Where to Buy Kobe Beef in Chicago

There are a number of other legendary types of Wagyu (Japanese beef) beyond Kobe Beef, but if you want to find ONLY Kobe Beef, you have come to the right place… well to find a place to buy or 1 of 38 places to eat it at.

There are several hundred varieties of Wagyu, and Kobe is just one type/regional product from Kobe, Japan. Although, if you do not care about any of the other regions, and you only want to try the one and only Kobe beef. I am going to list the ideal places to buy Kobe beef online, along with where to eat it at in the good ole U.S. of apple pie, bald eagles, guns, and super sizing, Murica.

Listed below are 37 38 Kobe Beef Certified Restaurants in the United States, and I have also listed where you can buy Kobe Beef Online.

The cow icon denotes summaries, so if you want a quick read, scroll on through.
Photo Description: a large block of wood with three vey large slabs of Kobe Beef. The first is a highly marbled piece that looks to be at least an inch thick and his highly marbled. The other two are a lot thick and leaner.
My dream women would look at me the same way she would look at Kobe beef (I'm highly marbled). Image by Orlando G. Calvo.

Murica Loves Big Steaks (the Usual Cuts of Beef)

Unlike a Japanese yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant where you get offered up almost every imaginable cut of the cow, most American steak houses typically only offer up a few select cuts (and American online Wagyu sellers also follow suit):

  • Ribeye
  • Striploin
  • Filet mignon
  • Tenderloin

UPDATED (3/1/21): if you are wondering what the types of Japanese cuts are, they range from (all of the above, along with):

The Japanese offer up more cuts aside from the usual suspects, which are typically ribeye, striploin, filet mignon, and tenderloin. I highly suggest you try the other cuts which are listed below.

Just keep in mind, you can find these cuts at a Japanese (yakiniku) restaurant although most vendors cater to American demand.
  • Strip loin
  • Spencer roll
  • Tenderloin
  • Chuck eye roll
  • Tri-tip
  • Short-rib (a must)
  • Chuck flank/brisket
  • Shoulder
  • Rump (if you like a piece of ass)
  • Top round
  • Tongue (one of my favorite cuts).

The Japanese Beef Marbling Grading System

There are a number of other cuts that are my favorite although that takes an active effort to market the other cuts to Americans which is not going to happen because till I brought this up, most people's expectations are only "A5" and "I want Kobe Beef." Oh, and yea, when it comes to the BMS or the "beef marbling system," the highest is A5 although that does not mean you should only buy A5.

Photo Description: the Japanese beef marbling (grading) system. The image depicts the marbling from BMS No3 (very lean) to BMS No12.
Just think of this chart as the athletic type vs the couch potato, a tasty and tender couch potato that is.
QUALITY – 5
(8-12 BMS)
QUALITY – 4
(5-7 BMS)
QUALITY -3
(3-4 BMS)
QUALITY – 2
(2 BMS)
QUALITY -1
(1 BMS)
YIELDA (72% yield) A5 A4 A3 A2 A1
YIELDB (69-72%) B5 B4 B3 B2 B1
YIELDC (below 69%) C5 C4 C3 C2 C1

If you are looking to try the most marbled grade of beef, Kobe Beef offers up A5 which is the highest in the Japanese beef marbling system (BMS).

The highly marbled beef is nicknamed "shimofuri" which loosely means "frosted beef."

You won't typically have to worry about the yield/quality or cut you want since most retailers deal with the general public, so you will typically only be offered one yield or quality which is A5 Kobe Beef (the equivalent is in the automotive aftermarket when you ask the customer if they want a 'street' or 'race' set-up, most will typically say 'race' regardless of the downsides).

Beware of Snake River Farms (SRF) "American Kobe"

NOT JAPANESE KOBE BEEF and Snake River Farms is doing the equivalent of a McDowell's from the movie Coming to America with Eddie Murphy because it may sound like McDonald's, but that's a Big Mick you're ordering, not a Big Mac. That may not bother you which is what SRF is hoping for, but this sort of thing happens all the time. What I mean by that is that these brand names and regional products are blurred together with other typically lesser products as being the same when they are not. When that happens, you are inadvertently pulling an SRF (except SRF is intentionally doing it like Cleo McDowell, regardless if Mr. McDowell won't admit to it).

