Umi Hachikyo — Restaurant in Sapporo

This place is a lot of show and with just a little substance. Be aware of what you're getting into when you go there. They make a big show of pouring the salmon roe into your bowl while the whole staff loudly chants in unison (that is if you order their signature ikura bowl). I think you can request to have not them do so but It feels awkward to say no. Some people are enthused by this but I found it overwhelming and unnecessary. Also expect that you won't have a lot of time to eat on a busy night since they limit the amount of time you can stay (unless you have a special reservation perhaps?). So if you wanted to eat the full course (which is probably the best deal) you won't be able to order during a busy period. The other frustrating thing was that even though you have a time limit for staying there, the service seemed incredibly slow. That having been said, I don't think this is on purpose or that they're not trying to provide good service. However, they just seemed ill-equipped to provide adequate service on a busy Friday night. Nonetheless, the food tasted decently enough. The price was a bit on high side and it seemed what you are paying for is the experience. Therefore, I can't give it a completely negative one star review but I really felt my time / money would have been better...

Extremely Disappointing Experience – Unwelcoming to Foreigners with Misleading Reservation Policy

Hachikyo came highly recommended by Japan tourism, and their website clearly stated that it operates on a walk-in basis with no reservations needed. However, when we arrived at 6 pm after taking a taxi, the restaurant was already full, and we were told that even joining a waitlist wasn’t an option. To make matters worse, the Japanese lady staff informed us that the restaurant actually operates on a reservation system and was fully booked for several days, which directly contradicted their website information. This inconsistency was frustrating and disappointing. Frankly speaking, our experience at Hachikyo was very disappointing. The Japanese lady staff seemed to be specifically rejecting foreigners and were very unwelcoming. Based on this treatment, I honestly believe this restaurant doesn’t deserve even a 1-star rating. It was a frustrating and...

Where do I start? This place is a real gem. Legend has it that the owner of the place sends all his chefs to join the fishermen who provides the seafood for the restaurant. This is to allow the chefs to truly understand and appreciate the process and with that it might bring more meaning and purpose to the way they prepare the food in the restaurant.

And boy did that work. The food in this place is world class, despite the humble appearance of the restaurant. The Ikura Don is a must have, if anything just to witness the ritual as they serve you the dish. It’s pretty friggin epic. Not to mention how generous they are with the roe.

Staff were attentive and very helpful, always explaining to me how each dish should be eaten and with the right accompanying condiments.

And oh, Sapporo draft beer of course. It DOES taste different from the ones you get outside of Japan. Legit.

Go. For the...