Kobe Beef Dia Shibuya 1st store — Restaurant in Tokyo

PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW BEFORE COMING!!! What I think is the highlight of this restaurant is the red miso paste and wasabi. If you want miso paste, wasabi, beef broth and mini salad for your dinner- by all means go for it- you won't be disappointed, but if not, I recommend waiting for a worthwhile place instead. Honestly, while the restaurant's reply say they have evolved, they have not. STILL a tourist/foreigner trap. I have had Kobe beef several times before in Japan and this is NOT the place to go. The cuts of meat looked pretty, but honestly it really didn't matter. They barely cooked the meat (see image). So NO MATTER WHAT CUT- it will be soft and CHEWY. It really DOESN'T melt in your mouth at all! The chef tried to upsell the sirloin and a few in the group decided to change their decision, but I am glad I stuck with the cheapest one. The only difference is the fattiness- how much oil squeezes out when you bite into it. My elderly father wanted to enjoy a good meal in Japan not knowing when he may return. I am INFURIATED with the major discrepancy with the price. I don't know how the owners of the place can carry on night after night doing this, but honestly *NO JAPANESE GUESTS were there when we were at the restaurant. Worst thing is that they add in 10% tips. This is a major red flag. One it is inconsistent with the general Japanese culture. Two, there was no service. They are asking for something that was neither earned nor deserving. If their service was amazing, I would have no qualms with the demand. However, they really don't meet the standards of service at all. 45 minutes into sitting, not a single cup of water for those who didn't order alcohol. We had to ask for it then ask for refills. Not all of us had chopstick holders either- improper table setup.

Recall the chef later tried to upsell us the beef and change our minds? Note this: we asked one of the staff twice what the fattiest and leanest cuts were and they explained. No recommendations noted. Once we have made our decisions we ordered. The chef came back to try to change our minds. One, this should not have happened. Two, this is outright disrespectful. It clearly shows the lack of training and professionalism in the hospitality industry. He said he wanted us to have a "good experience". If it's not good, maybe don't put it on the menu if you know you will be giving a terrible experience to any customer who will be selecting it- especially if you are going high-end. If you are running the fine dining route, the choice of food you put on your menu is no joke. No excuse- it HAS to be meticulous if you are charging $10000 yen+... Basically, Michelin Star price. The lady who cooked our meal also seemed to be an inexperienced trainee. She gingerly set up and was extremely slow with everything. So if you don't have 2 hrs, don't come here for dinner. Also, if you have been to a good Kobe beef teppanyaki place- man, it's a show! This place really tried my patience and left me feeling short-changed.

Finally, the dessert- most tale-telling of all- appears to be cheap matcha ice cream and a slice of mini strawberry swirl Swiss roll from a convenience store. Ok, had some frozen fruit bits. The frozen grape was puckering sour and this is coming from someone who enjoys acidity in their lemonade with no sugar. Again, a true fine dining chef will be meticulous with all of their ingredients. The expectation of restaurant service and hospitality would be no different. Honestly, this restaurant is sorely not up to par. See images for yourself. Bottom line, don't go. Please save yourself the...

The other 1 star reviews in the past posts are real and accurate. It is ultimately disappointed for such an expensive restaurant with a gold award for the kobe beef. It operates like fast-food restaurant and hoping that you finish your food fast and leave the restaurant as soon as possible. I will never ever visit this Kobe beef chain restaurant any more in my trips to Japan.

To the new customers: avoid this restaurant if you can, you can utilise this amount of money in other restaurants for better food and experience. Do not let this restaurant spoil your mood, especially when you are there for holiday.

NOTE: This restaurant has ZERO or ONLY one Japanese staff, but not a chef. It seems like most of the staffs are backpackers and trying to earn a living and continue the next journey in the next few months.

These are what my wife and I experienced:

Food - Nothing fantastic with the kobe beef at all and overpriced. Japanese pearl rice had overcooked; it almost became porridge. It comes in a set meal and the other customers left it untouched after having a mouthful.

Utterly poor service - The staff did not set the table up properly even after food is ALL served. Chopsticks were not provided to both of us. I felt like I was not in Japan at all.

Bad hygiene - The chef talks to other customer for five minutes while cooking our steak, without a MASK on!

Poor atmosphere - It was operating like a 'fast-food' restaurant. My wife finished her food, and my food came a bit later. After my wife had finished her food, the waiters (also a chef) attempt to clear everything before I could start mine. This clearing attempt includes the hand towel that you will use throughout your stay in the restaurant.

Requested to shift my seat and I declined - My food came late and while I was having my meal, the waiters (also a chef) requested me to shift to a seat where my wife is diagonally behind me! This is totally...

I completely agree with the earlier one-star review. The chef lacked basic knife skills, that’s an understatement, he had no knife skills whatsoever. The French “chef”, Il est tres tres tres mal…”.

the service was way under par by any standards, incroyable & totally unacceptable. the same inexperienced chef/server even forgot to bring out our rice and soup that were supposed to accompany the beef steak. By the time I realized something was missing, the steak was already half-eaten and we were chewing through mouthfuls of fat.

I also don’t understand how they justify charging an extra 10% service fee when there was practically no service to speak of. No one refilled our tea without being asked, and it eventually dawned on me that there was no dedicated server—just the chef and a sous-chef trying to manage everything.

When my tuna steak arrived, it looked nothing like the photo on the menu. Instead of being seared on the outside and rare in the center, as a tuna steak typically is, it was completely cooked through. I actually thought I had ordered the wrong dish—until I inquired and was told it was indeed the tuna steak. They agreed to remake it, but even the second version didn’t resemble the menu image.

Later, the sous-chef came out and explained that the tuna had been frozen, and if they left the inside raw, it would taste cold. I was stunned—this is Japan! How can they serve frozen tuna, especially at a place that also offers ¥400,000/g Kobe beef? It was absolutely absurd and hands down the worst meal I’ve had in my 25+ years in Japan. A total dishonesty and a disgrace to Japan.

In hindsight…i should have known…where do you see restaurants in japan that has the decor of those cheesy cocktail umbrellas??? The chopstick sleeve written only in English? These were all telltale signs flashing red flags 🚩 🚩 🚩…prospective diners beware.

C’était scandalous!!!!🤬🤬😡😡😡😖😫

If I could give a negative rating, I would...