The hottest buy on Wall Street? A US$185 wagyu steak sandwich

Don Wagyu, the first restaurant in New York devoted solely to wagyu beef sandwiches, is on South Williams Street in Manhattan’s Financial District, a five-minute walk from the New York Stock Exchange.

It opened on Tuesday, with three sandwiches (or “sandos”) on offer in the 1,000 square foot space. Each is made from a different prized wagyu beef; the cheapest, made with from a hybrid of Japanese and American cows, Washugyu, costs about US$25. On the other end of the spectrum is the A5 Ozaki, which is sourced from a single farm in Japan: that sandwich costs around US$185.

Don Wagyu is aiming to sell about 200 sandwiches a day, or until they run out. Eventually there will also be delivery via Caviar.

It’s a place that screams for placement in the HBO hit, Billions.

Chef Samuel Clonts has been serving the sando, in which the beef is breaded and flash fried to create a crunchy exterior and creamy, soft heart, as part of the 10-course US$200 tasting menu at the elite izakaya Uchu. He and owner Derek Feldman wanted to find a bigger platform to spotlight it.

“I wanted to do wagyu katsu sandos instead of a steakhouse because I see this industry moving towards a type of high-end, fine casual dining where quality comes first,” says Feldman. “I love sitting for a long omakase experience, but that can’t be an everyday experience. I wanted to make that experience more accessible. Luxury doesn’t necessarily have to mean a three-hour meal. Sometimes it can mean just having some of the best, rarest beef in the world.”

Don Wagyu is part of a moment for high-end meat sandos. At the modern subterranean restaurant Ferris, the iberico katsu sando has become a destination dish. Eater.com noted that the members-only Tokyo restaurant Wagyumafia, which offers a US$180 version of the sandwich, is looking for a location in New York in the next year.