| Ribera Steakhouse | |
|---|---|
 A shot of one side of the exterior of the Meguro location | |
 Interactive map of Ribera Steakhouse | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Food type | Steak house |
| Location | Gotanda, Japan |
| Other locations | Shimomeguro |
Ribera Steakhouse (ステーキハウス リベラ,Stēkihausu Ribera) is a Japaneseprofessional wrestling,boxing andmixed martial arts-themedsteak house restaurant with two locations. The original location is inGotanda, and there is a second, larger location inShimomeguro. Professional wrestlers frequent the restaurant when touring in Tokyo, arite of passage in the wrestling community.[1][2] In addition, some wrestlers receive a complimentary satin Ribera Steakhouse Jacket from the owners.
Stan Hansen creditsBruiser Brody with being the first American wrestler to discover the restaurant.[1] In the late 1970s and early 1980s, American professional wrestlers began to frequent the restaurant when they were wrestling in Tokyo.[2] Over time, the owner began to cover the walls with hundreds of pictures of the wrestlers who ate at his restaurant.[2][3] The owner rotates the pictures to correlate with the wrestlers currently touring the country. The restaurant is also decorated with other sorts ofmemorabilia such astitle belts and trophies.[4]
The owners of Ribera Steakhouse give out the Ribera Steakhouse Jacket to selected patrons.[2] The jacket is satin and has a bull logo on the breast.[2]Road Warrior Animal popularized wearing the jacket withZubaz pants.[2][5] Later, it became arite of passage for American wrestlers to go to the steakhouse and receive their own jacket.[1][2]Ricky Fuji has said that in English Ribera means, "I'm a wrestler, and I've been to Japan".
The restaurant features New York-style steaks in three sizes—1/2 pound, 1 pound, and 1 1/2 pounds—and sides such as corn, rice, salad, and soup.[4] There is also a Ribera Akebono eating challenge.[4] The challenger must eat 1.35 kilograms of steak and several side dishes in under 30 minutes to win 10,000yen (approximately US$73 as of June 2022).[4]
A second and bigger location was built inShimomeguro, and it is run by the original location's owner's son.[2]
35°37′48″N139°43′43″E / 35.63000°N 139.72861°E /35.63000; 139.72861
