A new thick-cut beef tongue restaurant is coming to Akihabara. Gyutan no Lemon Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture; president: Kazuma Hara) opens "Gyutan no Lemon Akihabara" in Tokyo's Akihabara on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Gyutan no Lemon is a thick-cut beef tongue specialty restaurant built around the idea that beef tongue is best enjoyed cut thick, offering dishes that highlight the character of each part of the tongue, including its signature "Kiwami" Steak made with the rare tan-moto cut. The brand was founded in Tokyo's Shinjuku in 2018 and has since expanded to Osaka, Asakusa, Yurakucho, Taipei, Shibuya, and Kyoto. The Akihabara location marks its 8th store in Japan and overseas.
Akihabara, the site of the new restaurant, is one of Japan's leading electronics districts and a hub for anime, manga, game, and computer specialty shops that represents Japanese pop culture. Known around the world as "Akiba," the neighborhood draws tourists alongside office workers and residents from the surrounding area. The new restaurant aims to bring its carefully charcoal-grilled, thick-cut beef tongue to this wide range of visitors.
Just a 3-Minute Walk from Akihabara Station's Showa-dori Exit
On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, "Gyutan no Lemon Akihabara" — the brand's 8th location in Japan and overseas — opens at 1F Taiyo Building, 3-38 Kanda-Sakumacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
The restaurant is about a 3-minute walk from the Showa-dori exit of JR Akihabara Station, and about a 2-minute walk from Exit 1 of the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line's Akihabara Station. It's also within walking distance of Toei Shinjuku Line's Iwamotocho Station, making it easy to reach from several train lines.
The restaurant sits in Kanda-Sakumacho, close to the bustle of the electronics district and large shopping complexes around Akihabara Station, while also surrounded by offices and other restaurants. It's designed to suit a range of occasions, from a meal between sightseeing and shopping in Akihabara to a workday lunch or a dinner after work.
The exterior pairs a solid, dark-toned facade with warm wood accents. The "Gyutan no Lemon" logo sign, lit with a warm glow, stands out amid the bustle of Akihabara, balancing the refined feel of a specialty restaurant with an approachable look for first-time visitors.
Inside, the space is finished in a soft, warm atmosphere centered on wood tones. From the counter seats, guests can watch thick-cut beef tongue being grilled up close, taking in the aroma of charcoal grilling and the anticipation of watching the meat cook as part of the dining experience.
Store Information
- Name: Gyutan no Lemon Akihabara
- Address: 1F Taiyo Building, 3-38 Kanda-Sakumacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- Seats: 31 total (13 counter seats, 18 table seats)
- Grand Opening: Wednesday, July 15, 2026
- Hours: Lunch 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM (last order 2:30 PM) / Dinner 5:00 PM – 9:30 PM (last order 9:00 PM)
- Phone: 03-5829-8023
- Closed: Mondays
- Parking: None
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gyutan_lemon_akiba
The Brand's Signature "Kiwami" Steak: Thick-Cut Slices of the Premium Tan-Moto Cut
The restaurant's signature dish is the "Kiwami" Steak Set Meal, the brand's flagship menu item.
The "Kiwami" Steak uses "tan-moto," an especially rare cut of beef tongue. Only about 1 kilogram of beef tongue can be taken from a single cow, and tan-moto accounts for roughly just 20% of that already-scarce cut, making it a premium part of the tongue. Gyutan no Lemon's distinctively thick cut lets diners enjoy this tender texture to the fullest. Skilled cooks carefully grill it over high-grade binchotan charcoal, giving the surface a savory char while keeping the inside moist. The dramatic look of the thick-cut meat, along with the satisfaction that builds with each bite, are among the reasons the dish has won over so many customers.
The set meal also comes with a range of dishes that let diners enjoy the flavor of beef tongue in different forms: a soup made by long-simmering beef bones and oxtail to concentrate their umami, a rich beef tongue curry with tender-simmered beef tongue, and a spicy beef tongue miso made by combining domestic miso and a secret seasoning with ground beef tongue. Paired with the "Kiwami" Steak, it's a chance to taste the many flavors of beef tongue at once.
The set's hagama-cooked rice uses rice that Kyoto's long-established rice merchant Hachidaime Gihei blends each season to match the restaurant's beef tongue. Cooked quickly over the high heat of a large hagama pot, the rice has good grain texture and natural sweetness that pairs well with the beef tongue.
The hagama rice can also be swapped for "salmon roe and egg yolk rice": piping hot rice topped generously with "Jurokudai Makka Tamago," a rich egg from Sakamoto Yokei, a poultry farm in Aomori Prefecture's Yomogita Village, and carefully selected salmon roe, for an even more indulgent pairing with the beef tongue.
