Skip to content

FROM THE TRAVEL ARCHIVE

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street

Originally published 2022-07-12 · Korean source last modified 2025-01-06

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 1

A restaurant you may notice while walking along Kokusai Street is

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 2

Steak Dining 88, an upscale restaurant operated by the well-known Steak 88 group.

Known for serving Ishigaki beef, one of Okinawa’s premium beef brands, it felt suited to a special occasion.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 3

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 4

The modern interior was dark and elegant.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 5

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 6

Window seats looked out over Kokusai Street; I imagined these were the most popular.

Watching the busy traffic and pedestrians made it feel very much like we were traveling.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 7

An atmospheric framed picture.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 8

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 9

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 10

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 11

Wine, a natural companion to beef.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 12

At the entrance, a diagram clearly explained the different beef cuts.

Even after hearing explanations during meals, I often struggle to remember the cuts; this laid them out at a glance.

I wished more yakiniku restaurants would display a diagram like this.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 13

From the first page, the menu prices made it clear this was a special meal.

Ishigaki beef sirloin steak: 300 g for JPY 15,000 at the time.

The menu description included soup and salad, plus wine or rice.

The steaks were charcoal-grilled rather than cooked on a teppan, adding a smoky aroma.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 14

Ishigaki beef rib-loin steak: 300 g for JPY 15,000.

Misuji, or oyster-blade steak: 200 g for JPY 8,500.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 15

Ishigaki beef chateaubriand, a tenderloin cut: 200 g for JPY 14,000.

Ishigaki beef zabuton, a richly marbled chuck-flap cut: 200 g for JPY 10,000.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 16

There were also less expensive dishes.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 17

The à la carte bolognese filled with Ishigaki beef looked tempting.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 18

I was curious about beef sushi at a restaurant known for steak too.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 19

As expected of an upscale beef restaurant, there was a wine selection.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 20

A dessert set to finish a special dinner rounded out the extensive menu.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 21

Cute drinks.

We ordered cola and orange juice.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 22

A gift from the chef.

Potato salad with purple cabbage.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 23

We began simply with soup.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 24

There were several sauces.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 25

When ordering, we could choose bread or rice.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 26

Ishigaki beef chateaubriand, prepared as a French-style steak.

It was made from beef tenderloin.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 27

The Ishigaki beef sirloin arrived too.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 28

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 29

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 30

Together, everything made a generous spread.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 31

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 32

Steak with a view down over Kokusai Street felt especially memorable.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 33

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 34

The Ishigaki beef chateaubriand.

It was wonderfully tender.

I felt I could eat 600 g—if only my wallet would allow it.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 35

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 36

The Ishigaki beef sirloin.

Its balance of fat and tender lean meat was excellent.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 37

Wine and beef were an irresistible combination.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 38

The bread was also nicely browned and delicious.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 39

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 40

Curiosity led me to order the beef sushi as well.

It was delicious, but afterward I thought I might have enjoyed the sequence more if I had eaten the sushi before the steaks.

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 41

Steak Dining 88 Matsuo: An Ishigaki Beef Dinner Above Kokusai Street — original photograph 42

The dessert set arrived to complete a special day.

Steak Dining 88, Matsuo branch
Address as recorded: 2F, 124-ku Building, 2-5-1 Matsuo, Naha, Okinawa 900-0014 (区ビル 124)
Phone: 098-943-8888

Read the original Korean account