Live Shellfish Center Kyoto Gion Main Store — Restaurant in Kyoto

We were made to wait over 60minutes with 6 other guests when there were 12-14 empty seats available, the staff did not want to fill the place. When they finally sat us down , they gave us a smallest table when there were 2 other large tables were available. We asked if possible to have the larger table, they said no. We ordered 12 items and there was no room on the table for the food, we asked again to move to a larger table. Then after deliberating with each other, they moved us. The food was all right, nothing exceptional. The guy that made us all wait took the payment, asked why we seemed unhappy, so we gave him honest feedback. He told us he’s the OWNER! We wished him luck. Japan is known to be respectful and mindful, NOT this place. We encountered wonderful service in some restaurants throughout Japan and also truly surprisingly terrible service as well. They seem to really not care about customers, especially foreign customers. Such a contradiction with their...

Best quality seafood (while very reasonably priced)!A fun and warm dining experience! Strongly recommend.

— no reservation needed (as of 11/18/2024); — offers an English menu; — accepts credit card.

This restaurant has its own style, with an open layout and nostalgia Hong kong Dai Pai Dong vibe. A few fish tanks in the front showing the fresh shellfishes, no extra fancy decoration.

Highly recommend trying items:

1. sashimi plate (we got both the assorted one and tuna one), top quality, super fresh, and generous portion;
2. shellfish to grill: scallop, prawn, oysters etc. The grilling is super fun!

service is also top level, friendly & helpful. Thanks again for a...

Food was amazing. Honestly the tuna plate is highly recommended!!! Very fresh and melts in your mouth. Had other plates which had sea urchin, salmon eggs, baby sardines, and other fish that are unique ( squid was good tasted like eating a stick of butter lol fun experience).

All in all an awesome hole in the wall. The other reviews seem to be during either tourist times or maintenance issues. Everything was...