On the Friday that Wagyu Master officially debuted in San Jose last month, a line began to form outside the 35-seat, walk-in-only restaurant at 3:30 p.m. When the doors opened at 5 p.m., the waitlist hovered around 100 people. That night, the wait for a spot at its U-shaped counter, where diners could enjoy unlimited wagyu, stretched to four hours.
None of this seemed to surprise Charlie Chen, regional manager for Chubby Group, the parent company of Wagyu Master. After all, he told me, “It’s a great experience. It’s personalized for customers — and it’s a lot of food.” On that first day alone, the restaurant went through about 150 pounds of wagyu.
Thankfully, the wait times have eased up since then, with Wagyu Master expanding its hours to open continuously from lunch through dinner, seven days a week. Peak weekend dinnertime might still entail a two- to three-hour wait, but there can be a minimal to 30-minute wait on weekday evenings and little to no wait for weekday lunch.
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Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
A5 wagyu in the fridge at Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
Brothers Logan Phan and Minh Phan at Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
As its moniker suggests, Wagyu Master specializes in the luxury beef known for its intense marbling and melt-in-your-mouth sensation. The restaurant’s two tasting menus center on the Japanese hot-pot cooking techniques of sukiyaki ($98), which involves searing the meat in a sweet-savory sauce, and shabu shabu ($88), where the meat is poached in broth.
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For surcharges of $20 and $25, respectively, the meal can be upgraded to include all-you-can-eat A5 wagyu plus sushi, tempura items, chicken karaage and snow crab croquettes.
But, as I found out on a visit during the restaurant’s first week of service, the tasting menu is AYCE, too. That is, if — like me — you’re fine with endless A4 wagyu and not exclusively interested in A5 wagyu. Wagyu is rated based on its yield (A-C) and quality (1-5), with A5 being the pinnacle. A5 has the most marbling; A4 has slightly less yet is still tender and flavorful.
How is Wagyu Master able to offer such value pricing? In a Zoom call with me, Chubby Group co-founder David Zhao explained that the company has longstanding partnerships with premium beef suppliers, from whom it buys whole cows and uses all parts of the cattle, rather than only specific cuts.
Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
And there’s the economies of scale. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Chubby Group launched with Chubby Cattle Hotpot in Las Vegas in 2015 and has grown to 28 brands with more than 50 locations across the U.S.
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“What Amazon has done with e-commerce and Costco has done with grocery retail, we’re doing with Asian food and beverage — really elevating the experience and bringing incredible ingredients to customers,” he said.
Chubby Group has gradually upped its game while raising awareness of Asian foods. Zhao recalled that their first landlord in Las Vegas initially thought their hot pot establishment was a marijuana operation, presumably because of the word “pot” in its name. Back then, he and fellow founder Haibin Yang offered Black Angus beef. “We started elevating from there,” Zhao said of the progression to American, Australian and Japanese wagyu.
For the Wagyu Master restaurant brand, Chubby Group partnered with Japanese exporter Wagyu Master. San Jose is the second outpost, following Pasadena. Characterizing the South Bay city as “vibrant, with different cultures and an appreciation for great Asian food,” Zhao said they anticipated high demand for the wagyu-centric format.
Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
A5 rib eye sukiyaki, A5 wagyu tartar and tuna uni caviar roll at Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
The typical Wagyu Master customer is “someone who wants to travel to Japan and doesn’t have to,” he said with a slight laugh. “They don’t have to take that 10-, 11-hour flight. They can have the wagyu experience right in San Jose.”
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In the Bay Area, Chubby Group has Chubby Cattle BBQ in Pleasanton as well; that AYCE concept is opening soon in Milpitas and Santa Clara, too. A new brand, called Chubby Tan, is also planned for Santa Clara and will specialize in gyutan (beef tongue).
Wagyu Master’s San Jose space, situated in a strip mall, previously housed hot pot chain Tabu Shabu, which made the venue especially appealing to Chubby Group. Since the existing interior featured a countertop induction burner at each seat and prep areas behind the counter for the servers, the layout stayed the same. Aesthetically, the walls are darker now and stone was introduced on the counter’s façade.
Propped up on the counter are cards touting Wagyu Master’s membership program, Chubby Club Plus ($58 annually), the perks of which include reduced pricing, a birthday discount, and the accrual of points to redeem for food, drinks and more.
