Just got back from Takayama, and let me share one of the highlights of my trip – The Hidagyu Maruaki Hida Beef Restaurant located in Takayama, Japan.
Takayama is a town not too for from Nagoya, hence we did take this chance to visit the town. And speaking of Nagoya, you should definitely try the Okafuji Unagi when you visit this place.
I will share more about the Takayama in later post, and this post will focus on our Hida Beef Yakiniku experience.
You might be wondering how we went there, we order a one day trip package from Klook that cover both the Historic Villages of Shirakawago and Takayama Jinya.
We departed from our hotel in Nagoya city and reached Takayama in around 2 hours. Aside from dining on this restaurant, I also went to Funasaka sake brewery where I was able to taste different kinds of sake from vending machines.
More activities to try if you are from nagoya city.
My Hidagyu Maruaki Hida Beef Restaurant Reviews
Our tourist guide led us straight to this restaurant as he knew that we still not have our lunch yet.
Before this, I only know about Kobe beef and not heard of Hida beef.
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The guide promised a special and new yakiniku experience that would blow our minds – and it did!
So, we reached there, the place is slightly crowded and we had to wait at the waiting area until our turn.
They’ve got this waiting area, a space with seats where we could sit and chill.
The staff also handed us the menus they had on hand, for us to pre look what we were going to order later.
Besides, something caught my eye – the walls were hanging with certificates, and probably telling some of their stories.
They were probably trying to tell us , “Hey, you’re about to dine at a place that best known for its A5 Hida beef.”
So, our guide told us that the Hida beef prices at Hidagyu Maruaki Takayama are way more budget-friendly compared to the any A5 beef Yakiniku restaurant in Nagoya city, probably 30 – 50% cheaper.
Besides, he suggested going for the corner cut.
It might not be the prettiest part on the Instagram or social media, but it tastes just as amazing as the more expensive options.
Same Hida beef taste, just without the hefty price tag.
But….despite our guide suggesting the corner cut option, we still opted for the more “pretty” cuts.
I guess a nicely presented dish got the better of us, as we just wanted to try something that look pretty and tasty at the same time!
Not only that, we also decided to order a set of vegetables to balance our yakiniku session.
It seemed like a good idea to eat some greens like cabbage, mushroom, pumpkin, chili and onion as shown in the image above.
It may not have been the most budget-conscious move, but the mix of savory beef and grilled veggies hit the spot just right.
When we checked out the menu, there was a solid lineup of Hida beef options, which provide more choices for their customer to choose whatever portion they like.
From A5 sirloin steak, tenderloin steak, diced steak, and even shabu shabu, you are free to choose the cuts you like as long as you are happy with the price tag.
After some discussions with my friends, we settled on the A5 Hida Beef Wagyu set with multiple portions.
The set included sirloin steak, tenderloin steak, and diced steak, a well-rounded A5 Hida beef experience for all of us.
Besides, you will notice that most Yakiniku comes with salt for seasoning, and this restaurant has no exception.
It seemed like the most straightforward and easiest way to taste original/natural flavors of the Hida beef, especially in Takayama Japan.
I can say that each cut had its own distinct taste, and with just dip our ready BBQ A5 wagyu into the salt, we were able to enjoy the purest taste of the A5 Hida wagyu.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, for me, the A5 Hida beef at Hidagyu Maruaki Restaurant Takayama was really good.
My friends and I might have different opinions on which portion was the most tastiest one, but we did agree that each portion had its own unique taste.
I only have one regret, that is not capturing photos of the A5 Hida beef as we were “BBQing” it.
Hope that I’ll be coming back again on my next visit, see you again Hida beef, see you again Takayama, and of course see you again Japan!
