Wagyu(Halal) Japanese food Steak Hamburger & Ramen Shijo Restaurant 5W-Kyoto since1962 — Restaurant in Kyoto

TLDR: vibes were really strange/off, while we were there everyone else walked out.. we wish we had too ;), very pushy for us to take pictures with them and post a 5-star review. Most importantly - mediocre food at best for the price point. Felt like a tourist trap/bait & switch situation unfortunately & we got got lol.

One of the strangest dining experiences we’ve ever had. First things first. If you are selling a premium product, you don’t have to shove it down people’s throats.. you don’t force people to read a book about the meat at a casual dining spot, you don’t rush them through the menu (now it makes sense why..) - the food will speak for itself. Same with the service. If you are charging exorbitant prices for simple meals, they better be perfect (around $50 CAD for a Wagyu truffle cheeseburger & 250$ CAD for a Wagyu steak 🤯..). Went around 7pm on a Sunday & it was DEAD. While we were there everyone else that came in walked out after seeing the menu.. the other waiter was forcing people to sit through reading what felt like their website/mission/story.. so weird! The tables were covered in plastic wrap essentially. Then another waiter comes and pretty much forced us to take a picture with him as if we’d had an incredible experience when we hadn’t even eaten the food yet. He made us wait while he went to grab something before the picture, but asked if he could use our phone to take it. Cherry on top was that we weren’t even close to done eating and they came and shoved a paper with a QR code in our face to make a review right away and rate it 5 stars & was standing there expecting us to do it live.. I politely asked if I could do it once I finished eating. That’s when we asked for the bill because something was just off & then they took long to bring it & made sure to ask about the review again for good measure - just so so weird!!

Maybe if you have never had Wagyu before this place is fine, but the cheeseburger had almost no cheese on it, the burger meat itself was mostly char and unseasoned/bland & came with about 8 potato wedges with very light truffle flavor. Extremely underwhelming!The steak was overcooked, my fiancé did mention this to the waiter who ignored it. We did not even finish the food it was that unappetizing & felt so uncomfortable in the restaurant and just wanted to get out.

You can get much better value and flavor at many other spots in Kyoto. Didn’t even take a picture of the steak, we were so sketched out. Would...

I walked in with my wife, hesitant. The place didn’t strike me at first glance. I even whispered to her, “I’m not sure this is going to be good.” But what followed was nothing short of a revelation.

We ordered the Wagyu meat and the Wagyu rice bowl — and from the very first bite, everything changed. The meat was tender beyond words, marbled like a work of art, melting on the tongue with a richness that felt almost sacred. It wasn’t just food. It was a moment. A pause in time. A reminder that taste can be poetry.

The Wagyu rice bowl was equally divine — a perfect harmony of textures and flavors. The rice was warm, fragrant, and delicately seasoned, cradling slices of Wagyu that glistened with flavor. Each bite was balanced, comforting, and deeply satisfying. It felt like the chef had poured heart and heritage into every grain.

What amazed me most wasn’t just the quality of the ingredients — it was the soul behind the dish. You could taste the care, the precision, the pride. It’s rare to find a place where the food speaks to you, where it tells a story. This place did exactly that.

And for those wondering — yes, the food is halal. That simply means it’s prepared with care and respect for tradition. It doesn’t take away from the flavor or experience — in fact, it adds to it. There’s no alcohol served here, but honestly, that’s not even a factor when the meal itself is this complete. Whether you’re Muslim or not, you’ll find the experience rich, fulfilling, and deeply satisfying.

From the moment of doubt to the final bite, I was transformed. I left not just full, but grateful. Grateful that I gave it a chance. Grateful that I shared it with my wife. Grateful that such flavors exist in this world.

If you’re reading this and wondering whether to try it — don’t hesitate. Let yourself be surprised. Let yourself be amazed. This isn’t just a meal. It’s an experience. One I’ll remember, and one...

Firstly, I would like to clarify that the business asks guests to give Google reviews. When I initially declined to give the review and said I would do it later, the waiter asked me if I didn’t have WiFi, which felt like a subtle psychological tactic to pressure me into leaving a review on the spot. I imagine if I stated that that was the reason I did not want to leave a review at the moment they would’ve informed me I could use their WiFi. I imagine this is why a lot of their reviewers have only left 1 or 2 Google reviews. I also think this makes their Google reviews less accurate, as the reviews are provided by individuals who are pressured in the moment, before they pay, to leave a review.

I appreciate that the food is halal. With that said, I got the wagyu burger and found it flavorless. You also can see from the picture that I received about 8 small French fries. For about 5200 yen I do not think it was worth it.

They provided a single ball of mochi ice cream as “free dessert,” however with the price of the burger and the 8 French fries being so high I still do not feel that the cost value is there.

The service was very kind, as is common in hyper-touristic areas of Japan. However, the business practices itself, such as the exorbitant price and the pressure to leave a review, even when delivered with a smile, still made me uncomfortable.

I have had halal wagyu beef elsewhere in Japan for much cheaper. I was willing to pay more here because I expected the high price would correlate with high quality, but I did not find that to...