Wagyu Ya

Depending on where you stumble across this rather special and supremely focused South Yarra Japanese restaurant, you might find it goes by its shorter name, as it does here, or by its full, formal name: Wagyu Ya Japanese Indoor Smokeless Charcoal Grill Restaurant. Henceforth known simply and affectionately as Wagyu Ya, we can affirm that this is the place if you’re looking to explore the legend that is Wagyu beef in Melbourne. Here at Wagyu Ya’s Toorak Road premises you can find more than ten different cuts of the famously marbled meat, incorporated into a wide variety of traditional and innovative Japanese dishes cooked on specially imported charcoal grills. At Wagyu Ya you can indulge until the cows come home!

Wagyu cattle are native to Japan and are considered a vital part of the nation’s culinary heritage. This kind of Japanese beef is famous for its heavy marbling which, while critics might claim is simply fat, in fact has a number of health benefits, including the lowering of cholesterol. More importantly for Melbourne’s famously discerning gourmets, Wagyu’s marbling imparts that unmistakable melt-in-the-mouth texture and delicately sweet flavour. Without a doubt, South Yarra’s Wagyu Ya is the city’s preeminent shrine to the cult of Wagyu, offering more than ten cuts that canvas the range of grades up to a marble index of 12.

Outside of Japan, Australia is the world’s largest producer of Wagyu beef, typically grain-feeding the stock for the last 300 to 500 days of production. Western Australia's Margaret River ranchers go so far as to add red wine to their beloved cattle’s feed! Here at Wagyu Ya along South Yarra’s Toorak Road, you can explore the full esoteric force of the Wagyu phenomenon, with the Wagyu Ya Luxe Set menu using beef with a marble score of 9 or more and including a special omakase platter, and the opulent Wagyu Ya Econ Set for four people firing up the charcoal grill to present a sample of four different kinds of Wagyu alongside a range of other premium Japanese dishes. A must for Melbourne foodies, say hai to Wagyu Ya and book your tables now!