Niseko Bang Bang — Restaurant in Kutchan

Simply put, this is likely the best izakaya I've been to in or outside Japan. That is no exaggeration. Everything was just flawless. First and foremost, of course, comes the quality and presentation of the food which was on par with triple-A restaurants and the presentation. But the staff were so patient and kind. We had 4 little girls in our group, 2 toddlers and 2 5-year-olds, who were tired and testy. Not once did I see a hint of irritation on any of the staff's faces. They were all smiles and running around to make sure we were taken care of the whole time. We also had the pleasure of meeting the owners (who spoke perfect English, of course, in common Niseko fashion)! I've heard it's impossible to book this place during Niseko's "high season". Now I know why. (By the way this is one of the oldest, longest-standing restaurant/izakayas in Niseko. I was told it's some 30-40 years old, which I found shocking because it looks brand new. Apparently it's been constantly renovated throughout the years. Finally, the price, which I found rather cheaper than reasonable, given the quality of food, service and average...

The management of this restaurant is totally incompetent. We will never come back.

We made a reservation months in advance, sent in our credit card details and then heard nothing back despite following up over email. I went in person to the restaurant to confirm the reservation 3 days before and they assured me the reservation was confirmed. We arrived right on time for our 6pm reservation only to be told they had given our table away at 5:30 since they weren’t sure if we would show up!! The manager refused to sit us in another empty table and said we could wait an hour or two and maybe they could squeeze us in! Another couple arrived at the same time as us and they also seemed to have “lost” their reservation. For a restaurant that requires reservations months in advance it is unbelievable that they can’t seem to work out how to properly make reservations. Don’t come here unless you want to end up disappointed and scrambling to find a last minute place to eat (which is always difficult in Hirafu during...

Wonderful yakitori dinner. Staff was sweet, and we were fortunate to receive seats without reservation. The owner warmly greeted us with conversation and we enjoyed 12 skewers, sashimi plate, oysters, grilled hotte, deer steak, a few sides and desert. No regrets on anything, but the chicken tail, wagyu and pork cheek skewers were the best of all. The deer steak was excellent, no gamey taste and wonderfully tender. Hotte was perfectly grilled and of course the sashimi and oysters were some of the best quality of our trip. We spent about $110pp USD with beers and desert. Our counter seats offered views of the yakitori chef who was so professional managing every detail, even the perfect charcoal placement, and the owners son was helping in all areas, great to see the family run business stroll thriving after 40yrs. Really a great experience that lives up to its reputation and so grateful they keep 2 counter seats for walkins, and that we were the lucky...