Hakkoku — Restaurant in Tokyo

I made a reservation through Omakase and visited the restaurant. To get straight to the point, I strongly advise against visiting this sushi restaurant. Here’s why:

They separate foreign and local customers into different rooms. Now, this could be understandable because the chef might need to communicate with customers in their respective languages. English-speaking chefs would serve English-speaking customers, while Japanese-speaking chefs would serve Japanese-speaking customers. However, the problem is that the chef in the room for foreigners couldn’t speak English at all. He could only manage to tell us the names of the sushi in English and take drink orders. One of the charms of a sushi restaurant is sitting at the counter and having light conversations with the chef, but that was completely absent here. So, why did they separate the foreigners? I spent about an hour and a half just eating the food without exchanging a single word. It was really awkward.

The restaurant itself does not have a luxurious feel. At 30,000 yen per person, it falls under the high-end category in Japan. However, the restaurant lacks any sense of luxury. Both the chef and the assistant beside him had long hair, and the chef even seemed to have something applied to his hair. This is not something you’d expect in a high-end sushi restaurant. The soundproofing is also poor, so you can clearly hear the laughter from the adjacent room where the Japanese customers are seated. In the foreigner’s room, everyone is quietly eating, making the loud laughter from the next room feel very out of place. Additionally, there was a loud radio-like noise coming from the floor above or below us. These are things that should never happen in a sushi restaurant charging this kind of price.

Similar to point 2, the chef and the assistant were chatting among themselves in front of the customers. I even saw them joking around with a female staff member who briefly came out from the kitchen. I've been to various sushi restaurants, and I've never experienced such unprofessional behavior before.

This one is more about personal preference, so feel free to skip it if it doesn't apply to you. The sushi itself was not good. The shari (sushi rice) made with red vinegar might be an acquired taste, but I did not like it. Also, they served salads in between the sushi courses, which I didn’t understand. The raw vegetable-based salad felt like it lacked any care, and the grilled vegetables served later were unappealing, both in taste and presentation. The food simply wasn’t good.

Conclusion: There aren't many sushi restaurants available for reservations through Omakase, but this one always has open spots. Why is that? The answer is simple: it's not good, and people avoid it. Is it because it’s expensive? No. Even expensive places attract people if the food is delicious and the experience is good. But here, it’s just overpriced, with a poor experience and bad food. If you feel like throwing away 30,000 yen in the middle of Ginza, then by all means,...

I am a IG follower of Chef Sato. He visits the fish market early morning daily to make sure he gets his hands on the best and the freshest fish. He makes sure he knows where every fish is caught so he can share this with guests as they read through the menu. The variety and quality of his selections are supreme.

I will never forget this meal as I was dining on my own. I had the pleasure of having Sato-san as the chef! Chef Sato was very passionate and down to earth; he was also funny and charismatic. He took out his knife box and explained to me all his precious knives before the meal started. I also got a chance to hold one of them, heehee! He is not only a top-notch sushi chef but also a sensational host who has a natural ability to interact with customers and create a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere at the counter. Even those who cannot speak Japanese will have a pleasant time at Hakkoku. At the end of the meal, Chef, other regular customers and I had a fun time chatting and drinking sake till the shop closed.

Tossaki hand roll is my favorite and is a signature of Chef Sato. It is a tuna roll made out of flesh from near the head and neck surroundings of each tuna. The texture is like negi-toro. It was just simply delicious. I look forward to the next...

I recently visited Hakkoku, but my experience was disappointing. From the start, we were left waiting at the reception for 5 minutes with no one to greet us. The hostess and waitress seemed busy attending to VIP guests in the principal dining room.

We were seated in the left dining room, which appeared to cater mainly to non-Japanese customers. We soon realized that we were separated from the main dining area, where the main chef was serving other guests. This felt like a significant downgrade, as a key part of the omakase experience is the interaction with the head chef. However, we were not informed about the separate rooms beforehand, and it felt like we were treated as second-class customers.

The sous chef took care of us, working alone to serve 6 customers with 25 bites each (150 pieces total). While he was professional, the service overall was non-existent and amateurish. Our server was inattentive and struggled to communicate with us.

At one point, when a guest requested something, our server couldn't answer and simply walked away. The chef later explained that she was drunk and under the influence of drugs - shocking and unacceptable behavior for a restaurant like Hakkoku.

The food itself was underwhelming. The rice was unseasoned, and dishes felt like plain rice with fish and seafood toppings. Although the fish was fresh and of good quality, it didn't impress. For ¥80,000 for two, I expected a "wow factor" that never came.

Overall, my experience at Hakkoku was disappointing and not worth the price. The separate dining room, lack of communication, and subpar service made us feel like...