh on the spine of the tuna

The fourth dish is a highlight of the Maguro Mart course, left-over flesh on the spine of the tuna (priced from 2,280 yen). It may be hard to tell from the image, but it is quite large for one person. You have to avoid the blood part, but even so, you can probably get enough for one serving from just one side of the backbone at a normal restaurant. Moreover, you can turn the bone over and remove the backside as well, so I can enjoy roughly 3 to 4 servings of the fish meat by myself. How luxurious…

The process of scraping off the meat with the attached wooden spoon is also quite enjoyable and makes me feel excited before eating. The meat is fresh and lean, with absolutely no odor, and is firm and rich in flavor. Even if you visit the restaurant alone, you must order this tuna nakaochi.

Braised Tuna Fillet Kama

The fifth dish is braised tuna fillet kama (priced at 780 yen plus tax). The fillet meat is simmered in a sweet and spicy soy sauce broth flavored with ginger. It has more fat and sweetness than the fillet meat we had in yukke. The gelatinous part just below the fillet is especially tender and delicious. Don’t forget to suck this part as well, but don’t behave badly.

Rare Tuna Tempura

The sixth item on the menu is tuna rare-ten (priced at 980 yen plus tax). It is a tempura of red meat wrapped in shiso leaves, corn, and white shrimp, served with salt. The batter is slightly hard and crispy. The red meat inside is also very firm and has a great taste and bite.

Tuna Throat Steak

From the seventh course, I had a single dish that was not part of the course menu… Tuna Throat Steak (priced at 880 yen + tax). The meat is tender and has a fine texture, and it is served with a garlic sauce. Unlike most of the past dishes on the menu, which were rather lightly seasoned, this steak has a strong garlic flavor and a slightly spicy, strong taste. While my stomach was getting quite full, this dish made me feel more satisfied.

Tuna Chazuke

I ordered tuna chazuke (priced at 780 yen plus tax) to finish off the day. It was an unexpectedly luxurious chazuke with scallops, conger eel, and salmon roe in the tuna chafing dish with sesame sauce. The ochazuke, with its rich seafood flavor, was a dish that would make a strong impact as a closing dish. By this time it was past the last order, but I wanted to have another bowl of this ochazuke.

I left the restaurant in a very happy mood after having enjoyed all eight dishes. Looking back on it later, I realize that each dish was quite large. Two women could easily share it. With such a large amount of tuna at such a reasonable price, and with so many rare parts that are rarely available, it was no wonder that this restaurant is so difficult to make reservations.

By the way, the bill for the day was… a little over 9,000 yen, including consumption tax, for the above eight dishes plus an appetizer and two drinks. I was expecting to pay over 10,000 yen for such a meal, so I was quite surprised. If I have the chance, I would definitely like to repeat the experience. By then, I’d be happy if they could lower the hurdle that stands in front of a lone customer like me…

Now serving take-out…access to Maguro Mart is a 6-minute walk from the nearest station, Nakano Station on the JR Chuo Line.

Now, at Maguro Mart, take-out is also available…

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There are a total of 12 take-out menu items (as of August 2023), including tuna fliers, that can be eaten right at home. Most of the menu items are chirashi-sushi type, but there is also a specialty of Maguro Mart, nakaochi tuna with a bone attached… Anyway, the competition for in-store dining is extremely high, so if you live in the Nakano area, you are strongly advised to take advantage of the take-out service.

Now, here are the details of the restaurant. Check here for restaurant data…