Tokyo has been a hotbed of professional wrestling since the early 1950s, with many wrestling superstars getting their start in New Japan Pro Wrestling and crediting their experiences in Japan with launching them into international stardom.
Yet among Tokyo’s countless iconic arenas and wrestling landmarks, one of the sport’s most iconic destinations in Japan isn’t a wrestling venue at all. Down a quiet Meguro street just past the fire station sits a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant that has become synonymous with wrestling royalty since its doors opened in the early 1970s.
The Ribera Steakhouse has shared a special bond with international wrestlers visiting Japan, sparking a new tradition for superstars making their first tours to Japan.
The restaurant opened its first location in Tokyo in 1972, and its second beloved Meguro branch a few years later. Though it wasn’t the original location, the Meguro location would be the one to take the wrestling world by storm.
It was first discovered by Bruiser Brody, one of the biggest foreign stars to tour Japan in the 1970s, who immediately fell in love with the taste of the steak and its affordable price. Brody and other wrestlers touring in Japan were getting tired of eating only Japanese food, insisting on finding an American-style restaurant during their time in Tokyo.
Shortly after his discovery, Brody would begin taking his fellow wrestlers to his newfound spot, even going as far as to wear an official Ribera T-shirt during his entrance to a match in Tokyo.
The owner of Ribera at the time, Norikazu Yamaguchi, was a huge wrestling fan and embraced the restaurant’s newfound popularity with wrestlers, offering them discounts and giving each wrestler who visited a picture on the wall and an iconic Ribera jacket.
Going to Ribera became a rite of passage for wrestlers who made it in Japan and receiving the Ribera jacket was a sign of respect in the wrestling community, as it was a stamp of honor for all those it was given to.
The steakhouse has been visited by all-time wrestling greats like John Cena, Andre the Giant, and The Rock, with their photos proudly hung inside the restaurant.
The 50-year tradition has been kept alive as the next generation of wrestlers continue to come to Ribera to earn their stripes in Japan, with the most recent group of superstars going to the steakhouse in 2024.
The tradition is carried on by founder Norikazu Yamaguchi’s son, Toshihiko Yamaguchi, who plans on keeping the Ribera traditions alive for all wrestlers that pass through its doors.
Being a hole-in-the-wall spot, Ribera isn’t very big, only having around four tables and six barstool-style seats. Combined with Ribera’s dinner-only service, lines often stretch out of the restaurant and down the street as curious fans begin to gather early.
To counteract the crowds, Ribera provides menus and takes customers’ orders outside, speeding up the process and decreasing wait times.
For menu options, Ribera keeps things simple, featuring 10 steak selections from basic steaks and filets to their iconic one-pound steaks and Yokozuna steaks, which come in at a massive 1.4 pounds.
Every steak is served with a side of white rice, Ribera sauce, and corn, along with the option to add the restaurant’s signature corn soup. Prices are very reasonable for a steakhouse, with a one-pound steak only costing around 4,800 yen ($30.20)
The steaks are hand-cooked right behind the bar, as there isn’t room for a full kitchen. Steaks are served on a sizzling skillet so hot that it continues to cook both the steak and corn even as you eat.
The atmosphere is small but charming as photos of wrestlers and memorabilia cover the walls and the ceiling, leaving virtually no free space on the walls in the entire restaurant.
For wrestling fans, Ribera is more than just a steakhouse; it’s a time capsule preserving over five decades of wrestling history. Each photo on the wall and the Ribera jacket handed out forever connects a wrestler to Tokyo, adding them to an ever-growing list of superstars to line the walls of Ribera.
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