Uncle Steven's — Restaurant in Hakuba

Despite living more than 300 kms from Uncle Steven's I have eaten nachos there on five occasions and it is about time I write a review. Bottom line: Best nachos you will probably have in Japan.

It is hard to find good Mexican in Japan. It is even harder to find good nachos. Uncle Steven gets it right, but how? It comes out piping hot - the cheese is beautifully melted/seared. You may find yourself scraping every last bit off the plate it's that good. Toppings - Many restaurants skimp on the cheese and guacamole. Not Uncle Steven. The mound of guacamole and copious amounts of cheese ensures that there is not a chip that goes without either. Sauces - Each table at Uncle Steven has a basket with a myriad of hot sauces for you to douse your dish in. Many restaurants just offer Tobasco (or nothing at all), but Uncle Steven imports some specialty sauces like Cholula, Green Tobasco, and Marie Sharp's. The restaurant doesn't need to do this; it is offered as a labor of love. Pictures - There are very few pictures of the nachos on Google so I wanted to make sure its glamour was accurately captured. If you are not sold by the picture alone then move on.

Uncle Steven has spent time in the US so he knows what it takes to make good nachos. I have had the enchiladas and quesadillas and although they are also good, what draws me back are the nachos: It is something so simple, yet so many restaurants fail to get right, so when you find ”the one”, you obviously keep coming back.

Bravo, Uncle Steven, I will see you...

If you know what Mexican/Tex Mex is supposed to taste like, this place is not for you. One of only two bad food experiences I had in Japan so far. Nachos came with an oddidh looking, grey-pink beans paste that did not taste like much but had an odd taste to it (portion size is quite small). Fajitas and Enchiladas are ridiculously pricey and barely enough for 2 (even though the menu says one dish is for 2-3 people). Fajitas are basically only sauteed (overcooked) onions and the chicken was not the amazing-pan fried golden chicken you usually get, but steamed, slightly pinkish no-taste chicken slices. Decoration is nice. They have a few hot sauces to choose from. We did not try the tequila but they seem to have a few choices. If you have to go maybe the tequila will help improve...

First, I’d like to preface this post with the fact that I grew up eating Mexican food. That being said, Mexico is a big country, I have an open mind and more importantly, I’ve noticed while living here in Japan, that Mexican food or Tex-Mex is hard to come by. I really wanted the food to be better (I was rooting for it) and I was also very hungry but unfortunately, the food at Uncle Steven’s restaurant was overpriced and mediocre at best. I do get the old adage: ‘It’s All About Location, Location, Location’. They do have a great location and if you’re missing 80s music (they played a montage), and you want food that will fill you up, then, this is a good restaurant for you. Just remember, it will lighten your wallet faster than you can say...