A note on the words: gyutan, beef tongue grilled over charcoal, is a Sendai specialty that has become a drinking staple across Japan. Saikyo-yaki means marinated in the sweet white miso of Kyoto before grilling. Namul is the Korean side dish of seasoned blanched vegetables, here bean sprouts, and it sits on the table alongside kimchi for you to help yourself. Nomihodai is the all-you-can-drink plan you buy by the head for a fixed time. A highball is whisky with soda. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
Charcoal Grill Beef Tongue Bar Iketan, Ikebukuro on AutoReserve (English) — opening hours, the Japanese address and online booking are kept up to date there, not here.
I want something good to eat today too. This is Hangover Meshi. This time, Ikebukuro. A beef tongue place had a decent rating, so I decided to go. It has been a while since I was on the east side. Though it is over in the jumbled drinking quarter along the railway line. It is the building right in front of the Mikado theater, which has been around here forever. Charcoal Grill Beef Tongue Bar Iketan, Ikebukuro — up to the fifth floor by elevator.
Inside it is a calm room built around black, and quite lively with it.
This time again I took the all-you-can-drink-only plan with beer included at 2,480 yen, and decided to order the food a la carte. Incidentally, without beer the all-you-can-drink is 1,980 yen, which is cheap. Lately I prefer a la carte because you get to eat what you actually want, and since I cannot eat all that much anyway, it often works out cheaper than a course by the end.
First a few dishes along with a beer.
It is an all-you-can-drink with beer, so I had better order at least one.
There is kimchi and namul on the table, all you can eat, or rather, help yourself.
Honestly, that alone would do for something to drink over.
The grilled beef tongue was on special at 999 yen, it said.
Even so it is fairly pricey.
That is 250 yen a slice! Well, it is good, so fine, but I have a memory of it being cheaper once.
The taste itself is spot on. Tender tongue, full of savor. Yes, perfect with beer.
I had just eaten some, but it was still not enough tongue, so I added the assortment.
Grilled tongue, tongue in saikyo miso and tongue with spring onion and salt, I think. The saikyo-yaki is a sweet miso marinade, and with the toasted note on top of that it was extremely good. Spring onion sauce against tongue was never going to fail! Still, even this much is plenty as something to drink over.
Since there is unlimited kimchi and bean sprout namul, one more tongue dish.
Scanning the menu, the one that looked good was beef tongue with garlic chives and butter. Certain to be delicious.
After this I made full use of the all-you-can-drink, ordering highball after highball, and that was that. Very satisfying.
Well now, using a place as all-you-can-drink with beef tongue as the thing you pick at is an excellent idea! It must have come out very cheap in the end. I have the feeling it finished at five or six thousand yen a head. When the point is the drinking rather than the food, being able to pick at good beef tongue with endless bean sprout namul and kimchi, and get out cheaply, may well make this one to recommend.
One more thing: at the tables, smoking is allowed for electronic cigarettes only. If that bothers you, be warned.
Charcoal Grill Beef Tongue Bar Iketan, Ikebukuro (Izakaya / Ikebukuro Station, Higashi-Ikebukuro Station, Higashi-Ikebukuro-yonchome Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.3
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
