Ginza Happo - Shinjuku — Restaurant in Tokyo

Ginza Happo (Shinjuku location) was probably my wife's most anticipated stop during our two week trip to Japan, and after the fact, I can say, with VERY good reason. This place is hands down one of the best dining establishments either of us have had the pleasure of patronizing, and I hope that everyone who sees this review gets a chance to experience it for themselves, someday.

Ostensibly, it's a buffet, which I have historically shrugged about, or torn to shreds, in previous reviews, but Ginza Happo is different. It's somewhere between a buffet and a Korean BBQ/yakiniku joint, but instead of ordering what you will from a server, you just go grab it yourself, and bring it back to your table to cook. It's the best of both worlds, and I am here for it!

The only caveat: it is rather expensive. Depending on which level you choose, it'll run you between ¥12000 and ¥15000 (!about $80 to $100 USD) but, WOW, what a deal you get for the price: unlimited of ANY (or ALL) of the following:

wagyu beef (many different cuts) seafood (including king crab, lobster, shrimp, various fish) sushi alcohol (beer, wine, sake, mix-it-yourself cocktails) soups (miso, shark fin) and salads (both premade, and a salad bar) desserts

...and so much more, it's hard to remember, or even take it all in! It's positively overwhelming, and makes you want to stuff yourself to the gills. Do yourself a favor and come HUNGRY, because it's not about wanting to get your money's worth; it's about wanting to leave feeling like you robbed them blind!

As we had reserved ahead, and informed them that we would have two very small children with us, the restaurant put us in a private room (suited for 12 or more), so that we could have some privacy, and/or shield the remaining customers from any crying fits. It worked out wonderfully, and took the stress off of us already exhausted parents. A server routinely checked in on us and cleared away our dirty dishes as well.

One last couple things to mention. First, your dining experience is timed: you have a little over two hours to enjoy your dinner, which is MORE than enough for any normal person, even someone cooking their own food on a tabletop hibachi. Second, there is a surcharge if you waste a significant amount of food, so don't let your eyes be too much larger than your stomach, or you will end up paying for it.

All things considered, Ginza Happo is somewhere my wife and I would routinely frequent, cost be damned, if we had one back home. Since we don't, I guarantee you this restaurant will be at the very top of our list of places to prioritize on a return visit. It may be a buffet, but we just...

The food here is about a 4 out of 5, but the service is a 0 out of 5. The waiters, waitresses, and staff just stand around talking while customers’ plates pile up. All the younger staff just stand around chatting and doing nothing. I saw many customers walking up to the staff to hand them their plates because the staff wouldn’t clear them. When they did take plates, they looked annoyed, as if it was a burden.

For the high price of this buffet, the customer service is shockingly bad. There was finally one woman who came to take a plate, and when I asked for her name, she refused to give it. It was really weird and awkward. Completely unacceptable.

I strongly suggest that the staff wear name tags so they can be held accountable for their behavior. Right now, because the waiters and waitresses are anonymous, they don’t take responsibility and just slack off.

The food is okay, but my friend ended up with a severe stomachache from the seafood. On top of that, customers have to shuck their own oysters, which is unsafe because people can easily hurt themselves. A customer could accidentally stab their hand while trying to open an oyster. This looks like a lawsuit...

Like any large Buffet, they do a lot of various foods, but don't do anything amazing.

Meat was ok 6/10, seafood was ok 6/10, sashimi is fresh 8/10 and the hot food is ok 6/10.

Oddly, the oysters aren't shucked. So if you plan on having raw oysters, you're in for one hell of a mission like we were. When we asked the waiter for an easier way to open them, they said "have you cooked it yet"? I responded "I haven't, but what if we don't want it cooked"? He suggested they are easier to open once cooked.

In the nicest way possible, I feel the people rating this restaurant 5 stars raving about how delicious the food is, haven't actually experienced some top quality buffets.

$130AUD PP for 120 minutes seemed steep for what you get, I would say $69AUD -$79AUD would have made more sense. You also speed through your 120 minutes, as you probably spend half of that trying to de-shell...