More Than Just Yakiniku! Eat, Sing, and Stay at Sumiyoshi Hormone
Published: November 5, 2026
※For this article, we conducted a follow-up interview and will focus on new initiatives and changes that have taken place since our previous coverage.
※Prices are subject to change from those in effect at the time of the interview. Please contact the store directly for the latest information.
10 a.m.
When I arrived at Sumiyoshi Hormone for this interview, there were already customers inside. And during the interview, more kept coming through the door.
A yakiniku restaurant is usually busiest around lunchtime or in the evening, but things seem a little different here.
Our previous interview was in 2018. I didn’t know the restaurant back then, but I read the earlier article before visiting. What struck me was that the impression remained the same: a place where anyone can casually enjoy yakiniku.
At the same time, I discovered some new sides to the business. The second floor now houses a karaoke space. There’s even a hotel operation.
Sixteen years after opening, Sumiyoshi Hormone has developed new attractions that weren’t featured in the previous article. This time, I came to learn about the restaurant as it is today.
■Yakiniku in the Morning? Just Another Day at Sumiyoshi Hormone
Sumiyoshi Hormone opened in 2010 and is now in its 16th year.
One of its biggest features is that it operates 24 hours a day. Even at 10 a.m. on the day of my visit, there were already customers enjoying their meals.
When most people think of a yakiniku restaurant, they picture lunch at 11 a.m. or dinner after work. But at Sumiyoshi Hormone, customers enjoy grilled meat from the morning onward.
The reason dates back to requests from local taxi drivers.
“There aren’t many places where we can eat after work.”
“Could you open in the morning, too?”
As the restaurant continued responding to these requests, early-morning service gradually became part of its identity.
Lunch during the day. Drinks and dinner at night. And yakiniku in the morning.
It’s a restaurant that pleasantly challenges the idea that yakiniku is only for the evening.
▲The signboard outside advertises all-you-can-eat menus and welcomes solo diners. It already gives a sense of the restaurant’s friendly atmosphere.
■What Has Changed, and What Hasn’t
About eight years have passed since the previous interview in 2018.
During that time, Sumiyoshi Hormone has evolved little by little.
The exterior sign was upgraded to LED lighting, and the interior walls were changed from beige to a wine-red color.
The menu has changed as well. Some popular items have disappeared, new dishes have been added, and prices have been adjusted.
Even as ingredient costs shift, the restaurant remains committed to one simple idea:
“We want as many people as possible to enjoy yakiniku at reasonable prices.”
Rather than serving expensive meals to only a handful of customers, the owner would rather see ten or twenty people enjoying affordable yakiniku together.
Finding the right balance between quality and price isn’t easy, but the restaurant continues striving to be a place where anyone can stop by comfortably.
Many things have changed over the years.
But the desire to make yakiniku accessible to everyone remains exactly the same.
▲The exterior sign now uses LED lighting.
▲Not sure what to order? Check out the recommended dishes posted on the wall.
■Order by the Slice, Perfect for Solo Diners
One of Sumiyoshi Hormone’s unique features is that some cuts can be ordered one slice at a time.
Instead of ordering a full portion of a single cut, customers can enjoy exactly what they want, in the amount they want.
It’s an appealing option for those who say:
“I can’t eat that much.”
or
“I’d like to try a little of everything.”
Many women visit alone and enjoy yakiniku with a drink.
Another favorite among hormone lovers is mino (beef first stomach).
When I mentioned during the interview that mino is one of my favorite cuts, I learned that some restaurants don’t serve it because it costs more to purchase and requires extra preparation.
Even so, Sumiyoshi Hormone continues to offer it.
“Because there are customers who love it.”
That simple comment stayed with me.
Enjoy what you like, as much as you like.
The restaurant’s wish for customers to enjoy their favorite dishes comfortably seems to be reflected even in details like this.
▲Some items can be ordered one slice at a time. Enjoy exactly what you like.
▲There are plenty of other dishes as well. The Morioka-style cold noodles are especially popular.
▲Special Salted Beef Tongue. Not thick-cut, but still satisfyingly hearty.
▲Marucho. Bouncy texture and juicy flavor.
▲Tsubo-zuke Dragon Kalbi. Its bold look whets the appetite.
▲Morioka Cold Noodles. Delicious broth and wonderfully chewy noodles.
■The Recommended “Manpuku Lunch”
The restaurant’s current recommendation is the Manpuku Lunch.
This popular meal includes rice, soup, oolong tea, and green tea, all with free self-service refills.
And here’s something unusual:
The Manpuku Lunch is available 24 hours a day.
Morning, afternoon, or late at night, you can enjoy a satisfying meal whenever you feel hungry.
The set includes three types of meat:
Young Kalbi
Pork Kalbi
Beef Tongue Tips
Portions are available in:
300g
500g
1kg Mega Size
Lunch at Sumiyoshi Hormone is anything but ordinary.
