Sukoi Yaki (B285 buffet)

We know it’s a bit far, but the price and the taste at this yakiniku restaurant make the trip worthwhile. We like the garden surrounding this one-story cement house and so does half of Bangkok: even though Sukoi Yaki only opened its doors at the beginning of the year, make sure you book on weekends.

Yakiniku selection: Three kinds of beef—marbled, chuck and brisket—alongside squid, pork liver and, if you add another B50, a shabu buffet with Ko Khun beef. Too bad drinks are not included: green tea (B25 with free refills), Asahi (B95) and umeshu (B165).

In front of Sripong Village, Lasalle Soi 46, Sukhumvit Soi 105, 080-558-7378. Open Mon-Fri 5-10pm, Sat-Sun 12-10pm

Gyuma (B499 buffet)

Gyuma’s yakiniku buffet has four different types of beef to choose from: beef with and without fat, ox tongue and marbled beef, all marinated in a traditional Japanese sauce whose recipe Gyuma has been using for more than 20 years.

Yakiniku selection: Beef (four types), salmon, grilled salmon head in soy sauce, river prawns, squid and B199 for the Asahi  beer buffet.

25/11 Sukhumvit Soi 55, 02-714-0518. Open daily 11:30am-11pm

Moshi Moshi Yakiniku (B450-B699 buffet)

Tucked away on the second floor of Park Lane, Moshi Moshi Yakiniku offers you two main buffet options. Even though the restaurant is furnished with somber furniture, making it a bit too dark, there’s no need to worry about smoke or greasy stains here unlike at some yakiniku restaurants.

Yakiniku selection: B450 gets you the usual mix of marble and sirloin beef you’ve seen elsewhere (it does include ox tongue and river prawns, though). Or go all hi-so with the B699 option, which offers Australian lamb, Kurobuta pork, scallops, Wagyu beef and salmon.

Park Lane, Sukhumvit Soi 63 (Ekkamai), 02-382-0098, 081-405-4499. Open daily 11am-11pm

Kosirae (B290 buffet)

We know that many of you just don’t eat beef— well, try this place. The restaurant is actually a Korean grill, but that’s not all that different from yakiniku (see Yakiniku 101, and don’t tell your Japanese friends we said that). So if you don’t mind the Korean version of yakiniku, it’s totally worth the price. For only B290, you’ll get a decent taste of very tender and juicy marinated pork. The décor is nothing special but it’s walkable from BTS Thong Lo.

Yakiniku selection: Apart from the fermented pork, don’t forget to try their bibimbap from the same menu.

97, Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lor), 02-714-8683. Open daily 11am-11pm (buffet is available only Mon-Fri)

Rengaya (a la carte)

Standing in the Japanese-friendly and very much golf-obsessed Thaniya Plaza, Rengaya is a lot more exciting than it looks. The décor is typically Japanese: wooden tables, frosted glass dividers and Asahi-posters. But what’s got people (mostly office workers) queuing up is the affordable lunch sets.

Yakiniku selection: Available from 12-2pm, sets with beef loin, karubi, pork and seafood start from only B150, with rice, miso soup, salad, kimchi, tea or coffee and fruits included. What we really like is the beef loin set with seafood (B280), but if you stop by in the evening, the price would be B200 just for the beef alone.

2/F, Thaniya Plaza, Silom Rd., 02-231-2140. Open daily 11:30am-2pm, 5:30-10pm

Gyu-Maru (a la carte)

Head up a small flight of concrete steps and enter a narrow space divided by a row of wooden booths to the side. We love how they give you cute little bibs to protect you from the hissing yakiniku grill. More importantly, all their ingredients are clearly fresh and high quality—and it’s a pleasant, genuinely smoke-free environment.

Yakiniku selection: The menu is extensive and mostly sticks to classic choices like plates of tender Gyu-Maru karubi (boneless beef rib, B190), or the garlic butter rosu (pork loin, B190), which is wonderfully fatty and melts in the mouth.

2/F, Nihon-Mura, Thong Lor Soi 13, 02-185-2781

YAKINIKU 101

• Koreans brought this style of barbeque to Japan around 1945, when it started to spread in Tokyo and Osaka.
• The original yakiniku is fired by wooden charcoal chucked into a ceramic stove called a sichirin. Now, most places use gas grills.
• In Japan, the beef is usually not marinated, but is served with a sauce whose recipe is often the chef’s jealously guarded secret.
• Aug 29 is Yakiniku Day, according to the most honorable All Japan Yakiniku Association.
• In March 1980, Shinpo Co., Ltd. invented the ventilation system that allows you to eat without getting all smelly.