Sendai Station's "Beef Tongue Street" in Japan: A Big Comparison of 4 Famous Beef Tongue Shops!

Text and photos by /Unrestrained (Bujì)

When eating yakiniku around Japan, it’s not hard to find beef tongue on the menu, but if you’re asking where it’s most famous, Sendai is the clear winner Up！Only after trying it in Sendai do you realize just how delicious beef tongue can be—when exploring Sendai, you absolutely must try this crispy, springy local specialty. The third floor of Sendai Station even has a dedicated “Beef Tongue Street” to make it easy for tourists to enjoy, and all four of its renowned beef tongue shops are packed during meal times.

Not sure which shop to choose? Unrestrained has tried them all, and this article will introduce and compare these famous shops one by one. To cut to the chase, Kichiku and Zenjirou are my personal favorites~ This article is based on personal preferences and impressions after trying them, for your reference Up.

Where is Beef Tongue Street?

In truth, beef tongue shops can be found all around Sendai Station, but sometimes when you’re lugging luggage or in a rush to catch a train, it’s most convenient—and least time-consuming—to grab a bite right inside the station.

The location of Beef Tongue Street at Sendai Station is very easy to find. Just take the escalator up to the third floor, walk straight to the left, and within 30 seconds you’ll see the big sign for Beef Tongue Street as shown in the photo below.

This area doesn’t only have Beef Tongue Street—it also features Sushi Street and Edamame Lane. They’re basically all on the same stretch, with Edamame Lane at the front, Beef Tongue Street in the middle, and Sushi Street at the back. Edamame, as we all know, are soybeans, and they’re also a Sendai specialty—but this article is focused on beef tongue. We’ll talk more about these green snacks in future guides to Sendai Station and Sendai specialties~

Note: If Sendai doesn’t raise cattle, why are there so many beef tongues here? You can check out this article for more info:A City Without Cows, But Famous for Grilled Beef Tongue！Sendai’s Unique Way of Eating Is Super Delicious

Now let’s head to Beef Tongue Street. After passing a few edamame dessert shops, you’ll turn a corner and the famous beef tongue shops will come into view~ In order, the first shop you’ll see is “Date no Gyuutan” (hereafter referred to as Date), followed by “Rikyu,” which has branches all over Japan, with “Kichiku” and “Zenjirou” coming right after.

This order seems to reflect the size of the shops—because in Sendai, Date and Rikyu feel truly omnipresent, while Kichiku and Zenjirou are much less commonly seen. Now let’s dig into the beef tongue, one shop at a time Up.

Date Beef Tongue

■Beef Tongue Street Branch Operating Hours: 8:00–22:30 (last order at 22:00)
■ Other Branches:Date Official Website Branch Info

Date Beef Tongue was the first beef tongue shop Unrestrained tried in Sendai. Originally planning to eat at Beef Tongue Street, we arrived right during peak dining hours, and the line was terrifyingly long. After asking a staff member, we were told we’d have to wait at least an hour, so we quickly grabbed our luggage and headed to the main store outside Sendai Station (4-10-11 Chuo, Aoba-ku, Sendai City). The main store had plenty of seats available, and we were seated right away—pretty lucky.

The interior is spacious, comfortable, and modern—this is the impression Date Beef Tongue gave me, and even the Beef Tongue Street branch at Sendai Station follows this style.

Large transparent windows allow you to see the chefs grilling the beef tongue in action.

Usually, the menus at beef tongue shops are quite simple, mainly featuring grilled beef tongue, thick-cut grilled beef tongue, and curry beef tongue.

Without hesitation, Unrestrained and friends ordered two classic charcoal-grilled beef tongue sets—one regular-thickness beef tongue set meal (¥1,780) and one extra-thick beef tongue set meal, to try both textures.

The set comes with a plate of grilled beef tongue, plus two types of pickles, a bowl of beef consommé, and a serving of white rice. Simple and satisfying. You can also get free refills on rice if you run out~

The extra-thick beef tongue set meal (¥2,150) features salt-grilled beef tongue that’s very thick and slightly crispy, paired with chewy northeastern white rice—it’s pretty good.

