Kushikatsu Yokozuna Tsutenkaku — Restaurant in Osaka

Location: Near Namba Station

I wish we had looked up reviews before going to this place.

We love Japan. People are courteous. Polite and efficient, but NOT at this restaurant.

The negatives outweigh any positives.

Negatives They served us 4 servings of seaweed crackers and didn’t ask us. This was right when we sat down. We hadn’t ordered yet. Then we later found out they charged us 1320yen for appetizers we didn’t even ask for. There’s a sign there, but we didn’t even get a menu before these items were served.

The raw wagyu was not wagyu. You couldn’t even chew it. It was definitely not a good piece.

The dipping ramen was served in a HUGE bowl, but you later find out, that it’s 1/4 filled and there’s a layer in near the top to drip the water into the bowl.

We ordered 2 bowls of plain white rice. Followed up twice because 30 min passed after all the food already came and still no rice. We canceled it. THEN they brought out the rice. We sent it back.

We asked for water. Twice. Never got it.

Now the WORST part. We ordered family style for sharing (4 adults and 3 kids). The portions of food were large and good value. We didn’t finish it all, but the only thing we wanted to take with us was the edamame. We asked for a box. The girl left and came back and said no. We asked for a bag. She said no. Then later we found out from the female manager that although we PAID for the food, we weren’t allowed to take it out!!! Then the male cashier (unhelpful to everyone - even his coworkers), came over with a strange translated messaging saying essentially that we can’t take it out because they can’t “regulate” the food?

We happened to have 2 plastic bags and took it out with that.

None of the food was spectacular.

Positive things. Big with lots of seating, which is rare. Variety on the menu. Sharing portions are very big.

Overall I would not recommend this place and hope the restaurant will...

TL;DR - DO NOT EAT HERE

We were trying to find a spot that fit our group of 6 people, a baby, and that had some food for everyone with different dietary requirements.

This restaurant tries to do everything, and in doing so, does it all poorly.

The Kushi katsu was not fresh - the ingredients used are cheap, the beef is chewy, the seafood is extremely fishy and in a bad way.

We ordered shabu shabu as well - they did not come out with the meal until well after all the kushi katsu came out and only when we asked where it was. When it came out, the stock was just water with a single piece of seaweed in it - and it was still cold. They didn’t even provide any sauces with the shabu shabu, and the quality of the meat and the vegetables for the shabu shabu was less than average.

The seats are uncomfortable and people are crammed up against each other, and the tables are way too tiny to fit everything you order.

You can tell that this is a tourist trap, aimed at people who aren’t entirely sure what to get so want to have the options. I was nervous even before entering the venue that it was going to be a bad time.

Maybe I would forgive this place if it was very cheap, but it’s pretty averagely priced.

They also require a drink per person - which would be forgivable if anything else was good.

If you were in the same position as us - please do yourselves a favour and split into smaller groups for meals that people will actually enjoy, rather than all having a bad...

Some of the food is pre-made and not fresh. While some waiters are polite, the person who seems to run the place and the chef (?) come across as disingenuous, and the food does not feel authentically prepared.

The Beef Tartare wasn’t fresh, with a very small portion size and a tiny tiny egg.

The Okonomiyaki (Pork) was particularly disappointing. It seemed to have little to no pork, and after eating half—thinking the meat might be in the center—we searched the rest of the pancake but couldn’t find any. [Some one else in the comment had the same experience]

When we raised this with the waiter, they checked with the chef and claimed we must have eaten the pork. They eventually brought out a pre-made batter plate wrapped in plastic and split it slightly open to show. To be honest, the pork was unidentifiable at all and we just wanted to let go of the situation at that point.

While it’s possible we missed it, the experience of being shown pre-packaged food was unexpected and off-putting.

To add to the discomfort, the chef’s (or waiter’s—a middle-aged to older man) who showed us the pre-made batter, his attitude was condescending and borderline rude.

Overall, it wasn’t the experience we’d hoped for, and I can see why some reviews have labeled it a “tourist trap.”

Please avoid it...