Wagyu Sukiyaki Kyoto Chikarayama Kyoto Station Front Store — Restaurant in Kyoto

This place was great. The service was exceptional to the point where I am going out of my way to post a review! Right when I got in, they gave me a cup of tea while I was waiting for my friends to arrive. We had a party of 5 and they easily accommodated us, gave us tourist suggestions, and even took a photo with us! Again the service was above and beyond and really made our night as one of my favorite meals of my trip so far.

As for the food, we got the course set 4. They brought out the food and cooked it for us. While they cooked it for us, they explained it to us.

The first course was simple sashimi. Good quality and sets you up for the next parts of the meal.

The second course was shabu shabu wagyu on top of tofu. The meat fat from the wagyu added so much flavor to the tofu and really just melts into your mouth leaving us wanting more.

The third course was my favorite. They made caramelized base with sugar and soy sauce as they cooked cubed wagyu meat. The meat was so saucy and delicious. We ate it out of the pan, dipping into our egg, and served with rice.

The fourth course, used the sauce from the pan to make a soup base. Adding onions, tofu, gluten, noodles, mushrooms, and topped with extra meat. They added more sukiyaki broth and covered the pot lid to make a soup that was savory and sweet. The thin cuts of meat left us satisfied as it was accompanied by the veggies to balance out the strong flavors.

Lastly, we were served a small desert of yuzu sherbet and hot tea. The contrast between citrus sherbet and hot tea helped clear my pallet. Ending the meal after all of the sweet and salty food we just ate.

I had plenty to eat for this course and ate till I was full. It was a great meal, experience, and memory I’m going to keep with me and will be excited to come back to...

Avoid at all costs!

This place is a complete tourist trap that I am sure is cheating the Google review system somehow.

I live in Japan and have Wagyu multiple times and this was by far the worst experience I have ever had. The meat was completely overcooked to the point that it was ruined. It is definitely not worth the cost, not even worth half the cost, but that is not what I am the most upset about.

The fact that this place does everything in its power to try and lock you in and then charge you as high of a price as possible is what upsets me and solidifies its status as a tourist trap.

Right when you walk in you are immediately pressured to order a first round of drinks before seeing the menu and reading all the fine print that will end up costing you at a minimum 15,000 yen per person. Everyone must order a complete set meal with the absolute cheapest meal being 9,800 yen. Then unlike anywhere else in Japan that I have been, there is an 8% service charge on top of the already exorbitant prices. They are preying on people that feel too embarrassed to walk out of a restaurant after walking in and are apparently really successful at it.

Then, after offering a completely terrible meal at an absolute premium price, they bring out a large poster with a QR code asking for a Google review. Then after the meal, they followed us out the door and continued to hound us for a review. They clearly can’t stand on the quality of their food to survive and so must harass customers for a review. I’m positive it’s just so they can have enough real reviews mixed in with fake ones to keep their account from getting flagged.

I’ve never been more upset by a...

Mediocre at Best.

I tried Wagyu Sukiyaki Kyoto Chikarayama Kyoto Station Front Store, trusting the few Google reviews and thought I would give this new restaurant a chance to demonstrate its service. I do not usually rate a restaurant 1-star, however, this restaurant has proven me wrong.

For an advertised fine dining sukiyaki restaurant, the staff were significantly inexperienced - I could not count the number of times food slipped from their chopsticks while preparing the meals - clearly demonstrating their incompetence.

The appetizers, including the overtly rancid Shabu Shabu course, were unpalatable. For the premium price paid, the quality food and service provided were subpar. Rice was mushy. Spoons weren't cleaned properly. Meat was undercooked.

Umeshu-soda was delivered to the table without stirring the drink, which resulted in soda on the top and umeshu on the bottom. Again, clearly lacking bartending skills.

I had a much better experience at the Wagyu Sukiyaki Shijo Kawaramachi branch and at slightly less expensive Sukiyaki restaurants like Bakuroichidai and Mishima-Tei. Smiles and greetings can only go so far if staff have not received proper training to provide a premium service. I was very disappointed.

Please improve the training of your staff at the Kyoto Station Front Store, so that next time I visit the restaurant, I will be able to...