However, several pieces of the beef tongue were still tough to chew even after biting for a while, so we ended up swallowing them whole. It felt like there were quite a few tough sinews—maybe my teeth aren’t up to it QQ, though my friend felt the same way.

Also, I’m not sure if the chef accidentally added too much salt while grilling, or if this is just Date’s signature flavor, but the taste grew a bit salty the longer it lingered in the mouth...

Next up is Unrestrained’s beef tongue set meal (¥1,780)—the standard beef tongue set at Date, where you can choose between salt-grilled or miso-flavored beef tongue, or even a half-and-half option. Since we hadn’t tried that before, we opted for half salt-grilled and half miso to compare.

Because we chose the half-and-half option, the beef tongue was served with the two flavors divided on the plate, which made it look a bit less appealing.

In terms of thickness, it really did look thinner compared to the extra-thick beef tongue, and while it had a nice charcoal-grilled aroma, it shared the same downside as the thick version—with quite a few tough sinews that were hard to chew, and it was a bit too salty as well~

Compared to salt-grilled beef tongue, I personally prefer the miso-flavored version because of the added sweetness from the miso. Both pair well with rice, but if I had to choose, I’d recommend the miso flavor.

Overall satisfaction: ★★★☆☆☆ (out of six stars, I’d give it three).

Rikyu Beef Tongue

■ Rikyu Beef Tongue Tsuji Branch (Sendai Station West Exit) Business hours: 10:00–22:30 (last order at 22:00)
■ Other branches:Rikyu official website branch guide

Rikyu’s storefront isn’t as stylish as Date’s, but it’s still spacious and comfortable. The first time I visited Rikyu Beef Tongue Tsuji was during mealtime and I was surprised by the crowd. On subsequent visits, I went during off-peak hours and could almost always get a seat right away without waiting. The photo below shows how quiet the place is around 10 PM.

Just like before, I ordered the regular beef tongue set meal (¥1,782), but this time my friend didn’t go for the ultra-thick beef tongue set—instead, they chose the beef curry.

The beef curry was a bit dry, the taste was okay, not much to highlight here.

Rikyu doesn’t offer a miso-flavored beef tongue, only salt-grilled. However, the thickness is significantly greater compared to Date’s regular beef tongue. The outside has a slight char, while the inside is tender and bright pink. The plating is also very nice.

The beef tongue is really crispy and bouncy—it’s much easier to eat than Date’s. You can taste the smoky aroma of the charcoal grilling, and the salt seasoning is just right. Occasionally you might get a bit of gristle, which is a minor flaw.

Even though I wasn’t very hungry at the time, I still managed to finish the whole bowl of rice and all the beef tongue. The beef soup was also sweet and delicious.

Overall satisfaction: ★★★★☆☆ (out of six stars, I’d give it four).

Kizuke

■ Rikyu Beef Tongue Tsuji Branch Business hours: 10:00–22:30 (last order at 22:00)
■ Other branches:Kizuke official website branch info

Kizuke is my favorite beef tongue restaurant among all the Rikyu Beef Tongue Tsuji locations that I’ve tried with my friend.

The shop is a bit narrower, giving off an izakaya vibe—the atmosphere is quite different from Kizuke and Date, more relaxed. The walls are covered with celebrity autographs.

Looking at the menu, we didn’t have to think too hard and ended up ordering another regular beef tongue set meal and one special thick-sliced grilled beef tongue set meal.

The special thick-sliced grilled beef tongue set meal (¥2,484) is salt-grilled, about 1.5 cm thick. It was grilled to perfection—smoky on the outside and tender, juicy pink on the inside. It really melts in your mouth, yet still retains some crispness. Delicious.

The saltiness is just right, bringing out the natural sweetness of the beef tongue.

My own beef tongue charcoal grilled set meal (¥1,674) came with the option of salt or miso flavor—I chose the latter. And I’m so glad I did, it was truly delicious.

Kizuke’s regular beef tongue is about 1 cm thick or just a bit thinner. But thicker doesn’t necessarily mean better, and thinner doesn’t mean worse—in fact, I absolutely love this miso-flavored Kizuke beef tongue. Highly recommended.

