Among the joys of long, relatively aimless walks, is encountering people and places you weren’t expecting. On a hot and sunny Saturday in late July, I arranged to meet a friend at one of the several beer gardens in Shinagawa. I had extra time, so I decided to walk from Shirokanedai Station to Shinagawa Station. The distance is under two miles, but the hills and winding roads make it a pleasant, slightly adventurous walk.
After crossing Sakurada Dori I was about to enter the grounds of a temple*, when I saw a familiar face staring from the window of a restaurant. It was Andre the Giant, the terror of my childhood (I was then a Hulk Hogan fan). Over the years, my affection for The Giant grew, primarily due to The Princess Bride, in which the gentle giant plays a memorable part.
The man and legend apparently visited Steak House Ribera ステーキハウス リベラ (map) during a visit to Tokyo. And he’s not the only wrestler! According to the World Wrestling Entertainment website, Ribera is “the most famous restaurant in the world of professional wrestling.” That would certainly explain the photograph.
Is the restaurant any good, how is its meat? Unfortunately I had other plans and didn’t stop in to eat. The website, tabelog.com, gives it 3.22 out of 5 stars, a mark that is fair. The Japanese, are harsh food critics, so it would probably be 4 out of 5 if Americans went there.
No more rhymes now, and I mean it!
Anyone want a steak?
Ribera’s Gotanda / Shinagawa location ステーキハウス リベラ五反田店:
Map:
Ribera’s Meguro location ステーキハウス リベラ 目黒店:
Map:
Some bonus wrestling background:
Other notes:
- * The temple is Honryuji 本立寺 五反田 (website). It has a compact graveyard with several nice statues:
- ** There is also a Meguro branch of Steakhouse Ribera: ステーキハウス リベラ 目黒店 (map / tabelog reviews).
- *** See also “The Legend Of Ribera: Visiting This Steakhouse In Japan Is A Rite Of Passage For Pro Wrestlers”
the tokyo files 東京ファイル 