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Logan Phan holds cooked A5 rib eye sukiyaki at Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
The aforementioned tasting menu and AYCE upgrade prices are for nonmembers. Two things to keep in mind with the upgrade: There is a 90-minute limit (last call is at the 70-minute mark) and a 20% penalty for overordering (about $24 for the sukiyaki AYCE). The latter policy, meant to discourage food waste, is not “super strict, if you just have a few bites left,” Chen noted.
He also pointed out that the restaurant doesn’t have kids pricing. There’s no charge if they, say, want some chicken karaage or a bowl of rice — as long as they’re not taking up an induction burner or having the full experience. The spacing between stools is such that it can accommodate a child seated between two adults.
My server, Kyle, was responsible for a handful of diners. Shabu shabu partakers, who cook their own meat, require less attention. That’s why once the weather is consistently good and the patio opens, its seven four-tops with induction burners will be dedicated to shabu shabu.
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During its February opening weekend, per Chen, about 75% of diners ordered the sukiyaki tasting menu, which is what I did. It sounded like plenty of food, even before I learned it comes with bottomless A4 wagyu in three cuts: shoulder, chuck roll and brisket. That’s on top of the A5 included in the tasting menu: two slices of rib eye and one slice of strip loin that Chen estimated total 6 to 7 ounces.
Sukiyaki assortment at Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
Minh Phan makes silken egg donburi at Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
Egg caviar chawanmushi, a sashimi assortment and A5 wagyu tartar at Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
My sukiyaki dinner got underway with zensai, or appetizers: yellowtail, salmon and tuna sashimi; poke salad; silky uni chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard); and a choice of a tempura assortment or Portuguese egg tart.
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On Chen’s recommendation, I selected the tart. He steered me right. Served warm, the flaky, buttery pastry shell held a sweet custard, its golden-brown surface blistered in spots.
Next up was the chef specialty dish. Among the eight options were king crab leg, bluefin tuna otoro sashimi and an A5 wagyu handroll with foie gras. I went with the toro uni caviar handroll because it combines three delicacies that I love, wrapped in a crunchy seaweed cone.
About half an hour into my meal, a cast-iron pot was placed on the induction burner in front of me. Kyle dropped in a small cube of wagyu fat. Within a minute or so, it started to sizzle and smoke. He swirled the fat around the pot, then layered in vegetables and the A5 wagyu. Sprinkling sugar atop the strip loin amplified the Maillard reaction, or browning that creates a deeper, richer flavor. The meats were served with sesame ponzu and jidori egg dipping sauces.
Minh Phan cooks adds the sukiyaki sauce to the pan at Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
A final savory course comprising egg donburi (rice) or yaki udon (noodles) is available if diners forgo the unlimited A4 wagyu. After my allotment of A5 wagyu, I was hesitant to consume any more meat as my waistband was starting to feel a bit tight — until Kyle told me that he prefers A4 over A5, describing the former as “more balanced” (i.e., less fatty). So I decided to try his favorite cut: the A4 chuck roll.
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He poured diluted sukiyaki sauce into the pot for me to cook the A4 shabu shabu style. I submerged a thin slice into the simmering broth for maybe 30 seconds. As Kyle said, it was indeed meatier than the A5. Hence, his stance that the A4 delivers a nice balance of flavor and fat that makes it easier to enjoy in larger quantities.
That additional A4 wagyu put me at my limit, though, so I skipped dessert — the options for which were matcha mochi or matcha mille crepe cake.
Matcha mille crepe cake, egg tart and matcha mochi at Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
Wagyu Master in San Jose, Calif., March 18, 2026.
Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE
I couldn’t help thinking: Thank goodness I didn’t elect the AYCE upgrade! According to the restaurant’s figures thus far, approximately 20% of diners go for the upgrade.
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While I can’t imagine waiting four hours for any meal, I would definitely wait an hour or two to dine again at Wagyu Master. (The restaurant texts waitlisters when their seat is available.) I’d likely bide my time browsing the nearby REI or Target, getting some steps in to ensure that I’m super hungry when I finally do pull up to the counter.
Wagyu Master, 1410 El Paseo de Saratoga, San Jose. Open Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., and Friday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.
