WakanaBunkadori

You can get the highlight of the local food at one restaurant at a reasonable price. If you like more specialized cuisine such as black pork, black beef or chicken sashimi (yes, raw chicken), then there are others. They offer seasonable dishes, especially seafood, and thy are very fresh. The atmo...sphere is very casual and is like izakaya. I'm not sure if this restaurant at Bunka-Dori offers a room for a gathering. I don't think the restaurant offers non-smoking area.

Visited October 2018

Wakana was recommended by our hotel as a good place for Shabu Shabu Pork. We were slightly disappointed. The restaurant seems geared to tourists. There were a few locals but the night we were there it was mostly shabu shabu being churned out in an assembly line to tourists. The food was very good b...ut the atmosphere was not what we expected, and the prices are not cheap. We ordered the full set menu for 4,500 yen. It was a multi-course meal with more than enough food. The pork was undeniably delicious. The Kibinago (Silver Sprat sashimi) was equally good and has an impressive presentation. The restaurant is due for some renovations. The carpets and woodwork have seen better days. Service was fine by North American standards but did not meet the standards we found elsewhere in Japan. Beware - the full set menu includes chicken sashimi. Yes, raw chicken. The waiter tried to warn us but we misunderstood. Even the couple next to us from northern Japan were taken aback.

Visited February 2015

It's a franchise and you get the standard service. Ends up expensive, not really satisfied, but it's safe if you don't think about the above average cost. It's kind of better than the generic, Japanese "pub" restaurants.