Kyo no Yakiniku Restaurant Hiro Senbon Sanjo Head Shop

I finally got to go to the Senbon Sanjo Head Shop of Kyo no Yakiniku Restaurant Hiro, located in the Kyoto Sanjo-kai shopping arcade, which I have been wanting to visit for a long time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to this restaurant without a reservation, only to be disappointed… Last year, I was unable to get into this restaurant and headed for Hanazono’s Taishoen Yakiniku Restaurant, which luckily had some seats available….

After repeating such a situation, I gave up on visiting this restaurant without a reservation and tried to make a reservation by phone one month before my visit this time. Fortunately, I was able to get a seat, but the waitress replied, “We are already full up with reservations, but we can manage for one hour from the opening time…” How popular is this restaurant? I can’t believe it…

Purchasing only the finest meat without regard to its place of origin…Kyo no Yakiniku Restaurant Hiro Senbon Sanjo Head Shop is such a restaurant!

Why is this restaurant called “Kyo no Yakiniku Restaurant Hiro Senbon Sanjo Head Shop” so popular? The main reason is the beef named “Hiro Beef. The term “Hiro Beef” refers to a generic term for Wagyu beef that is selected and purchased by a whole cow based on the restaurant’s own strict standards, and is completely different from famous beef brands such as Kobe Beef and Matsuzaka Beef. The place of origin of the beef is not questioned, but the beef that has actually been evaluated at the market and judged to be “high quality” is named “Hiro Beef” and sold at this restaurant.

By procuring beef through their own discernment, without being particular about brand name or place of origin, they are able to provide tasty meat at a much more reasonable price than high-end yakiniku restaurants that claim to offer brand-name beef. So, how cheaply can you enjoy delicious yakiniku at this restaurant? I will tell you about that a little later, so please continue reading this article.

But first, let me give you a quick look inside the restaurant. Kyo no Yakiniku Restaurant Hiro Senbon Sanjo Head Shop is a surprisingly large Yakiniku restaurant with a total of 98 seats according to the official information. The restaurant is housed in a renovated machiya (a traditional Kyoto townhouse), and the slightly dimmed lighting gives the interior a chic and relaxed atmosphere. Each seat is spacious, creating an environment where you can relax and concentrate on the yakiniku in front of you. There are no counter seats in the restaurant, but you can use the restaurant by yourself with no problem at all.

Kyo no Yakiniku Restaurant Hiro Senbon Sanjo Head Shop’s pride and joy, “Hiro Beef,” how was it really?

Let’s take a look at the “Hiro Beef,” the pride of the Senbon Sanjo Head Shoip, Kyo no Yakiniku Restaurant Hiro, and see what it is really like. This time I ordered three items on the menu: the limited-quantity “Mango Tongue,” the “Tonight Only Platter” and the “Tonight Only Hormone Platter,” the combination of which changes daily depending on the arrival of new items. I really wanted to order more, but I had to leave the restaurant in an hour…

Mango tongue

The first dish brought to the table was the limited-quantity mango tongue (priced at 1,680 yen including tax). When this came out, I was suddenly surprised. Two thick pieces of mango tongue came out for one person. It’s hard to tell from the picture above, but one of the mango tangs is about the same size as a fist. I would be suspicious if the shop owner made a mistake in the order.

The biggest problem with this mango tongue is whether I can cook it properly. I have already experienced the deliciousness of thickly sliced beef tongue at Hormone Shimata in Gunma. Although you have to be careful not to burn it, if you can get it to the center in a rare condition, you will enjoy a blissful taste that you can never experience with thin slices.。

The outside of the tongue has a crispy texture, but the inside is soft and fluffy in a rare state, and the juices from the cross section are flowing out of the meat together with the high quality fat…. How could I say that it was bad? Moreover, the light soy sauce sauce that seasoned the chopped green onions was mixed with the juices of the mango tongue, and sublimed into an exquisite sauce that was both light and elegant, yet rich in flavor. This mango tongue is a must-order when you come to this restaurant. In fact, on the day the restaurant opened, within less than 30 minutes of the opening, the restaurant was already sold out of mango tongue! I strongly recommend that you order mango tongue as your first order when you get seated.

Tonight Only Platter

The next dish brought to the table was the daily menu of red meat dishes, the “Tonight Only Platter”. This menu is actually priced at 5,980 yen (tax included) for a two-person order, but for a lone customer like me, it is offered as a one-person order. The price is exactly half of the 2-for-1 price (2,990 yen including tax). I am very grateful for the restaurant’s divine response.