SRF has recently switched to "American Wagyu" although they still intermittently use "American Kobe," and if you want to know how SRF compares to Japanese wagyu, read my new article.

SRF is not even on par with Japanese Kobe beef.
  • Jacuzzi (brand name) versus hot tub.
  • Band-aid (brand name) versus a bandage.
  • Champagne (regional product) versus sparkling wine.
  • Roquefort (regional and type of product) versus blue cheese.
  • Bourbon (regional and type of product) is whisky, but not all whisky is bourbon.
  • Scotch (regional and type of product) is from Scotland.
  • Whiskey (regional and type of product) is Irish whiskey with an "e."

This list can go on and on, but you are here to buy Kobe beef versus hearing my rant.

Photo Description: an image by the Wagyu Shop of a Kobe beef. The 1" looking steak is very heavily marbled steak is a top what looks like a marbled slab. Along with a golden fork, a white bowl with very large grains of salt? Along with fresh mushrooms, garlic, and some sort of herb.
Yup, that's Kobe Beef, fit for a basketball legend to the prince of Zamunda. Image courtesy of WagyuShop.com

Where to Buy Kobe Beef Online

Now, I could name all the places, or I can tell you the best and easiest place to order it from (btw, I do not GET CRAP from these businesses, and I just recommend the business that I personally would order from).

Photo Description: if you are looking to buy Kobe beef online, the Wagyu Shop specializes in Wagyu. The logo has white serif style text "the Wagyu Shop" along with a picture of a cow on a black background.

WAGYU SHOP

In their own words: "It all began in 2007 with local distribution to renowned restaurants across the San Francisco Bay Area. After 10 years of distributing some of the finest meats to fine dining restaurants and high-end markets throughout the United States, we saw the opportunity to sell directly to the most gourmet and health-conscious of consumers.

Want the full list of where to buy American and Japanese wagyu online, here is the full list of 12 vendors (versus the 3 I have listed here).

It became apparent that many meat connoisseurs were not able to get quality meats at their local butcher shops, and many also could not get the transparency needed to know exactly where their food was sourced from. Through The Wagyu Shop, you are now able to access high quality meats from reputable and trustworthy farmers and suppliers. Our focus is on the famous Wagyu beef genetics and quality husbandry provided by quality producers.

Prized for its excellence, flavor, and eating experience, Wagyu beef and other rare breeds have been gaining popularity in the US. We hope to share these experiences with you by providing the highest quality ingredients for your next eating excursion with friends and family. Our wide selection of Wagyu beef will impress all your guests at your next event, whether that be your famous 4th of July barbecue or your loved one's birthday."

Photo Description: 3 black cows (kuroge) which are Japanese cows (wagyu). The three cows are both sitting down and they are all huddled up facing each other.
Japanese cows chillin, genki? Image by Marcus/Japanexperterna.se

Notes: I typically like to know where my money is going and who I am promoting for free, and on a closer look, it did look to initially be Nishikawa and Sons, Inc, but the actual entity is Asia International, Inc (I think I did this research before, but I forgot). Ok, I'm thinking/writing out loud, but Asia International is Hitoshi Nishikawa who is an OG in the food industry with 40+ years of experience. Not only that, he was born and raised in Japan and studied at the University of Nebraska with a degree in Animal Science (no wonder I liked this company, this is one cool dude because that takes some bull sized balls to go to school in Nebraska). So my guess, Wagyu Shop is his sons down in LA living the Diamond Jamboree, OC life, yo.

The Wagyu Shop Kobe Offerings:
ribeye, striploin, filet mignon, steak cubes, and tenderloin cubes.

Authentic A5 Grade Kobe Beef from Hyogo Prefecture.
Certificate of Authenticity is included with every order.
Japanese Black cattle (Kuroge).
Temperature controlled overnight shipping.
This item ships frozen.
Thawing is normal during shipment.
Product of Japan.

