Gourmet Food Store
Online store · ships nationwide
Tier 2 · Provenance-Transparent What the tiers mean
Some links to sellers are affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
Authenticity flags
- One category describes a prime rib roast as coming from humanely raised Australian Kobe cattle. There is no such animal: Kobe is a certification for Tajima-lineage cattle raised and slaughtered in Hyogo Prefecture in Japan, and this seller is not on the Kobe association's register. Other categories use the softer Kobe-style, which is a marketing comparison rather than an origin. Buy on the origin and marble score given on the product pages, which are accurate.
Why it's listed
Gourmet Food Store, a Florida sister site of Steaks and Game, sells Japanese A5 Wagyu and Australian Wagyu from Broadleaf, organised by AUS-MEAT marble score in bands from 3 to 4 up through 9 to 10. Its product categories disclose origin and grade. The site also uses Kobe language for Australian beef, in one place describing the cattle themselves as Australian Kobe. No Australian beef is Kobe, and this seller is not on the official Kobe register.
Sorted by marble score, which is the right axis
This shop organises its Australian Wagyu by AUS-MEAT marble score rather than by cut alone, in bands from 3 to 4 up through 9 to 10. That is a better way to sell Australian beef than most retailers manage, because the score is the number that actually predicts what the steak will be like.
The scale runs to 9 plus and measures visible intramuscular fat. Lower bands eat like a very good conventional steak with more richness; the top bands approach the density people associate with Japanese beef and want smaller portions. A shop that lets you filter on it is letting you buy the eating experience rather than guessing from a price.
The Kobe problem here is bigger than a style label
Several categories describe Australian Wagyu as Kobe-style, which is a marketing comparison and a common one. One goes further and describes a prime rib roast as coming from humanely raised Australian Kobe cattle, which is not a comparison at all. There is no such animal: Kobe is a certification granted to Tajima cattle raised and slaughtered in Hyogo Prefecture in Japan, and this seller is not on the Kobe register.
The site also runs a guide headed with the difference between Wagyu and Kobe beef, teased with the line that there is not much difference. There is a great deal of difference, and it is precisely the difference the category names above are blurring. Kobe is a subset of Wagyu defined by place, breed line and certification, in the way that Champagne is a subset of sparkling wine.
Read the origin and the marble score on the product page, which are accurate, and treat every appearance of the word Kobe on this site as decoration.
Sister sites, one company
Gourmet Food Store shares ownership with at least one other Wagyu retailer this directory lists, and the catalogues overlap heavily. If a cut appears at two of them at different prices, you are usually looking at the same warehouse.
The company ships from more than one state, and which warehouse serves an order depends on the item. That is worth knowing when comparing delivery times rather than assuming a single origin point.
Brands carried
Listed in
Something wrong with this retailer? Tell us
Common questions
- Is there such a thing as Australian Kobe beef?
- No. Kobe is a certification for Tajima-lineage cattle raised and slaughtered in Hyogo Prefecture in Japan, granted by the Kobe association and sold through registered handlers. Australian Wagyu is a different product, graded on the AUS-MEAT marble score. Any use of Kobe for Australian beef is marketing language.
- What does the marble score mean?
- It is the AUS-MEAT scale for visible intramuscular fat, running up to 9 plus. Lower bands eat like a rich conventional steak, upper bands approach Japanese density and are better in smaller portions. It is the most useful number on an Australian Wagyu listing.