Now, let’s see, what was included in the platter that day…

A thigh with a good balance of lean and fatty meat [hanasaki momo], with a fairly deep cut into fine strips of meat…

Containing fatty meat, rich in richness and chewy like tongue [Hatsu]…

Kujo Negi Rolled with Minced Kujo Onion and Thinly Sliced Meat with Fat [Kujo Negi Rolled with Ponzu Sauce]…

Unlike the mango tongue, it has a crunchy texture.[Beef tongue grilled with lemon sauce]…

Chewy and full of red meat flavor [Rump]…

Eat it with a salty green onion sauce. [Red Meat with Green Onion Sauce]…

A classic yakiniku dish! Fatty and very tender [Kalbi]…

And the [Tokusen Kalbi] which is served with beaten egg and rice just like YAZAWA-YAKI, a specialty of Yakiniku Yazawa Kyoto.These meats are seasoned with salt and pepper, which are originally sprinkled on the meat, plus…

Two types of yakiniku sauce and lemon juice are available.

This contents are priced at 2,990 yen per person… Of course, there is no question about the quality of the meat, and at this price, it can only be described as unbeatable. With just this one set, you can enjoy a wide variety of dishes, so if you have any doubts about what to order, this is the one you should choose! If you are not sure what to order, you can just say, “This is it!”

Tonight Only Hormone Platter

The last dish is the “Tonight Only Hormone Platter (price: 980 yen including tax)”. I had the meat platter I mentioned earlier made into a half order, but the price of this one is much lower, so the damage to my wallet is much lighter without changing it.

However, it is a little disappointing that the “hatsu (heart)” was doubled in this day’s assortment. Well, let’s take that as a positive that the quality of the hatsu was that good on that day.

The remaining three parts of the dish, excluding the hatsu, were…

[Hiro Horumon], where the sweet fat can be enjoyed to its fullest. With a light seasoning sauce, it becomes a top quality dish with a flavor that is just as delicious as Aje’s Hoso-Shio…

[Tecchan] The surface of this dish has a very slippery texture that is very addictive. Remembering the time at Yakiniku Ebata, the outside is grilled thoroughly while the inside is minimized…

[Hachinosu] The second of the four stomachs of the cow. It has a fluffy and crumbly texture, and its delicious flavor gradually emerges from it…

Although these four dishes are not as popular as the meat dishes, I felt that the quality of these dishes is also very high. They are all cut into large pieces, so they are quite satisfying, and I think they are excellent in terms of cost performance.

After ordering the above three dishes, I paid the bill. I could not order too many dishes because my stay was short, but this alone was enough to fill my stomach quite well. It may not be a high quality brand of beef, but to my stupid tongue, it doesn’t matter at all as long as it tastes good. If this is the kind of yakiniku experience we can enjoy at the Senbon Sanjo main branch of Kyo no Yakiniku Restaurant Hiro, it’s no wonder it’s so popular.

Examples of other menu items at Kyo no Yakiniku Restaurant Hiro Senbon Sanjo Head Shop (prices include tax)

• Today’s “Filet” 1980 yen
• Special sliced loin 1,800 yen
• Wagyu Harami (limited quantity) 1680 yen
• Beef tongue comparison: 1,480 yen
• Dragon Kalbi 1280 yen
• Wagyu Yukke (beef yukke): 980 yen
• Wagyu Beef Sushi (3 kinds) 980 yen

A total of 14 affiliated restaurants in Kyoto City… Access to Kyo no Yakiniku Restaurant Hiro Senbon Sanjo Head Shop is a 6-minute walk from the nearest station, Nijo Station on the JR San-in Line.

In addition to the Senbon Sanjo Head Shop introduced here, Kyo no Yakiniku Restaurant Hiro operates a total of 14 affiliated restaurants in Kyoto City. Among them are brands such as “Kyo Yakiniku Hiro,” where you can enjoy yakiniku in a more upscale atmosphere, and “Yakiniku Hiro Shoten,” a more casual restaurant that is also open for lunch, allowing you to choose the restaurant that best suits your needs at the time. You can enjoy “Hiro Beef” at any of these restaurants, and the prices are still reasonable. If you have a chance, please give “Hiro Beef” a try.

Now, here are the details of the restaurants…