Menu Overview
- Item: "Kiwami" Steak Set Meal (6 pieces)
- Price: ¥3,980
- Set includes: hagama rice, beef tongue soup, beef tongue curry, beef tongue miso, grated yam (tororo), and salad
- Switching the hagama rice to "salmon roe and egg yolk rice" costs an additional ¥1,190
"Kiwami" Steak Paired with A5 Wagyu "Zabuton" — A Lavish Set Popular with Overseas Visitors
"'Kiwami' Steak and A5 Wagyu Zabuton Sukiyaki," a dish that has proven especially popular with overseas visitors at Gyutan no Lemon's first location, Shinjuku Yakiniku Gyutan no Lemon Sohonten, is also offered as a signature menu item at the Akihabara store.
The dish is a lavish set that pairs the thick-cut "Kiwami" Steak, made with the rare tan-moto cut, with A5-grade Japanese black beef "zabuton" prepared sukiyaki-style, served together in a single set meal.
Zabuton is a rare cut taken from part of the chuck roll. It gets its name because the cut, once sliced, resembles the shape of a zabuton floor cushion. It's known for its fine marbling and delicate texture, offering tenderness the moment it's in your mouth along with the refined sweetness of its fat.
The surface of the zabuton is quickly seared, then thinly sliced and dipped in rich egg yolk to be eaten sukiyaki-style. The melt-in-your-mouth texture and sweet fat of the Japanese black beef, layered with the mellow richness of the egg yolk, offer a different kind of beef flavor from the "Kiwami" Steak.
Menu Overview
- Item: "Kiwami" Steak and A5 Wagyu Zabuton Sukiyaki
- Price: ¥5,900
- Set includes: hagama rice, beef tongue soup, beef tongue curry, beef tongue miso, grated yam (tororo), and salad
- Switching the hagama rice to "salmon roe and egg yolk rice" costs an additional ¥1,190
All prices in this article include tax.
Topping ¥55 Million in Monthly Sales: Gyutan no Lemon's Rapid Growth
Gyutan no Lemon is a specialty restaurant chain built around the pursuit of delicious, thick-cut beef tongue. Its first location, Shinjuku Yakiniku Gyutan no Lemon Sohonten, opened in Tokyo's Shinjuku-ku in 2018 and moved to its current location in 2021. Despite sitting one floor below street level, the restaurant gained attention through social media and word of mouth, growing into a popular spot now booked out a month in advance. Even as a mid-sized restaurant of roughly 100 square meters with 50 seats, it has reached monthly sales of ¥55 million. More than half its customers are visitors from overseas, and word of mouth on social media has helped drive inbound demand, steadily building the brand's recognition.
In May 2024, the restaurant incorporated as Gyutan no Lemon Co., Ltd., bringing on 今西秀臣, Takafumi Horie, and 河村征治 as directors, and has since built out a structure aimed at nationwide expansion. Incorporation drew a wave of inquiries from prospective franchisees, and the brand opened Shinjuku Yakiniku Gyutan no Lemon Osaka Honten — its first foray into the Kansai region — in September of that year, followed by Gyutan no Lemon Asakusa in October. It went on to open Gyutan no Lemon Yurakucho in May 2025, and on October 25 of that year, Gyutan no Lemon Taipei (known locally as 牛舌的檸檬台北店), its first overseas location. The Taipei store reached roughly ¥35 million in monthly sales within a month of opening, an equally strong start abroad.
In February 2026, the brand opened Gyutan no Lemon Shibuya, followed by Gyutan no Lemon Kyoto in April 2026, its first location in Kyoto. Now, with the opening of Gyutan no Lemon Akihabara, its 8th location in Japan and overseas, the brand will operate 7 stores domestically and 1 store abroad. Gyutan no Lemon plans to continue opening new locations in Japan and overseas, bringing its thick-cut beef tongue to even more people.
Domestic Locations
- Shinjuku Yakiniku Gyutan no Lemon Sohonten — YS Building B1F, 7-16-12 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
- Shinjuku Yakiniku Gyutan no Lemon Osaka Honten — Nihon-Ichi Dental Center Building 1F, 2-5-2 Sennichimae, Chuo-ku, Osaka
- Gyutan no Lemon Asakusa — TACT Asakusa 2F, 2-9-13 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Gyutan no Lemon Yurakucho — Kaneda Building 2F, 1-2-7 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
- Gyutan no Lemon Shibuya — The Renga Building 4A, 1-5-9 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
- Gyutan no Lemon Kyoto — 吉寿屋四条ビル 3F, Shijodori-Kawaramachi-Nishiiru-Shinmachi 90, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
- Gyutan no Lemon Akihabara (grand opening July 15, 2026) — 1F Taiyo Building, 3-38 Kanda-Sakumacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Overseas Location
Gyutan no Lemon Taipei (牛舌的檸檬台北店) — No. 9, Lane 42, Yixian Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
