Japanese Beef in Kyoto: Tongue Burger at Hachibei

Hachibei is a Japanese wagyu beef restaurant in Kyoto that I introduced in a Travel and Leisure article in 2010. Last year it received its first Michelin star! Habichei serves Japanese beef with an emphasis on organ meat. Organ meat, or horumon, is not Kyoto cuisine. It is low-end Osaka grub. The interesting thing about Hachibei is that they take this decidedly un-Kyoto food and do it up in a naturally, elegant Kyoto way.

I have been to Hachibei several times for dinner, which I enjoyed very much. I had noticed their interesting lunch menu but had never been yet – until today. They offer a karubi tataki donburi, tongue burger and beef neck stew. Somehow, I just decided today was the day to go and try Hachibei’s ground wagyu beef tongue burger. It was most excellent! It was not at all tough and had a very rich and ‘beefy’ flavor. This is Japanese-style ‘hanbagu’, which doesn’t have a bun – like a Salisbury steak.

This dish is accompanied by beef lung delicately sliced and presented on a small fan-shaped plate, that was pretty rubbery and while not horrible was not the best thing I have eaten. But now I can say that I have even eaten beef lung, I don’t think I could have said that yesterday! Along side the hanbagu were some fresh and stewed vegetables and a really very rich and tasty potato salad. The hanbagu itself is garnished with grated daikon radish, chopped onion and chopped sliced scallions. Unlike Salisbury steak, this does not have a thick demi-glace sauce but a light soy sauce based tare. A bowl of perfectly cooked, white fluffy rice is also served.

After lunch coffee is served with what I thought was chocolate ganache but turned out to be chocolate warabi mochi that was even softer than ganache! Very interesting.

I am definitely going back to try the other two lunch offerings soon!

At 1,500 yen, it is not the cheapest lunch in town. However, this is a great wagyu lunch and well worth 1,500 yen, I think. The restaurant is conveniently located a few minutes walk from the Shijo-Kawaramachi intersection (Takashimaya Department Store, Hankyu Kawaramachi Station).