Azuki

If you’re looking for a sukiyaki restaurant that’s a little different from the rest, you’ve come to the right place. Azuki in Ueno prides itself on serving the finest “Sanuki Olive” wagyu sourced from cows on Shodoshima Island in Kagawa — these cattle spend their lives eating food mixed with local olive oil!

[Azuki - image © Florentyna Leow]

Spend any amount of time in Japan and you’ll notice just how important provenance is to restaurants and diners here. Many places take pride in sourcing domestic produce, and most restaurants maintain close ties with the people who grow, catch, and hunt for the food you’re eating. Some chefs can tell you exactly where the fish on your plate came from — and in some cases, who caught it!

Sukiyaki and shabu-shabu restaurant Azuki in Ueno is that sort of restaurant. They take pride in serving meat sourced entirely from Kagawa prefecture — specifically, Shodoshima Island.

On Shodoshima Island, there are apparently cows that spend their lives eating food that’s been mixed with locally-produced olive oil. This makes the beef incredibly tender and juicy, and it has a fabulous depth of umami that makes any dish containing it super memorable. (There are also some claims that this makes the beef healthier, but we’d take that with a pinch of salt.)

If you don’t eat beef, you don’t have to be left out of the fun. Azuki also serves ‘Olive pork’, ‘Sanuki chicken’, and seafood variants on their sukiyaki and shabu-shabu hotpot courses, so every other meat eater is catered for in some way! On average, you can expect to shell out around JPY5000~8000 per person for dinner if you’re having beef. It’s worth the expense, and makes a great story, too.

For more Tokyo wagyu choices, see our Best Wagyu in Tokyo page.

English name:
Azuki

Japanese name:
小豆

English address:
B1 Kotobuki bldg., 3-15-7 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 110-0005

Japanese address:
〒110-0005 東京都台東区上野3-15-7 ことぶきビルB1

Opening hours:
11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-11:30pm
Closed Sunday and national holidays

Price:

Non-smoking section:
Yes

Reservations:
Possible

Nearest Transport:
Subway: 3-minute walk from exit A1 of Ueno-hirokoji Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza line, Ueno-okachimachi Station on the Toei Oedo line.
Train: 4-minute walk from the south exit of Okachimachi Station on the JR Yamanote line.

Telephone:
+81-3-6803-0393

Website:
none

Customer Reviews:
Read customer reviews of Azuki on TripAdvisor.

Near To Here:
Azuki is located in Tokyo’s Ueno district. See our complete list of things to do in Tokyo’s Ueno district, including places to eat, nightlife and places to stay.

More Tokyo Restaurant Recommendations:
See all Wagyu restaurants we recommend on our Best Wagyu in Tokyo page and get the complete list for all cuisines on our Best Tokyo Restaurants page.

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