Ushino Kura Hanoi Review: A Japanese A5 Wagyu Experience

🗓 Last visited in September 2026

Hanoi is home to more than 10,000 Japanese residents and is, I think, an underrated place to try Japanese cuisine.

One of Japan’s specialities is, of course, premium-quality beef. The best-known is A5 Wagyu, whose very high level of marbling gives the meat an almost melt-in-the-mouth texture.

That is what Ushino Kura offers. Before sharing our experience, I want to add a quick guide to Japanese beef terms, summarising the research I did before going there.

Quick guide: Wagyu, Japanese Wagyu and A5

• Wagyu refers to four Japanese cattle breeds and their permitted crosses. Japanese Black is the breed most closely associated with highly marbled beef.
• In Japan, authentic Japanese Wagyu must come from defined Wagyu genetics, be born and raised in Japan, and be traceable through the national system. Not all beef produced in Japan is Wagyu.
• Wagyu cattle are also raised outside Japan. Australia produces fullblood, purebred and crossbred Wagyu descended from Japanese genetics.
• A5 is a Japanese carcass grade. A refers to carcass yield, while 5 is the highest meat-quality grade.

Ushino Kura has the same owner as Nikusho, a more affordable A4 Wagyu restaurant that we have also tried and recommend. Huong wrote a review of it in Vietnamese.

What sets Ushino Kura apart is its closed farm-to-table supply chain. Its premium beef is exported to Vietnam directly from the owner’s family farm and processing and distribution facilities in Japan.

Ushino Kura also has exclusive rights in Hanoi to Satsuma Gyu 4% Miracle, a rare A5 Wagyu from Kagoshima. It comes from cattle with a Beef Marbling Standard score of 10 to 12, placing it among the top 4% of production by marbling grade. The cattle are raised by award-winning Japanese breeders known as kuramoto.

Menu overview

Ushino Kura offers both à la carte dishes and set menus priced from VND 1.5 million to VND 3.9 million++ per person. At lunch, there are also special sets from VND 800,000 to VND 1.2 million++ per person. Full details are available on Ushino Kura’s official website.

When we visited in early September 2026, the restaurant had just introduced a new Steak Platter for two, priced at VND 2.5 million++. The staff explained that the traditional tasting menus include many courses and several more filling dishes, making them better suited to bigger appetites. The Steak Platter focuses on the beef and offers a generous amount of high-quality meat for the price. We were not looking for a heavy meal, so this was the set we chose.

One point to keep in mind: this set, like several others here, includes raw beef. If you do not eat raw meat or eggs, or if you have any allergies, let the staff know in advance.

The Steak Platter for two

The set includes a beef salad, yukke, three premium cuts of Satsuma Gyu 4% Miracle (which Ushino Kura serves exclusively in Hanoi), and Hokkaido scallops.

The meal began with a very fresh beef salad, priced at VND 320,000++ à la carte.

Next came yukke, the Japanese version of the Korean raw-beef dish yukhoe, priced at VND 390,000++ à la carte. The raw beef is seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and garlic, then mixed with raw egg.

As a French person, I naturally compared it with steak tartare. French-style tartare is sharpened with mustard, capers and onions, making it slightly more forgiving of the quality of the beef. Yukke, by contrast, is sweeter and rounder, allowing the beef itself to take centre stage.

If you enjoy raw dishes, this is likely to be one of the highlights. It shows the soft, juicy texture and natural sweetness and richness of A5 Wagyu particularly well.

For comparison, Nikusho serves a very good and more affordable version made with A4 Wagyu for VND 220,000++. It is a useful way to taste the difference between the two grades. Click the images to enlarge them.

The main course features three premium cuts of Satsuma Gyu 4% Miracle, each weighing 120g. The Ushino Kura staff grill them at the table in the following order:

• Premium marbled Wagyu steak
• Premium lean Wagyu steak
• Striploin steak with red wine and brandy sauces, served with boiled vegetables

As mentioned above, A5 Wagyu is known for its heavy marbling, rich flavour and melt-in-the-mouth texture. It should obviously be cooked only minimally, as too much heat would render away the valuable fat and leave the meat drier.

Enjoying high-quality cuts of beef is the core proposition of this experience. This is what you are paying for, so did the beef live up to the price?

A bit of context first: I have been enjoying the “traditional” steakhouse experience less and less, as meals there often feel interchangeable despite their high prices.

What we were served at Ushino Kura was totally different, and the quality of the meat alone exceeded my expectations. This was something I did not expect, and I definitely recommend that anyone who has never had the chance to try premium Japanese beef in a similar setting do so. It is very different from a Western steakhouse experience.

The final course was a Hokkaido scallop grilled with herb butter, fresh and pleasantly rich. By then, we were full. This VND 2.5 million set, centred on the steaks but with fewer side dishes, was more than enough for us. We booked through the Visa Dining programme, which gave us a 50% discount on the total bill.

Space and service

In terms of the space and service, Ushino Kura delivered everything you would expect from a high-end Japanese restaurant. The restaurant occupies a villa with a small Japanese-style garden and an upmarket, private atmosphere. The main dining room is on the ground floor, with several attractive tables beside the windows. Private rooms are located upstairs.

The staff were warm and professional, as we would expect at this price level.

Price and practical notes

For reference, this was our bill after a 50% discount through the Visa Dining offer for Visa Signature and Infinite cardholders.