Halal Meat Gyukatsu in Kyoto, Nara, Kanazawa and Hiroshima: Wagyu Gyukatsu and Distinctive Interiors at GYUMON

In Kyoto, Nara, Ishikawa and Hiroshima, you can find wagyu gyukatsu (beef katsu) made with halal meat. This article introduces the gyukatsu at GYUMON and its five restaurants in Kyoto, Nara, Kanazawa and Hiroshima.

About the restaurant

GYUMON is a wagyu ramen and gyukatsu restaurant. According to its listings, it started as a yakiniku (Japanese barbecue) restaurant in 2007 and, after refining the recipe many times, perfected its halal wagyu ramen in 2023. All of its restaurants in Kyoto, Nara, Kanazawa and Hiroshima carry “Wagyu Ramen & Gyukatsu” in their names.

On Halal Gourmet Japan, they are listed under Japanese and Ramen. The appeal of GYUMON is that you can enjoy both A5 wagyu gyukatsu and wagyu ramen at the same restaurant.

A5 wagyu gyukatsu

Gyukatsu is beef coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Unlike tonkatsu, which is made with pork, it is usually fried only briefly so the inside stays pink, giving you a crisp, fragrant coating around tender beef.

GYUMON makes its gyukatsu with A5 wagyu. A5 is the highest grade in Japan’s beef grading system. According to the menu on GYUMON’s website, the gyukatsu set meal comes in 100 g, 150 g and 200 g portions. The thick-cut gyukatsu, still pink in the middle, comes with rice, kimchi and other sides.

There is also a set that pairs gyukatsu with fried shrimp. The number of shrimp goes up with the size of the gyukatsu, from two to three to four.

If you want both gyukatsu and ramen, try the wagyu ramen and gyukatsu set. The ramen comes with a choice of two broths: a rich, creamy beef bone broth and a spicy one made with GYUMON’s original chili miso.

Paper umbrellas, tatami rooms and cave-like walls

Every GYUMON serves gyukatsu and wagyu ramen, but each restaurant has its own interior, so picking a restaurant for its interior is part of the fun.

GYUMON Kyoto Station, an eight-minute walk from Kyoto Station, has tatami rooms at the end of a narrow stone-paved passage. You take off your shoes, step up onto the tatami and eat at low tables.

At GYUMON Volcano Kyoto Kawaramachi, the seats are surrounded by rough white walls that look like rock, a nod to the “Volcano” in its name. Eating here feels a little like dining inside a cave.

At GYUMON Kanazawa and GYUMON HIROSHIMA, colorful Japanese paper umbrellas cover the whole ceiling. Just looking up puts you in a festive mood.

GYUMON Nara is in the basement of a building about a minute’s walk from Kintetsu-Nara Station, so it is easy to drop by before or after visiting Todai-ji Temple and Nara Park.

Information for Muslim guests

All five listings show the following under “Conditions”:

• Serves Halal Meat
• Pork-Free
• Uses Halal Seasoning
• Halal Options
• No Alcoholic Drinks
• Dedicated Halal Kitchen & Tableware
• Prayer Space

The Nara and Hiroshima listings also show “Vegetarian Options.” According to its listings, GYUMON is currently in the process of obtaining halal certification.

Beyond using halal meat and seasonings, the restaurants have a dedicated halal kitchen and tableware, and each has a prayer space inside. That makes it easy to fit in your prayers before or after your meal, and to sit back and enjoy wagyu gyukatsu while you travel. The listing pages set out the halal arrangements in detail, so please read them and decide whether the restaurants meet your own standards.

Prayer spaces nearby

Besides the prayer space inside each restaurant, there are other prayer spaces and mosques near the restaurants that are listed on Halal Gourmet Japan.

• Near Kyoto Station: Kyoto Minokichi (B1F, Shinhankyu Hotel)
• Near Kawaramachi: Yumeyakata (Manjuji-cho, Shimogyo-ku)
• Nara: JR Nara Station and Nara City Sightseeing Information Center (both in Sanjo Hommachi), and Naramachi Jinniyah (Minamijodo-cho)

As for mosques, there are Nara Masjid & Iqra Academy in Minamikyobate-cho, Nara, Kanazawa Masjid in Wakamatsu-machi, Kanazawa, and Masjid Kasumi Hiroshima in Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima. Please check each listing page for opening hours and conditions of use. Our area-by-area guide to prayer spaces in Kyoto and Osaka covers more places in Kyoto.

Restaurant information

• Halal Wagyu Ramen & Gyukatsu GYUMON Kyoto Station (Vegan Options Available): 746-1, Tatsumichou, Kyoutoshishimogyouku, Kyoto 600-8307, Japan
• Halal Spicy Wagyu Ramen & Gyukatsu GYUMON Volcano Kyoto Kawaramachi (Vegan Options Available): 1F Yanagawa Building, 239-1, Ichinochou, Kyoutoshishimogyouku, Kyoto 600-8018, Japan
• Halal Wagyu Ramen & Gyukatsu GYUMON Nara: B1F, Morita Building, 48, Takamachou, Narashi, Nara 630-8241, Japan
• Halal Wagyu Ramen & Gyukatsu GYUMON Kanazawa (Vegan Options Available): Honmachi 2-chome M Building 1F, 2-1-2, Hommachi, Kanazawashi, Ishikawa 920-0853, Japan
• Halal Wagyu Ramen & Gyukatsu GYUMON HIROSHIMA (Vegan Options Available): 4th Floor, HM Hondori Kaikan, 8-18, Hondoori, Hiroshimashinakaku, Hiroshima 730-0035, Japan

Please check each listing page for opening hours.

To wrap up

At GYUMON, you can have thick-cut A5 wagyu gyukatsu, still pink in the middle, as a set meal or paired with fried shrimp or wagyu ramen. The tatami rooms near Kyoto Station, the cave-like seats in Kawaramachi and the paper-umbrella ceilings in Kanazawa and Hiroshima make each visit memorable too. If you are visiting Kyoto, Nara, Kanazawa or Hiroshima, be sure to add GYUMON to your list of places to eat. For other restaurants in each city, see our guides to Osaka and Kyoto, Nara, Kanazawa and Hiroshima.

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This article was written by the Halal Gourmet Japan team. On Halal Gourmet Japan, you can search for halal-friendly restaurants and prayer spaces all over Japan. The service is also available as an app (iOS / Android).