WAGYU SHOP
555 Parkcenter Dr. Suite 110
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 949.329.8698
Email: CustomerSupport@WagyuShop.com


The Other Online Kobe Beef Sellers

Why the elaborate write-up for the Wagyu Shop and these other two sites have minimal copy? That is because I have a full write-up on all the places to buy Wagyu online, but this time around the focus is only on Kobe which is why I was so elaborate with the Wagyu Shop because they are a Wagyu specific company (not like that means they are anymore Kobe specific than these two, but they are the underdog compared to Crowd Cow and Holy Grail specializes in a broad range of beef).

Photo Description: The Crowd Cow logo is part or the "where to buy Kobe beef" post on Oishii Desu.

CROWD COW

The Crowd Cow Kobe Offerings:

Filet mignon
Strip (steak/end)
Ribeye (steak/cap/end)


Photo Description: The Holy Grail logo is part or the "where to buy Kobe beef" post on Oishii Desu.

HOLY GRAIL

The Holy Grail Kobe Offerings:

Kobe Flight
Strip (steak/roast)
Ribeye (steak/roast/ribcap)
Filet mignon (4,6,8oz)
Filet mignon tips
Tenderloin


All 38 of the Certified Kobe Beef Restaurants in the U.S.

If you don't see the restaurant on this list, they most likely are not certified or using real/authentic Kobe beef (so that pho restaurant or burger joint touting Kobe sliders are just trying to cash in on you). Oh, and if you have come across the article touting only 8 restaurants, that article is obviously outdated.

Don't feel like cooking, these restaurants are the only certified restaurants in the United States allowed to serve Kobe Beef (if they are not listed, it's not real Kobe Beef).

There are a lot of restaurants that fraudulently call their product "Kobe beef."
1 212 Steakhouse New York, NY
2 Alexander's Steakhouse Cupertino, CA
3 Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres Las Vegas, NV
4 MGM Resorts International Las Vegas, NV
5 Nick & Sam's Steakhouse Dallas, TX
6 RPM Steak Chicago, IL
7 Sushi Ginza Onodera Honolulu, HI
8 Wynn Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
9-10 B+B Butchers + Restaurant Fort Worth and Houston, TX
11 Barclay Prime Philadelphia, PA
12 Benny's Chop House CLOSED Chicago, IL
13 Blackstone Steakhouse Melville, NY
14 CATCH Steak New York, NY
15 Cosecha SD La Jolla, CA
16 CUT by Wolfgang Puck Las Vegas, NV
17 Encore Boston Harbor Everett, MA
18 Gaylord Texan Old Hickory Steakhouse Grapevine, TX
19 Gibsons Italia Chicago, IL
20 Hank's Fine Steaks Henderson, NV
21 Insignia Prime Steak & Sushi Smithtown, NY
22 JING Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
23 Mastro's City Hall Scottsdale, AZ
24 Mastro's San Francisco San Francisco, CA
25 Mastro's Steakhouse Beverly Hills, CA
26 Mastro's Steakhouse Houston Houton, TX
27 Mastro's Steakhouse NYC New York, NY
28 Omakase San Francisco, CA
29 Ootoro Sushi Irvine, CA
30 Roka Akor Chicago Chicago, IL
31 Roka Akor Houston Houston, TX
32 Roka Akor San Francisco San Francisco, CA
33 Roka Akor Scottsdale Scottsdale, AZ
34 Scotch 80 Prime Las Vegas, NV
35 The Pacific Club Honolulu, HI
36 Top Beef San Francisco, CA
37 Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse Las Vegas, NV
38 Oxblood San Francisco, CA

Let Me Know How I Did with My "ONLY Kobe Beef Post"

Hopefully, I have provided you with not only the best places to buy Kobe beef online, but also the 38 37 certified restaurants to eat Kobe beef at. That way, you don't have to put too much effort into trying Kobe beef, and you just need to lift your butt to make it on down to a restaurant. If you can manage that, you probably are not as marbled as Wagyu cow.

standardhisper.blogspot.com

Source: https://oishii-desu.com/2020/11/27/where-to-buy-kobe-beef-online-and-which-38-restaurants-are-certified-to-serve-it/

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