Aside from shabu-shabu, ramen, sushi, and yakiniku, many people who come to Japan will also arrange to dine at a beef tongue restaurant. And of course, the famous beef tongue in Japan comes from Sendai’s “Gyutan Charcoal Grill Tsuruhashi,” while other popular choices for beef tongue include “Aji no Gyutan Kijima” and “Date no Gyutan.” When you come to Shinjuku, Tokyo, there is also a beef tongue restaurant called “Negishi Gyutan (Beef Tongue, Tororo, and Barley Rice Negishi)” that originated in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, which is also the first choice for many people who travel to Tokyo for beef tongue.
【Store Information】Beef Tongue Negishi (Shinjuku Takashimaya Branch)
- Address: 5-24-2 Shinjuku Takashimaya 13F, Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
- Phone: 03-5361-1872
- Business hours: 11:00~23:00
- Store locator
The restaurant chain “Negishi Gyutan” has nearly 40 locations in Tokyo, including Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, and Ginza, as well as 4 branches in Yokohama. This time, we visited the “Negishi Gyutan” located on the 13th floor of Takashimaya in Shinjuku South Exit. We arrived at 6:00 pm on a holiday and were lucky enough to get the last available table.
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Negishi Beef Tongue Menu Introduction
Negishi Beef Tongue offers a Chinese version of the menu. The restaurant’s name, “Niutan-Tororo-Mugimeshi Negishi“, refers to beef tongue, yam paste, and barley rice. The pairing of beef tongue with Riku Beef is the restaurant’s signature dish and business philosophy. They hope that customers can not only enjoy delicious beef tongue but also eat healthily. In addition to the vitamin B and iron-rich beef tongue, they also balance the meal’s nutrition with yam paste containing vitamin B and C and abundant minerals, as well as barley rice with dietary fiber.
The menu of Negishi Gyutan offers various combinations and grades of beef tongue paired with the same side dishes. The most popular one is the “Gyutan Three Kinds Set“, which is considered to be of medium to high quality and allows you to taste three different textures of beef tongue at once. The “Shiro 4 Set White Tongue Thick Cut 8 Slices” is also of high quality and has a better texture as it is thickly sliced!
Click here to see: Negishi Beef Tongue Official Website Latest Menu
Beef Tongue Three Variety Set / Three-Color Platter Special Set (1,950 Japanese Yen)
First, let’s introduce the “Niu Tan San Zhong Cheng Set/San Se Pin Pan Te Zhi Tao Can” from Piao’er Dian, which is a must-order according to Piao’er. The three-color platter set includes two slices of thinly sliced premium beef tongue, two slices of thinly sliced snowflake beef tongue, and four slices of thickly sliced snowflake beef tongue, allowing you to taste three different parts and textures of beef tongue at once.
Thinly sliced premium beef tongue is the most common, but it tends to be tough and dry. Thinly sliced snowflake beef tongue, on the other hand, has a slight elasticity and a decent taste. Thickly sliced snowflake beef tongue contains the essence of the meat, with both elasticity and tenderness. If you prefer a chewy texture, it is recommended to order all thickly sliced snowflake beef tongue for the most enjoyable experience.
Negishi Set Red Tanusu/Jing Niu She (Red Tongue) Combo
And on that day, the “Negishi Set Red Tongue Light” was discounted, so we ordered the daily special as well.
The beef tongue at Negishi is divided into “premium beef tongue (red tongue)” and “snowflake beef tongue (white tongue)”. The white beef tongue is the root part of the tongue, and is further divided into thick-cut top-grade and the finest parts, as well as thin-cut parts. The red beef tongue is the part near the tip of the tongue, and is sliced thinly and has a harder texture when eaten. The taste of beef tongue varies greatly depending on the different parts.
Package Combination Contents
All beef tongue sets come with the same sides including rice, mashed yam, soup, pickled vegetables, and salad. The rice is unlimited, and I won’t comment on the pickled vegetables as I’m not a fan. The beef tail soup is very rich and delicious, with a clear and sweet beef broth.
The salad is okay, the vegetables are a bit bitter and dry to eat, mainly used to relieve greasiness.
The texture of yam paste is thick and sticky, just like that of beef tongue. Piaor is extremely afraid of it… but those who dare to eat sticky foods like yam or natto should like it.
This is not the first time I have eaten at a beef tongue restaurant. The dishes at Negishi Beef Tongue (beef tongue, grated yam, and barley rice) can be hit or miss. Generally speaking, the more expensive the beef tongue, the better it tastes because the different parts of the tongue have different flavors. If you want to try all the different parts, I recommend the Beef Tongue Three Variety Set, which is decent. However, if you want to eat the best beef tongue, go for the most expensive dish, the Shiro 4 Set Thick Cut (thick-sliced snowflake beef tongue) is a good choice. If you have a limited budget and can only afford the cheaper Negishi Set Akatansu, don’t complain that the beef tongue is difficult to eat after you finish!
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