About “Nikutoieba Matsuda”

Concept

“A theatrical counter-style experience featuring a meat-centered course.”

As its name suggests, Nikutoieba Matsuda Nara Honten (literally, “Speaking of Meat, Matsuda”) places meat center stage. Yet, it does so with quiet elegance, presenting a refined Japanese-style course meal that offers a slightly special lunchtime experience.

The restaurant focuses on premium wagyu beef, carefully selected by cut and region — including Yamato beef, Ōmi beef, and wagyu from Hokkaidō. These are expressed through a series of Japanese culinary techniques such as sushi, fried dishes, steamed preparations, and dashi-based dishes. The result is a course that is simple in appearance yet crafted with precision and thoughtfulness.

While the core intention is to let you “truly enjoy meat,” the atmosphere remains serene and refined. Each dish flows gracefully into the next, allowing diners to fully appreciate the diverse expressions and textures that high-quality wagyu can offer — all in a carefully curated lunch course.

Head Chef: Shinji Masuda

The culinary vision behind Nikutoieba Matsuda Nara Honten is led entirely by Shinji Masuda, a chef born and raised in Nara Prefecture.

Masuda began his career as a chef in his early twenties, gaining hands-on experience in a variety of kitchen settings. While his foundation lies in Italian cuisine, he has trained across a wide range of styles, honing both technique and creative sensibility.

A pivotal moment came with his encounter with Yamato beef — a turning point that led him to explore and express the appeal of his native Nara through the lens of meat. With a deep understanding of the characteristics of each beef cut, from prime meat to offal, he gradually developed his own distinctive culinary style.

Today, Masuda creates course menus that blend Japanese and Western techniques with free-spirited creativity, all while centering local Nara ingredients. His meticulous attention extends beyond the food itself — to the flow of service and the design of the dining space — resulting in an experience that goes far beyond a typical “meat course.”

In addition to serving as head chef, Masuda is also the representative of TRIO eats. Co., Ltd., which operates food and beverage businesses. He brings both culinary expertise and managerial perspective to the table. Quiet and sincere in his approach to cooking, the depth of his experience is clearly reflected in every dish he serves.

Restaurant Ratings

• The Tabelog Award 2025 & 2024: Bronze Winner
  Nikutoieba Matsuda Nara Honten has been awarded Bronze for two consecutive years in the prestigious Tabelog Awards, which recognize the top restaurants across Japan. It holds one of the highest ratings within Nara Prefecture.
• Featured in the Michelin Guide Nara 2022
  The restaurant is also listed in the Michelin Guide Nara, a testament to the quality and originality of its cuisine.
• Tabelog Rating: 4.09 (as of June 2025)
  With over 150 reviews and more than 7,000 bookmarks, the restaurant has earned praise for its “live counter experience,” “diverse expressions of wagyu,” and “well-composed course structure.”

Dining Prelude

Exterior & Entrance

Nikutoieba Matsuda Nara Honten is conveniently located just steps from Yamato-Yagi Station, nestled within the stylish FACE Building. There’s no flashy signage — only a refined, understated presence that hints at the experience within.

Exiting the elevator, guests walk down a quiet hallway lined with black walls. Immediately to the right of the entrance stands a striking black pine bonsai — bold and commanding. Its sheer presence instantly shifts your mindset into a different world.

Dining Space

The heart of the restaurant is a gracefully curved counter, the centerpiece of a minimalist dining room that seats around ten. The black-toned interior is softened by the warmth of natural wood, creating a tranquil atmosphere that naturally encourages good posture and attentiveness.

At the center of the space, a golden folding screen painting is embedded into the wall — a subtle nod to Japanese aesthetics that also acts as a backdrop, framing the chefs like performers on a stage. The open kitchen reveals chefs working with quiet precision, their movements purposeful and free of excess — a true embodiment of the “theater-style” counter experience.

There is no background music; instead, the space is designed to draw your senses toward the aroma and sound of the ingredients. With lighting that doesn’t speak too loudly, the room allows for full immersion in each course as it’s prepared and presented before your eyes.

Menu Presentation

The moment you sit down at the counter, your eyes are drawn to the day’s ingredients — the stars of the show. On a gleaming stainless-steel stage sit carefully arranged cuts: Yamato beef, tenderloin from Hokkaidō, and tail from Ōmi beef. Their commanding presence alone brings a sense of anticipation and reverence.

It’s not just about eating — the deliberate presentation of the ingredients, almost like an offering, sets the tone for the course to come. This is where Matsuda’s deep respect for meat truly shines.

Before the meal begins, you’re asked for your drink choice — and whether you’d like to pre-order an omiyage (take-home gift). Even for lunch, the opening moments are handled with care, giving the experience an elevated, almost ceremonial feeling.

The omiyage is ordered at the same time as your first drink. This time, I opted for their signature Filet Katsu Sandwich (Herekatsu Sando).

Dishes Tasted

Kumquat and Vegetable Juice

The course opened with a freshly pressed juice made from kumquat, apple, lotus root, and carrot.
Its beautifully translucent orange hue hinted at the balance within — a gentle sweetness layered over the earthy richness of vegetables.

The citrus notes of the kumquat added a refreshing accent, offering a soft, soothing introduction that gently prepared the palate.
It was the perfect “resetting sip” to open the course, quietly switching the body into dining mode.

Yamato Beef Loin Kakinoha Sushi

Next came a memorable dish: kakinoha sushi (persimmon leaf-wrapped sushi) using Yamato beef loin.
A distinctly Nara-style element — the persimmon leaf — paired with beef in a surprising yet harmonious twist.

