Steakhouses›Steakhouses in New York›Yakiniku Great
Yakiniku · Union Square · New York
Yakiniku Great
Japanese Black wagyu at A5, flown in from Japan, served fresh rather than aged, and cut from the lean muscles most menus skip.
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By Inès Vacher · Steakpedia editorial voice · Who writes
Why go
Yakiniku Great starts where Steakpedia likes to start: with the animal and its paperwork. The house serves only A5 Kuroge Wagyu, the Japanese Black breed, with a Beef Marbling Standard (BMS) score of 10 to 11 out of 12, flown from Japan. Then it goes against the usual wagyu pitch. Founder Shoji Tsugawa told The Manual in September 2026 that the heaviest marbling can mute the beef's flavor, so the menu leans on lean cuts, the akami, and the staff grill every piece for you at the table. The chain began in Tochigi, Japan, and opened this, its first US house, in June 2026.
What to order
- Omakase "The 6"
- Omakase "The 8" (Kimura-Yaki)
- Uni-Chateaubriand supplement
Not published: aging, fire, price.
01What to order
- Omakase "The 6"US$130 on the menu read on Oct. 29, 2026: six essential cuts of the day.
- Omakase "The 8" (Kimura-Yaki)US$175, eight cuts; the chef told The Manual it is the more popular of the two.
- Uni-Chateaubriand supplementUS$70 on top of either omakase, limited to 10 servings a day: tenderloin with sea urchin.
- MisujiPart of the shoulder blade, one of the lean cuts The Manual names.
- Dai-sankakuThe lower inner thigh, also named by The Manual.
- Sukiyaki courseWith grilled negi and an egg yolk, within the omakase.
02The beef
The breed is Kuroge Wagyu (Japanese Black); the grade, A5; the marbling, BMS 10 to 11. The house says it buys across Japan by its own standards rather than by prefecture brand, and air-freights the beef to New York. It is not aged: the house's phrase is "freshness over aging", and The Manual confirmed the beef is not dry-aged. The kitchen buys large sections of shoulder and breaks them down into separate lean cuts, so the omakase moves through muscles such as misuji and dai-sankaku rather than only ribeye and sirloin. The number: BMS 10–11.
03The fire
Guests do not grill. Staff trained by Tsugawa cook each cut table-side and finish it with a seasoning; no source names the grill or its fuel.
04The story
The founder was born in Kawasaki, trained in kaiseki and in Chinese fine dining, opened his first business at 26 and Yakiniku Great at 30, per the house. The chain has houses in Japan, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta; New York came in June 2026, with Yasuhiro Kimura as head chef and Nao Shiozawa as sake sommelier. Unlike the Asian houses, the New York menu leaves out kimchi, which Tsugawa described to The Manual as a deliberately Japanese choice.
05The practical
12 West 17th Street, Manhattan; (212) 220-0655. Tuesday to Saturday 18:00 to 23:00, last seating 20:45; Sunday 17:00 to 20:30, last seating 18:30; closed Monday. Book on Resy. The kitchen cannot cater for vegan or vegetarian diets, or for allergies or aversions to seafood, shellfish, soy, gluten or alliums. A sake pairing is offered. In June 2026 The Infatuation listed seven-cut menus from US$145; the menu has changed since, so check the price when booking.
- Address
- 12 West 17th Street, Union Square, New York, NY 10011
- Phone
- +1 212 220 0655
- Website
- yakiniku-great.us.com
- Directions
- Google Maps ↗
What beef does Yakiniku Great NYC serve?
Only A5 Kuroge (Japanese Black) wagyu, BMS 10–11, flown from Japan and not aged.
How much is the omakase at Yakiniku Great?
On the October 2026 menu, "The 6" is US$130 and "The 8" is US$175; the Uni-Chateaubriand adds US$70.
Do you grill your own meat at Yakiniku Great?
No. The staff grill every cut at the table.
When did Yakiniku Great open in New York?
In June 2026, as the chain's first location in the United States.
06In New York’s selections
07Sources
theinfatuation.com · foodle.pro · yakiniku-great.us.com · yakiniku-great.us.com · yakiniku-great.us.com · themanual.com
Last verified Oct. 29, 2026.
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