Ebi Kani Gassen — Restaurant in Sapporo

Finding this restaurant was challenging as it’s located in a hidden area within a quiet mall on Level 12.

Making a reservation in advance is highly recommended. We called the night before, and the available slots were already very limited. Upon arrival, our names were displayed on a board, signalling that walk-ins were not entertained due to a fully booked waiting list.

🙇‍♀️ Upon Arrival We opted for the all-you-can-eat crab buffet for 90 minutes, priced at 10,000 yen. The experience was unique for us, as we’d never had such a variety of crabs or learned how to eat them properly before.

Thankfully, the staff provided a brief demonstration on how to dissect the crab to extract the flesh upon request. However, they only demonstrated once, which is reasonable given the time-limited nature of the buffet.

🍱 During the Meal We had three types of crabs: Snow Crab, Alaskan King Crab, and Hairy Crab, alongside sides like chawanmushi (with snow crab), crab sushi, and tempura shrimp.

🦀🌟Snow Crab: Our favourite. The meat was sweet, tender, and easy to pull out. Its shell wasn’t too sharp, making it the easiest to handle.

🦀 Alaskan King Crab: Juicy and fleshy, but very challenging to peel due to its sharp spikes. It paired wonderfully with their red vinegar.

🦀 Hairy Crab: Our least favourite. The flesh was bland and needed soy sauce for flavour. The hairiness of the shell was off-putting, but the highlight was the hairy crab roe, which stood out in taste.

Despite the delicious variety, the process of peeling the crabs was time-consuming and physically taxing, especially since we’re not skilled at it.

⏲️ Time Limit The 90-minute time limit felt too short, especially for those unfamiliar with peeling crabs.

The last order was taken 20 minutes before the session ended, and we had to stop eating once the time was up. We only managed two rounds of refills, as much of our time was spent peeling, and you have to finish the item before requesting the refill to prevent wastage. By the end, our hands were sore from the effort.

🫡 Post-Meal Thoughts While the buffet offers excellent value for those who love crab and are skilled at peeling, the experience was somewhat mediocre for us. The hurried pace left us feeling unsure about the meal, and spending 10,000 yen for what felt like rushed dining wasn’t as satisfying as we’d hoped. Additionally, the staff’s watchful eyes made us slightly uncomfortable, adding to the pressure.

🌟 Conclusion This buffet is best suited for seasoned crab lovers who enjoy the process of peeling and savouring large quantities of fresh crab. For us, the experience fell short, but it might be different for locals or regulars who are more accustomed to the...

Went there on monday night Apr 22. Tried to order all you can eat, somehow the boss lady was instructed the young server on the back and led us to order a MORE XPENIVE/particular set she wanted us to order. That's fine and from the beginning it didnt feel like all you can eat already as you have tried all their food on the menu before really ordering what you want. Pathetically, they only give you one leg per time, so you had to order and had to wait each time although the servers are nice. And the king crab leg was big at the beginning then it started to get really small. And we added all you can drink and sadly they only give you one glass you had to order until you finish the drink, but the it was a small glass with a lot of big ice cube. And no order 20mins before the time ends. Whenever you asked for extra they would give you all these rules cant do this cant do that. Very frustrating to enjoy an all you can eat buffet. So we ended up sending half of the time doing ordering and listening to they said NO. I wouldn't recommend anyone wants to have Alll you can eat crab as you would probably ending up arguing them. You can't simply enjoy the free flow as there were so many rules. Not to mention, so many servers are standing there on a weekday night, it just felt so weird, and they dont just give you what want. You have to follow their rules event it's ALL YOU CAN EAT....

Do not recommend this place at all, especially the buffet. We paid 10000yen for the crab buffet, however me and my friend found the hairy crab not so fresh and had a fishy taste, at the same time we do not eat crab roes. so we dispose the crabs body into the trash bin provided, however the lady boss brought the crab back to us and cut open infront of us and told us there still a lot of meat inside and ask us to eat finish before ordering more as this is their policy. however it was super unhygienic of them to bring food that was dispose into the bin by us back to our table to ask us to eat 😭 i was honestly dumbfounded by this, maybe cos this will nv happen in my country due to hygiene reasons… despite explaining to her that we don’t know how and don’t eat the hairy crabs roe and body, she didn’t seem to empathise w that at all. of cos we don’t want to waste food but if the food it’s alr not edible or fresh, do u want to risk ur health eating it? so for the price 10000yen per person we paid, i rather eat a...