HAIKARATEI

We really enjoyed our dinner at this lovely restaurant. The owner speaks good English and was very helpful and friendly. It was our first time trying shabu-shabu and we loved it. The price was fair for the quality of the meat and service you get. Totally recommended!!

Visited April 2023

Great spot for hotpot newbies. The owner was extremely helpful and came to our table repeatedly. The meal was delicious.

Visited April 2023

This is a quiet, comfortable restaurant, away from the nearby bustle. The manager/owner? gave us a warm welcome. We ordered the smallest shabu shabu option, and a couple of other dishes. Our waiter was delightful, and cooked the first pieces, skimmed the fat from the pot for us. Both the shabu shabu... and other dishes were very tasty. While we enjoyed the food, what made the experience special was the exceptional kindness of all the staff. And that is after being well treated everywhere in Japan!

Visited October 2019

Food was super good, the service was very excellent. They showed us how to eat/cook the food. They took the time to show us and ensure we were all good. When we left the host even came out of the place to say good bye. Highly recommended place.

Visited September 2018

From the moment we entered this restaurant we received a warm welcome and friendly service. The female host was attentive and gracious, spoke a moderate amount of English, and was kindly engaging with my 12 year old son. The well-established restaurant is conveniently located on a small street be...hind the Koraku Hotel. They have traditional tatami booths where you remove shoes as well as shoe-friendly western seating booths. We ordered Shabu Shabu for the two of us. For Y4,750 each, we received a plate of top quality Okayama Wagyu beef from a local ranch (similar to Kobe beef) and a large plate of vegetables, glass noodles and tofu. The meat was extremely tender and flavorful, and the vegetables were fresh and hearty (my favorite being the enoki mushrooms). The sesame sauce was very creamy and delicate, while the ponzu was bright with chopped green onions. The hostess cooked and served our first pieces of meat and vegetables and then left us to cook the rest. She and the staff came by regularly to skim the excess fat and foam from the pot and add hot water as needed. After our shabu shabu meal was complete, the hostess made us each a mug of udon by adding salt to the cooking broth. A refreshing sorbet completed our meal. We left the restaurant warm, full and very satisfied. A couple of notes for those not familiar with Shabu Shabu: Japan is about quality above quantity, so the amount of beef may seem inadequate to some foreigners (especially for the price) but remember this meat is above the Prime quality found in the US. We pay US$45/lb and up for this type of meat in CA. Shabu Shabu is a basically boil your own meat and vegetables with two dipping sauces (sesame and ponzu). The flavors are delicate and not very salty. It can be difficult to cook and eat for those who are inexperienced but if the restaurant is not busy, I'm sure the staff would be happy to assist. That being said the ambiance, service and quality would still make Haikaratei an enjoyable and memorable experience even for first-timers.

Visited November 2017