Tabelog ratingToraichi Seiniku Ten (虎壱精肉店) is a yakiniku restaurant run by a butcher. Reviewers say the owner attends the weekly cattle auction, buys whole Ishigaki cattle and cuts the beef fresh each day without freezing it. That supply chain lets the restaurant sell top cuts at prices reviewers put at half to a third of Tokyo's. These include the chateaubriand it calls the "invincible fillet". It also serves Ishigaki-raised offal, which reviewers say is rare on the island. It was selected for Tabelog's "Tabelog 100" yakiniku and grill lists (WEST) every year from 2023 to 2026.
Nearly every review praises the beef as tender, sweet-fatted and carefully trimmed. At lunch the cult item is the 250g hamburg (minced-beef patty) set. The sirloin steak set, served sizzling on an iron plate, also draws repeated praise, as does the sliced-beef teppan set with onion and chives. At dinner reviewers single out the fillet, the jo-rosu (premium loin) and offal such as marucho (small intestine). The namul and the reimen cold noodles also get mentions. Several call it their best meal on Ishigaki.
The main complaint is access: lunch queues are long and dinner bookings are hard to secure. A Korean reviewer never got through by phone. A solo Chinese diner was turned away several times despite seeing empty seats. Other complaints came up once each:
- the hamburg was too soft for some, and the marbling too heavy
- the kimchi was over-soured
- dinner last order came only an hour into the two-hour slot
- the lunch room was smoky
- a restroom hand dryer was mouldy
Reviewers in 2024–2026 paid around ¥1,550–1,650 for the hamburg set, ¥1,580 for the yakiniku-don and ¥3,980–4,500 for the 100g sirloin steak set. At dinner they paid around ¥4,580 for the fillet, ¥3,180 for tokujo karubi (top-grade short rib), ¥1,900 for jo-rosu and ¥1,200 for reimen. Typical spend is ¥1,000–1,999 at lunch and ¥5,000–5,999 at dinner. Reviewers ordering freely at dinner spent about ¥8,000–10,000 each.
Value is the strongest point, especially at lunch. Reviewers widely call a 250g Ishigaki beef hamburg with salad, soup and free rice refills for about ¥1,650 a bargain. Dinner reviewers rate the quality-to-price ratio highly too.
- Getting there: in Maezato, about 2.5 km west of central Ishigaki. The sign is easy to miss. Taxis are scarce, so ask staff to call one for the return. Parking available.
- Lunch: no reservations, walk-in only. Write your name on the waiting board and stay on site (many wait in their cars); you order while waiting. Arrive before the 11:00 opening. The hamburg is limited to about 25 a day and often sells out by 11:40–12:00, and lunch may close early when sold out.
- Dinner: you cannot just walk in. Book by phone (0980-87-6029); reservations open one month in advance, and seats often go weeks ahead. The line can be hard to reach from overseas. Reserve the special tongue when you book. Reviewers report a two-hour slot with last order after about an hour.
- Payment: cards accepted (VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX, Diners, UnionPay). Electronic money is accepted: Suica and other transport IC cards, nanaco, iD and QUICPay. QR payments are accepted: PayPay, d Barai, au PAY, Alipay and WeChat Pay.
- Seating: non-smoking. No private rooms, and private hire is not available.
- Language: the paper menu is Japanese only, but the menu is on the restaurant's website for translation. Some staff speak a little Chinese.
- Hours and closing days may change, and the restaurant occasionally closes temporarily. Check before visiting.