The salty-sweet miso is thinly spread on the beef tongue and quickly grilled over charcoal on both sides. It’s not overly sweet or salty, the sauce and beef tongue complement each other perfectly. The texture is soft and tender—just like their thick slices, it’s very easy to bite into, with barely any gristle. One bite of the beef tongue and you’ll want several bites of rice.

As I was eating, I kept exclaiming how good it was, wondering how something could taste this amazing. (No exaggeration, truly!).

The beef consommé is also light and sweet, full of beef aroma. The beef inside is super tender—just hold it in your mouth and lightly press with your tongue and it falls apart.

Overall satisfaction: ★★★★★★ (out of six stars, I’d give it six—super satisfied XD).

Zenshirou

■ Rikyu Beef Tongue Tsuji Branch Business hours: 10:00–22:30 (last order at 22:00)
■ Other Branches:Information on branches from Shanzhilang’s official website

Shanzhilang’s store is even more distinctive than Kizuke’s—same izakaya style (they actually display lots of sake inside), same lively atmosphere, and the space is just as cramped, but it doesn’t feel like a shop inside a station. It has the vibe of an old, homely place~

I love this kind of atmosphere—it really satisfies my free-spirited imagination of daily life in Japan~ (though maybe that’s a bit superficial)

Besides hanging the menu on the walls, they also display celebrity autographs, just like Kizuke.

After checking the menu, as usual, I ordered the regular beef tongue set meal and the extra-thick beef tongue set meal.

When the regular beef tongue set meal (1,500 yen) arrived, I thought, “Is this a mistake?” because the thickness of their regular beef tongue was basically the thickness of thick beef tongue at other places—about one centimeter thick.

By the way, all their beef tongues are salt-grilled. How does the chef handle the beef tongue so masterfully? The doneness is consistent throughout, both outside and inside, roasted to a uniform, tender pink color.

The best part is how soft and tender it is when you bite into it. The taste is slightly different from Kizuke’s salt flavor, but just as delicious—savory without being overly salty, with a mild saltiness that enhances the umami of the beef. The more you eat, the better it gets. As for the crispness, it feels even crispier than Kizuke’s. I couldn’t stop saying how good it was while eating~

The extra-thick beef tongue set meal (2,400 yen, shown above) is also pretty amazing. It’s also salt-grilled, but because it’s even thicker than the regular beef tongue, it has an even more springy texture.

Isn’t it incredibly thick?

What sets Shanzhilang apart from other beef tongue shops is that they also serve white yam puree. If you want a fresher contrast in texture, you can dip it together. Also, their beef soup doesn’t skimp on the green onions—they’re generously piled on top of the bowl, and the soup is sweet and savory.

Overall satisfaction: ★★★★★★, 6 stars—but since there’s no half-star option, I’ll round it up to 6 stars XD. Very satisfied.

Postscript

Overall, the beef tongues were really good, though the Eda beef tongue I had that day was a bit too salty and tough, which was a slight letdown. Price-wise, the regular beef tongue set meal ranges from 1,500 to 1,800 yen, while the extra-thick beef tongue is between 2,100 and 2,500 yen. All four shops serve amazing rice and clear beef soup—why is the rice in Northeastern Japan so delicious? Each grain is firm and plump.

As for the beef tongue, my favorite is Kizuke’s miso-flavored beef tongue—the sweet-and-salty taste is unforgettable (I really want to eat it again). But Shanzhilang’s salt-flavored beef tongue is also excellent. If my favorite flavor is salt-grilled, then I’d give equally high scores to both Kizuke and Shanzhilang.

Turns out, whether something tastes good is all about comparison. When I first tried the Eda beef tongue in Sendai, I thought it was decent, but a bit too salty and tough. But after trying Kizuke and Shanzhilang, I realized what real deliciousness is. Though Kizuke and Shanzhilang aren’t as famous as Rikyu and Eda, I think fame and deliciousness don’t always go hand in hand. The above are my personal thoughts for your reference Up.

Beef tongue eating tip: If you like the slightly sweet miso flavor, go for Kizuke. If you prefer salt flavor, both Kizuke and Shanzhilang are great choices. If all four beef tongue shops are crowded and you don’t want to wait in line… then just go to whichever one has the shortest queue Up.

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