■60 Minutes: Which Would You Choose?
Alongside the Manpuku Lunch, another lunchtime favorite is the all-you-can-eat menu.
It is available:
Weekdays: 5 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Weekends & Holidays: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Starting at 5 a.m. may be unusual for a lunch menu, but that’s part of what makes Sumiyoshi Hormone unique.
There are two options.
All-You-Can-Eat Lunch
¥1,360 / 60 minutes
Includes:
Hormone
Heart
Chicken Thigh
Beef Tongue Tips
Liver
Stamina All-You-Can-Eat Lunch
¥2,660 / 60 minutes
¥1,860 for junior and senior high school students
Includes everything above plus:
Young Kalbi
Pork Kalbi
Pork Jowl
Tongue Kalbi
Premium Fatty Hormone
Ten varieties in total.
By focusing on hormone cuts, the restaurant keeps prices affordable while still offering a filling meal.
So, which one would you pick?
The standard course with five varieties or the stamina course with ten?
And the choices don’t stop there.
There are also nine different set meals, all available 24 hours a day.
If you tried one a day, it would take nine days to sample them all.
▲The lunch menu: All-You-Can-Eat Lunch, Stamina All-You-Can-Eat Lunch, Yakiniku Set Lunch, and Manpuku Lunch.
▲All-You-Can-Eat Lunch: five kinds of meat, as much as you like.
▲Stamina All-You-Can-Eat Lunch: five more kinds added to the standard five.
▲The recommended Manpuku Lunch. Hearty portions.
■The Second Floor Is a Karaoke Room
Another surprise during this visit was the second floor.
It has been transformed into a karaoke space.
The karaoke space opened around 2019, making use of the second-floor area.
The room is available not only to restaurant customers but also to the general public.
People use it for:
Parties
Gatherings
Singing practice
Musical performances
What makes it uniquely “Sumiyoshi Hormone,” however, is that guests can enjoy yakiniku while singing.
Customers simply order meat downstairs and bring it upstairs, where a hot plate is provided.
In other words, a karaoke outing can easily become a yakiniku party.
Families are welcome too.
With the relaxed atmosphere of grilling at home, guests can eat, sing, and spend time together without worrying about disturbing others.
It’s hard to believe this is the second floor of a yakiniku restaurant, and it promises a rather special time.
▲The second-floor karaoke room. Guests can also grill Sumiyoshi Hormone’s meat using a hot plate.
■And This Room Becomes a Hotel, Too
The surprises don’t stop there.
The same second-floor space also functions as a hotel.
When there is a reservation, it serves as accommodation.
When there isn’t, it becomes a karaoke room.
The hotel operation began around 2024.
Today, around 80% of guests come from overseas, and many book their stay through hotel booking websites.
The room comes with a kitchen as well as sleeping space, and some guests even come downstairs to enjoy dinner at Sumiyoshi Hormone.
Eat yakiniku.
Sing karaoke.
Then spend the night.
A hotel and a karaoke room above a yakiniku restaurant might sound unusual, but that too is part of today’s Sumiyoshi Hormone.
■Changed, Yet Unchanged
Eight years have passed since the previous feature.
The sign has changed.
The walls have changed.
The menu has changed.
And the second floor has taken on an entirely new role.
Yet the most memorable part of this visit was not what had changed, but what had remained the same.
“We want people to enjoy delicious food at reasonable prices.”
“We want people to feel comfortable dropping by.”
Because of that philosophy, everyone can enjoy the restaurant in their own way, whether visiting alone, with family, or with friends.
Making yakiniku feel a little more approachable.
Perhaps that is what Sumiyoshi Hormone has been doing for the past sixteen years.
▲Staff member Komatsubara kindly stepped into the photo.
▲Sumiyoshi Hormone is open and going strong today, too!
■After the Interview
What stood out most during my visit was how many different ways the restaurant puts its philosophy into practice.
Whether we were talking about the menu, the karaoke space, or the hotel, the conversation always came back to the same idea:
making the restaurant a place where people can stop by comfortably and casually.
Yakiniku is sometimes seen as a special-occasion meal.
At Sumiyoshi Hormone, however, it feels much more approachable.
You can stop by on your own, come with family, or gather with friends.
Enjoy good food, spend time together, and leave feeling satisfied.
That spirit could be felt throughout the restaurant.
The karaoke space and hotel were also discoveries I hadn’t expected before this visit, and they revealed another side of Sumiyoshi Hormone.
As for me, after the interview, I enjoyed the Manpuku Lunch, Morioka cold noodles, mino, and several other dishes before leaving thoroughly satisfied.
I left with a full stomach and a better understanding of what makes this restaurant such a beloved local spot.
▲After the interview, I enjoyed yakiniku while chatting with everyone. It was a wonderful way to end the visit.
※Information is based on August 2026. Prices, operating hours, and other details may change. Please verify with the class directly.
※All amounts mentioned in the article are inclusive of taxes.
