Wrestling Is At Steak: The Iconic Ribera Steakhouse

Brian Damage

If you have been following pro wrestling for a bit, you are probably “in the know” about a little old steakhouse located in Japan called Ribera Steak House. You more than likely have seen several wrestlers wear that infamous shiny satin bomber jacket with the restaurant’s logo on it. From the likes of Hulk Hogan, the Road Warriors, the Dudley Boyz to the Young Bucks and John Cena have all been photographed wearing it. What does that jacket mean? Why is this tiny restaurant so popular with professional wrestlers? What’s the story of Ribera’s Steak House? It’s time to get seated and cut into the history of this iconic restaurant.

The Ribera steakhouse was founded in 1972 by a business man named Norikazu Yamaguchi. The name of the restaurant ‘Ribera’ means riverbank, which is where the establishment is located near the Meguro river in the district of Gotanda in Tokyo. The steakhouse is very small, as it only seats ten people at a time. At the time Ribera opened its doors in 1972, steak was still new and a delicacy in Japan.

The menu is pretty small and simplistic with the prices ranging from 20 to 40 dollars (US) depending what cut of steak you order. There is also a contest where they challenge customers to eat 3 steaks which total 7 pounds and rice in under 30 minutes. It costs 100 dollars (US) to attempt and if successful….the meal is free.

As for how professional wrestling became an integral part of Ribera’s success….we must go back to the 1970’s. Many gaijins (foreign wrestlers) that were touring Japan were tired of eating traditional Japanese foods and wanted to eat a good old fashioned steak. We mentioned earlier, that steak was still something of a delicacy in Japan during this time. It was Bruiser Brody, who was intent on finding a place that served steak. During his travels, Brody located this very small “hole in the wall” called Ribera.

Brody enjoyed his meal so much, that he kept going back and bringing friends back with him like Stan Hansen and other wrestlers. Brody asked the owner if he had any merchandise for sale, which unfortunately he did not. The owner, Norikazu Yamaguchi made Brody a jacket with the restaurant’s logo and offered it as a gift. Bruiser Brody wore the jacket all over Japan and was often photographed wearing it. He became a sort of walking billboard for the steakhouse that appeared in countless magazines and newspapers.

Wrestlers from near and far would see pictures of Brody and Hansen wearing Ribera merchandise and wanted to see for themselves what all the craze was about. Many people would ask to purchase the famed Ribera jacket, but it was not for sale and to this day…still isn’t. It had to be gifted to you by the owner or manager as was the case with Bruiser Brody long ago. As much as pro wrestling has integrated itself into the steakhouse…it hasn’t been all good business between wrestling and Ribera. Yamaguchi said that some pro wrestlers in the past got drunk and started fights with other wrestlers and customers.

Despite the few bad apples, the place became so popular, that Yamaguchi opened up a bigger, second Ribera’s in the neighboring Shimomeguro which is about a 20 minute walk from the original restaurant. It has become somewhat of a rite of passage for any foreign wrestler traveling to Japan to frequent Ribera’s and get one of those jackets.

Ribera is now run by Norikazu’s son Toshihiko Yamaguchi who says that wrestlers do not frequent his establishment as often as in years past. The reason, he suspects, is due to the various Japanese wrestling promotions no longer utilizing foreign talent as they once did. Regardless, Ribera Steakhouse is still considered a true wrestling landmark and a must go to destination for many.