Gyuzo BBQ in Rockville, MD: Chef Junzo Miyajima's Best A5 Wagyu Grill in Rockville Town Square, Set by Set

Gyuzo BBQ is an IVEA restaurant. We publish this story to introduce our own restaurant; it is not an independent review.

Gyuzo Japanese BBQ is a tabletop yakiniku restaurant at 33 Maryland Avenue, Suite B, in Rockville Town Square, Rockville, MD. Bethesda Magazine reported its opening over the weekend of November 7, 2020, describing "traditional Japanese barbecue with a modern twist." Google rates it 4.9 stars.

Chef Junzo Miyajima created the menu. He is IVEA's Executive Master Chef, and Gyuzo is the Montgomery County member of his barbecue family, alongside Gyusan and Gyushige in Virginia. The restaurant says its chef "meticulously hand-cuts A5 Japanese Wagyu beef," and every A5 cut on the menu is from Miyazaki Prefecture.

How it works. "Guests personally cook their meals on grills integrated into each table," the restaurant explains. The house sauce is its own invention, Wasabi Churri, "a bold fusion that marries the sharp, pungent kick of wasabi with the fresh, herbaceous notes of South American chimichurri." Try it on the fattiest cut you order.

All-you-can-eat, from $55. The Classic Set is $55, the Premium Set $68 and the Gyuzo Signature Set $98. Premium adds filet mignon, the Gyuzo Steak, premium ribeye, and unlimited American Wagyu short rib cube and chuck roll. Signature is the most complete: lobster, Uni Meets Wagyu, Wagyu Tartare, the Oyster Tsunami, a pistachio-crusted lamb chop, duck breast and an omakase sushi set (with per-person limits), and five American Wagyu cuts marked "no limits." The whole party orders the same set, the clock is 90 minutes from the first order, and last call comes 20 minutes before the end. Kids 3 to 11 are half price, and under 3 eat free.

Or order the A5 by the cut. The à la carte menu is the best way to taste Miyazaki A5 without a full set: Short Rib $43, Prime Rib $65, Tenderloin Cube $98 and, the most impressive steak on the menu, a 10 oz Striploin for $140. For two, the A5 Wagyu Assortment of prime rib, short rib and filet mignon is $99. Everyday cuts start lower: the Gyuzo Steak (chuck flat) is $11, Thick Cut Beef Tongue $15 and Prime Kalbi Boneless Short Rib $16.

The showpieces. Uni-Meets Wagyu, $20 a piece, is fresh uni over seared A5 Wagyu with black caviar and gold flakes. The Oyster Tsunami, $24, brings raw oysters with California uni and ikura in ponzu, and the Flaming Scallop, $16, is seared with miso butter over an open flame. A5 Wagyu Tartare in truffle ponzu, with nori chips, is $35.

Our pick. For a first visit, the Premium Set at $68 is the best value, because it adds unlimited American Wagyu short rib cube and chuck roll for $13 more than Classic. Add one A5 Short Rib for the table to taste the difference. Book through Yelp on the restaurant's site; it does not seat incomplete parties, and groups of six or more pay an automatic 18% gratuity.