Chubby Cattle is LA’s fastest-growing yakuniku (Japanese BBQ) restaurant brand. They are known for their all-you-can-eat wagyu offerings and catchy social media marketing, which has been a huge driver for patrons.
The Chubby Cattle Experience
Compared to an AYCE Korean BBQ restaurant, Chubby Cattle is similar but different. You won’t get the same Korean marinades you see with brisket cuts, and the sides are different. All Chubby Cattle restaurants have a similar menu and side-dish offerings, but the layout varies by restaurant size. Some have side dishes laid out for you to grab yourself, while others require you to ask the server.
The Chubby Cattle menu has different tiers, depending on the location. The silver tier is the only tier you will need to consider. It has some of the wagyu cuts and basic meats. If you want to add a few more dollars, you will get access to additional wagyu/special cuts and ONE ORDER of special meats and chef’s special items. At this point, you’re paying more to have access to a couple of restrictions already. Diamond tier grants you even more special meats and chef’s specials, but you may still be limited.
In short, just stick with the silver tier. You have 90 minutes and won’t have the chance to truly savor the A5 wagyu cut. If you don’t care about the cost, go ahead and get the higher-tier options.
I’ve enjoyed the silver tier many times. I LOVE ordering beef tongue, which is the only thing I eat other than the wagyu short plate. Set your timer and load up on Wagyu knuckle, brisket, and short plate. The short rib and steak are a bit too lean for me.
Also, order without the sauce if you can. Sometimes they add too much sauce, where you lose the plot with the wagyu.
There can be a wait, so plan accordingly. Remote reservations are allowed when the restaurant isn’t busy, but once it hits over the 75-minute mark, they may make you come in to put your name down. Plan to kill time during peak hours (usually 4-8 pm).
For Your Consideration
Like many restaurants, Chubby Cattle has its pros and cons. There are many discussions out on Reddit about the legitimacy of the wagyu meat. For me, it tastes different than Korean BBQ, and I’d rather go here even though their social media videos give me an ick.
They once seated my party of seven people at one grill, which SUCKS with timing because we were still limited to ordering 10 plates every 5 minutes, but the grill was super bottlenecked. You’re honestly better off capping the table at four people if you’re trying to break even. Otherwise, you’re running a production to keep the grill cooking.
I didn’t find the chef’s special dishes anything special. You can maybe make your own wagyu foie gras nigiri by undercooking one of the meats a little and dabbing it over a ball of rice. The uni caviar was a bit suspicious because the caviar was actually masago (roe) mixed with mayonnaise, and the uni was fake; it had a weird consistency after you scooped it out of the shell. Quite misleading there, so stick with the silver tier.
What didn’t sit well with me is that the staff will try to incentivize you with free beer or a small discount for a 5-star Yelp review. That incentive is great; go get your discount, you can always remove your review after the fact. You may not see bad reviews because management removes them.
If you join the Chubby Cattle paid membership, it is $68 per year, and the dining member pricing applies to up to two people (total). The staff will always try to get you to join the membership, which you will break even after three visits, with a +1. It’s only worthwhile if you plan to go to Chubby Cattle every other month. Otherwise, you’re better off ordering the lowest tier. I’ve been there many times and still don’t have a membership.
In the End…
We’re in the age where it costs about as much as Korean BBQ, except KBBQ is so chopped at this point given the saturated market. Even though Chubby Cattle has some shortcomings, I can live with the cringe videos of management because the food is decent enough. My logic is, I’m still spending $75 per person on food somewhere else anyway after tax and tip. Cheesecake Factory or Chubby Cattle? Chubby Cattle.