Yonezawa Beef Tokiwa Main Restaurant

Founded in 1894, Tokiwa is said to be the oldest Yonezawa beef specialist in Yonezawa City. Today, the fifth-generation owner draws on the discerning eye passed down through the family to purchase whole Yonezawa cattle directly at market.

The main location has a butcher shop on the first floor and a restaurant on the second, where diners can savor premium Yonezawa beef known for its fine marbling and the rich sweetness of its melt-in-your-mouth fat. The restaurant’s signature dish is the “Century-Old Yonezawa Beef Sukiyaki Course,” served with a special warishita sauce. Diners can choose from four courses: “Tokusen” (premium loin), “Matsu” (loin), “Tasting Comparison” (loin and lean beef), and “Take” (lean beef). The extensive menu also includes shabu-shabu and charcoal-grilled courses, as well as steak courses featuring a wide selection of cuts.

Another specialty is Tokiwa-zuke, made by marinating Yonezawa beef in an aged miso blend based on local Yonezawa miso and flavored with sake lees from select breweries. Since its introduction in 1912, it has remained a prized specialty purchased by the Imperial Household Agency.