アンシャンテ — Restaurant in Fujikawaguchiko

Made the mistake of allowing our driver to recommend us some “local” places to eat around Mt Fuji - which he promptly drives us to what is the worst tourist trap of its kind around lake kawaguchi. Technically, there is nothing wrong with the place. Its perfectly comfortable and spacious and has a nice outdoor terrace that has some miniscule view of a carpark overlooking nothing and mt fuji far far away. At first we were excited to learn that it was a beef hotto restaurant and we were eager to try some local fare, but based on the way we were ushered in and shuffled to the outdoor seating area already gave us an idea that we were totally ripe for plucking 🙄. So in the end, it was our own fault that we gave in to the incessant finger “recommendations” at wagyu beef rice sets and the ridiculous $250 sushi sashimi spectacle and random fried tendon bowls because (a) we were starving and (b) we wanted to be polite because the waitress kept hammering high priced menu recommendations everytime we asked her a question about the menu. The food and service was decent and just okay (nothing mindblowing), the price ridiculous and is there even a name to the restaurant or is their name officially the name of their (forced) bestseller dish? Again, it wasnt that the service was bad, but considering we were a group of 8 who ended up spending $500 on a Mt Fuji MEHHH lunch, this was a historic FAIL and the experience was legitimately our least fave during our Japan trip. Sorry, but if i could redo my Mt Fiji trip, I would have asked the driver to take me somewhere...

The very forceful waitress getting us to order one of the most expensive set affected our whole experience. For a restaurant in a tourist spot, it would be good to invest in menus in other languages or at least give people time to translate the menus before rushing them to make an order. Warning people that is cash only and that a 10% service charge will apply would also be good. Again for a restaurant in a tourist spot, you shouldn't be so bothered by tourists, I know you want to serve as many people as possible but we're all paying a lot of money to enjoy our lunch. Stop rushing us! The food wasn't bad but it was very expensive and not worth the price tag. All the tour guides should be ashamed to bring all their customers there for a "typical Japanese experience". This cannot be the only restaurant you can bring us to...

I think tour guides get a cut when they take tourists here. We didn't know that but guessed that this was the case after witnessing many vans of tourists being dropped off here.

If you have a choice, AVOID AT ALL COSTS. The food isn't too bad but it is well over priced. The waiter kept trying to get us to order the 150,000 yen dish.

Our meal for 4 x sets would have cost 6800 yen, however, we were told there's a 10% service charge or tax on top of that. I paid 9020 yen in the end for 4 set meals. I ain't no mathematician, but that is way more than 10% charge.

Also, it is CASH ONLY. Had to get our driver to take us to the closest 7/11.

I conclude with the simple summary that this place is a scam, tourist trap, and they rip customers off. ...