Tabelog ratingTANAKA YAKINIKU RESTAURANTE is a dark, film-set basement of private rooms beside Nagoya Station. Staff coach you through the grill from tongue to harami (skirt), which is seared and rested about five times. It has been selected for Tabelog's yakiniku and grill Tabelog 100 (EAST) every year from 2023 to 2026.
Meat quality comes up in nearly every review, especially the fillet and sirloin dipped in egg yolk. The signature wagyu katsu sando (breaded beef cutlet sandwich) is called the best several Japanese reviewers have eaten. The sudachi-citrus reimen (cold noodles) and the chunky beef curry are also praised repeatedly, as are the consommé served in a wine glass, the yukhoe (raw beef tartare) and the oxtail soup. Service is described as fine-dining level, and English speakers single out Andre.
The complaints are specific. Some reviewers found the curry and pasta too salty, and one was served pasta with a hard centre. Junior staff can be uneven: one guest said servers kept peering into the private room, and another never received promised sharing plates. A minority found the kimchi or tongue bland, and the wine list is expensive. The beef is rich, and some diners struggle to finish.
Between 2024 and 2026, reviewers paid around ¥3,800, ¥5,000 and ¥5,500 for lunch courses. The ¥5,500 lunch included Matsusaka fillet. Dinner ran to ¥11,000 for the Special course and ¥16,500 for the Premium course with katsu sando. Typical spend is ¥4,000–4,999 at lunch and ¥10,000–14,999 at dinner, with drinks and a 10% service charge on top.
Lunch is widely called a bargain for the quality. Dinner is fair for a special occasion, though a few felt it lacked surprises at the price.
- Getting there: directly connected to the Unimall underground mall; 2 minutes on foot from Nagoya Station, Exit 5; 209 m from Meitetsu Nagoya. The entrance is discreet, in the basement, with no waiting area.
- Age restriction: children are welcome from elementary school age only. Strollers are not allowed inside.
- Booking: reserve ahead (052-526-3929), because it can be fully booked. Some same-day lunch walk-ins have worked, but don't count on one.
- Payment: VISA, Master, JCB, AMEX and Diners are accepted. Electronic money and QR payments are not. A 10% service charge is added.
- Seating: 46 seats, all in private rooms with counter or table: one room for 2, six for up to 4, two for up to 6. The whole venue cannot be booked for private use.
- Time: courses run about 2 hours. Drinks are ordered separately, and one diner felt pressured to order at lunch.
- Language: the menu is mostly in Japanese. Some staff speak good English, others less so.
- Extras: sommelier on site. A celebration parfait with seasonal fruit and a handwritten card costs ¥2,200 and must be requested when booking.
- Smoking: non-smoking, with a smoking area in the building.
- Parking: none; coin parking nearby.
