Japanese Barbecue Chain Restaurant Chubby Cattle Is Opening in Austin

In a city renowned for its culinary diversity, an exciting new entry to the dining scene is set to open its doors. The Japanese barbecue restaurant chain, Chubby Cattle, is making its grand debut in Austin, Texas in 2025.

An Introduction to Chubby Cattle

Chubby Cattle is an American-based Japanese barbecue restaurant chain known for its all-you-can-eat offering that focuses primarily on wagyu meats. From rib-eye to short-rib and particularly luxurious pairings like wagyu with uni and caviar, they offer a true barbecue feast for the meat lovers.

But it isn’t just about the meats. The restaurant also serves scallops, pork belly, and lamb chops along with other non-barbecued options such as sushi, hand rolls, dumplings, soups, seafood, vegetables, and fruits.

The new venue will be situated in Barton Creek Square Mall, at 2901 Capital of Texas Highway and will be the first Chubby Cattle location in Austin.

Membership Benefits and Technological Innovations

The restaurant offers three tiers of pricing with incentives for members of their group, including access across all locations, rewards such as free birthday meals, discounts, guest passes, and reservations. Furthermore, members also receive exclusive NFTs as part of the loyalty program.

A standout feature of the restaurant chain is their innovative service approach. Besides the usual waitstaff, they employ conveyor belt services and robot servers and enhance the dining experience with visual projections.

The Wagyu Advantage

Chubby Cattle sources its prime wagyu from ranches in California and Oregon, through strategic partnerships. This approach ensures high-quality produce that plays a significant role in shaping the superior taste and texture of its dishes.

Chubby Cattle’s Growth and Expansion

The first Chubby Cattle location, which focused on hot pot, opened its doors in Las Vegas in 2014. Co-founders Harby Yang and managing partner David Zhao have since overseen the successful expansion of the brand with locations sprouting in Denver, Chicago, Southern California, Philadelphia, and Duluth. Some outlets specialize in hot pot or shabu-shabu, drawing inspiration from different Japanese cooking styles.

Besides Chubby Cattle, the parent company also operates a range of other restaurant brands including Las Vegas hot pot restaurant X Pot, Los Angeles Japanese steakhouse Niku X, Los Angeles shabu-shabu restaurant Mikiya, and others.

Contribution to Austin’s Food Scene

Chubby Cattle’s arrival is a welcome addition to Austin’s versatile array of all-you-can-eat Pan-Asian restaurants. With a prime location on the second floor near the Nordstrom wing of the Barton Creek Square Mall, it’s anticipated that the restaurant will be a hit among the hungry mall-goers while intensifying the city’s vibrant food culture.

The new Chubby Cattle location will offer indoor dine-in services and will operate from daytime into evening hours, ensuring flexible dining options for patrons.