Ribera Steakhouse
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| Ribera Steakhouse | |
|---|---|
 A shot of one side of the exterior of the Meguro location | |
 | |
| 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 Japanese professional wrestling, boxing and mixed martial arts-themed steak house restaurant with two locations. The original location is in Gotanda, and there is a second, larger location in Shimomeguro. Professional wrestlers frequent the restaurant when touring in Tokyo, a rite of passage in the wrestling community.[1][2] In addition, some wrestlers receive a complimentary satin Ribera Steakhouse Jacket from the owners.
Stan Hansen credits Bruiser 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 of memorabilia such as title 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 with Zubaz pants.[2][5] Later, it became a rite 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 10,000 yen (approximately US$73 as of June 2022).[4]
A second and bigger location was built in Shimomeguro, and it is run by the original location's owner's son.[2]
