叙々苑 上野不忍口店
The popular Shushiyuan, known throughout Japan, was my first stop in Tokyo. Although the view outside the Ueno Noborito branch isn’t as stunning as other places in Tokyo, its location right next to Ueno Onshi Park makes it very convenient.
Shushiyuan is very friendly for solo diners, allowing one person to enjoy the privacy of a double booth, and the service is attentive.
I must say that the staff at Shushiyuan are incredibly thoughtful and professional; they give guests plenty of space and time to peruse the menu, and the rhythm of food delivery is just right, allowing for a leisurely dining experience.
Online recommendations often promote the weekday lunch set at Shushiyuan as the most affordable. While I dined in the evening this time, there are still many relatively inexpensive set options to choose from.
The dishes enjoyed this time were:
📌 Green Onion and Salt Beef Tongue
Shushiyuan's signature dish. I found it super delicious! The green onion and salt seasoning is very fragrant and flavorful. Use the tongs to fold a slice of beef tongue around the green onion and salt, place it on the grill for 10-15 seconds until slightly red, then flip it over. After grilling, the juices overflow, and it’s incredibly tasty to just pop in your mouth—all without any greasiness, which I personally highly recommend.
📌 Seafood Platter
For those who don’t eat beef, Shushiyuan offers a luxurious seafood, pork, and chicken platter. In addition to chicken thigh meat and pork belly, it includes two large, sashimi-grade scallops and two sweet shrimp.
The chicken thigh is marinated and very flavorful.
The pork belly has a higher fat content, resembling Korean BBQ; it’s savory and delightful.
The scallops are impressively large and fresh and sweet.
The sweet shrimp are already shelled, so you can eat them straight off the grill; the meat is very tender.
The green onions and shiitake mushrooms that come with the platter also complement the meal nicely.
📌 Shushiyuan Salad
Mainly consisting of lettuce and cucumber, the dressing is a house-made oil, vinegar, and sesame sauce. I felt there was a bit too much dressing, making it quite rich, so you might prefer just ordering the lettuce wraps.
📌 Cold Tofu
Though simple, I found it delicious. Super soft white tofu with kombu and a special soy sauce makes for a very appetizing cold dish.
📌 Shushiyuan Cold Noodles (Thin Noodles)
This dish was my least favorite 😓. It was very different from what I expected. The noodles had a rubbery texture—hard and lacking flavor. There was also a piece that resembled beef shank, which I wasn’t fond of; opinions may vary on this. Overall, this bowl was the only disappointment I encountered.
In conclusion, the meats and seafood at Shushiyuan are of very high quality, the service is excellent, and the environment is comfortable. I really love their semi-private booth seating, adding to the sense of privacy.
It's a Japanese BBQ restaurant I would gladly visit again.