The trap when searching for cheap wagyu in Tokyo is the difference between cheap wagyu and wagyu at good value. Restaurants at the very bottom of the price range sometimes mix in domestic beef or crossbreeds while still using the word wagyu. Clear labelling of the designated brand is the minimum indicator of quality.
Among the Tokyo restaurants serving genuinely good wagyu for under 10,000 yen are Sumibiyaki Yuji (炭火焼ゆうじ), Uguisudanien (鶯谷園), Yakiniku Horumon Kinju (焼肉ホルモン金樹), Koyo (光陽) and Horumon Kou (ホルモン コウ). Uguisudanien is widely regarded as the original of the old-school value yakiniku restaurant.
Tokyo has lately taken to machi-yakiniku, neighbourhood yakiniku built around excellent tongue and skirt for under 10,000 yen, at places such as Kinju, Koyo and Horumon Kou. This unpretentious way of eating good wagyu is spreading fast and becoming the new normal for the city’s yakiniku scene.
Matsusaka and Kobe beef are often cheaper eaten in their home regions than in Tokyo. If you want to eat wagyu cheaply in Tokyo, the reliable routes are neighbourhood yakiniku, or lunch at a high-end restaurant.
Check four things: whether the designated brand is stated, whether the grade is stated, how many cuts are offered, and what reviewers say about the meat itself. Reading Tabelog reviews specifically for comments on meat quality will save you most disappointments.