Delicately layered slices of Yamato beef loin released a soft aroma of the leaf as they were unwrapped.
One bite revealed a texture as smooth as silk, with a subtle, graceful umami that gently embraced the tongue.

Reserved yet distinctive, this dish left a quiet but lasting impression early in the course.

Ōmi Beef Tail Wrapped in Crêpe

Following that was a dish where tender Ōmi beef tail was wrapped in a thinly cooked crêpe.

The plate featured softly spread crêpe topped with green asparagus from Kagawa, myōga (Japanese ginger), and slow-braised beef tail, all gently rolled together before serving.

The first thing to bloom on the palate was the depth of a sauce made from red wine and Chinese black vinegar.
Rich yet never heavy, the sauce enhanced the savory depth of the tender beef tail, while the freshness of asparagus and the sharp, aromatic kick of myōga balanced the dish beautifully.

With techniques rooted in French and Chinese cuisine, this was a standout that truly embodied the “theatrical” spirit of the lunch experience.

Morning-Harvested Vegetable and Cured Beef Salad

Midway through the course came a vibrant salad of freshly harvested morning vegetables.
A single sheet of delicately draped cured beef shimmered atop the glistening, dewy greens.

Red daikon, assorted leaves, beans, and even flower petals came together in harmony — a dish that truly resembled an edible early summer landscape painting.
Each bite delivered the robust flavor of the vegetables, balanced by the saltiness and umami of the beef, offering a refreshing finish that maintained the meat’s presence without overwhelming.

This was a beautifully timed interlude — a breath of fresh air between richer courses.

Filet Katsu with Egg, Clear Soup, and Kamadaki Rice

The main course featured a luxurious katsu made with Hokkaidō wagyu filet.
Cooked rare at the center with a crisp, paper-thin coating, the cutlet was gently simmered with homemade dashi, fresh sweet onions from Awaji, and eggs from Nozawa Poultry — served donburi-style.

Despite its richness, the dish held an air of refinement, with the golden egg mixture delicately enveloping the filet katsu and amplifying its presence.

Accompanying it was a clear soup made with freshly picked vegetables from Nara.
The clean, umami-rich broth danced with crisp textures, leaving a quiet, satisfying aftertaste.

The rice — premium Koshihikari from Oku-Izu — was cooked in a traditional hagama pot, producing plump, glossy grains.
Served alongside were simmered wagyu shigureni (sweet-salty beef) and homemade pickles of napa cabbage and wild kombu.

Each element wove seamlessly into a final culinary narrative that resonated with intention and precision.
From across the counter, the chef’s technique and quiet passion could be felt in every bite.

Refills of the kamadaki rice were encouraged.
Start by savoring it with the shigureni and pickles to enjoy its pure, ingredient-driven flavors. Then, pair it with the egg-bound filet katsu for a richer contrast.
Each combination brought out new layers of sweetness and depth from the rice, making it nearly impossible to put your chopsticks down.

Closing Curry

And finally, to conclude the meal — a signature curry served at the end of the course.

Generously made with ground wagyu beef, this dish left a lasting impression even in the final moments of the meal.
Its aroma was gentle, yet the flavor carried remarkable depth, packed with the concentrated umami of the meat.

It was the kind of curry so satisfying and well-crafted that it made you want to go back for another helping of rice — a deeply comforting and memorable finish to an extraordinary course.

Dessert & Finale

Almond Tofu and Milk Gelato with Peach Pineapple Sauce

The meal concluded with a dessert that offered a gentle sweetness and a lingering, fragrant finish.

A house-made gelato combining Hokkaidō milk and almond tofu was generously topped with a sauce made from peach pineapple — a specialty fruit from Iriomote Island in Okinawa.

The aroma of almond softly bloomed on the palate, blending seamlessly with the rich yet clean flavor of the milk.
The tropical, translucent sweetness of the peach pineapple added a refreshing brightness, with each bite carrying a breeze of island air.

Even after a meat-focused course, this dessert brought a perfectly light and soothing close — a refreshing finale that lingered gracefully.

Summary & Impressions

The lunch-only short course I experienced at Nikutoieba Matsuda Nara Honten was a refined expression of what might best be described as “meat kaiseki” — a style where the live energy of a theater-style counter meets a carefully curated menu that crosses culinary boundaries.

What stood out most was not an overt emphasis on showcasing meat itself, but rather the way meat served as the axis around which elements of Japanese and Italian cuisine were thoughtfully interwoven.
From the layering of aromas and contrasts in texture to precise control over doneness, each dish displayed a high level of craftsmanship, with a sense of coherence running through the course as a whole.

On the other hand, there were few moments that highlighted the sheer power of the meat or its raw essence.

Instead, the impression was that the meat was woven seamlessly into the overall composition of the dishes.

Even so, few places offer a setting where meat is so thoughtfully highlighted — not just in the food, but through the atmosphere, service, and overall dining experience.
I would very much like to return someday for the full dinner course to experience another dimension of what Matsuda has to offer.

Reservations & Access Information

【How to Reserve】

• Direct message via the official Instagram account

• Through gourmet sites such as Tabelog or OMAKASE

• By phone (directly contacting the restaurant)

※ Online reservations require course selection in advance. If you have any allergies or dietary restrictions, it’s best to notify them beforehand.

【Restaurant Details】
Address:
FACE Building 5F, 1-1-71 Naizenchō, Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan

Access:
1-minute walk from the north exit of Kintetsu Yamato-Yagi Station

Business Hours:

• Lunch: From 12:00

• Dinner: From 17:00 / From 20:00 (two seatings per evening)

Closed:
Mondays and Tuesdays (subject to change)

Seating:
Counter only — 10 seats total

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