Tabelog ratingMiyakojima Yakiniku Yamato (宮古島焼肉やまと) is a grill-it-yourself yakiniku house built around thick-cut wagyu, with Miyako beef at the centre. Many reviewers rank it among the island's best. Tongue is the speciality: thick-sliced kami-tan (top-grade tongue), tongue steak and raw tongue sashimi. The kitchen has Korean roots, which shows in a long raw-meat list that includes the rare super-fresh rosu (raw sirloin). It also shows in Okinawan kimchi made with bitter melon, island shallot, mozuku seaweed and lotus root.
Most positive reviews single out the thick tongue and the harami (skirt). Reviewers also praise the yukke (raw beef with egg yolk) and horumon (offal) that stays plump on the grill. The house kimchi and namul come up again and again, as do the slushy-broth reimen (cold noodles) and the sollongtang (beef bone soup). English- and Korean-speaking guests found the staff warm and ready to recommend dishes.
Service is the recurring complaint. Reviewers describe intimidating or inattentive staff and forgotten orders. One table with a 19:00 booking was moved out after 75 minutes, and a family with a toddler was asked to leave. Some found the horumon chewy and the portions small for the price. Several questioned their bills, citing an added 10% charge and no receipt. In October 2026 a guest reported a gel-nail fragment in their food.
The restaurant serves dinner only, so there is no lunch spend. Most reviewers paid about ¥10,000 per person for dinner, and heavier orders came close to ¥20,000. Between 2024 and 2026 reviewers paid around ¥3,000–3,500 for kami-tan, ¥2,200 for thick tongue steak and ¥3,000 for wagyu kami-harami. Raw tongue sashimi cost them ¥3,300 and chateaubriand ¥10,000. Set courses ran ¥8,000–10,000.
Value divides opinion. Meat lovers called it fair, even cheap for Tokyo-level quality, while others found it resort-priced for the portion sizes. The set course is the safer-value choice.
- Getting there: about 10 minutes by car from Miyako Airport, on the ground floor of the Tomori Building in Hirara. The restaurant was formerly Yakiniku Matsuda, and maps and signage may still show that name.
- Booking: needed. Reserve by phone a few days ahead (050-5570-6409 or 0980-72-6216) and arrive on time; do not count on walking in.
- Payment: credit cards are accepted (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, Diners, UnionPay). So is electronic money (Suica and other transport IC cards, Rakuten Edy, nanaco, WAON, iD, QUICPay). QR payments work too (PayPay, d Barai, Rakuten Pay, au PAY, Alipay, WeChat Pay). Reviewers long found it cash-only, so carry cash as a backup.
- Charges: appetiser charge ¥550. A 10% late-night fee applies after midnight. Check your receipt.
- Seats: 34 in total: a counter for 8, two tables for 7 and two tables for 6. Private rooms seat 8 or 10–20, and the restaurant can be hired privately for 20–50.
- Smoking: cigarettes and e-cigarettes are both allowed.
- Children: no age restriction is listed, but the room is loud.
- Language: the restaurant lists English, Chinese and Korean menus, but reviewers found the menu mostly Japanese.
- Parking: none; there is paid coin parking nearby.
- Tip: liver can sell out.
