Beef Shabu Sukiyaki Specialty Restaurant Zen in Sapporo

Restaurant Environment: A clean and elegant Japanese dining environment with private rooms and counter seating. Food & Taste: Offers all-you-can-eat beef, pork, vegetarian options, and udon noodles. Eating only one type of beef or pork can become a bit monotonous. Experience: The staff carefully explains and assists with the Sukiyaki preparation once. After being seated, a plate of beef 🥩, vegetables 🥬, and a bowl of raw egg are served first. Afterwards, you need to cook by yourself. The staff frequently asks if you want more meat, vegetables, or anything else. The dining time is 2 hours, and the bill is presented when the time is almost up. Service: The staff carefully guides you to the private room upon entry. Price: Considering the all-you-can-eat meat, the price is reasonable in Japan and the value for money is high. Reservation is a must, otherwise, you will have to wait for a long time.

Tasty sukiyaki. Good quality beef. Quick service and refill of beef or vegetable. First serving of beef was really big so we didn’t need a refill. We had three servings of vegetables. Staff will first assist and teach you how to cook. Spacious. Easy to locate. More expensive to book through Klook but very convenient specially for tourist. It took 48 hrs before they confirmed. They initially cannot accomodate our desired time slot but offered us available times.

My mother and I made a reservation a month in advance, but we still could only sit at the bar. The bar was so small that we could only put our handbags at our feet, and the store wouldn't let us change our seats. . Seeing that the other two people walked in and didn't make a reservation, they were given a corner table for 4 people. I really didn't understand this arrangement and felt a little aggrieved. . The food quality is really incredible. The snowflakes on each piece of beef are distributed very well. Although the sukiyaki cooking method is a bit salty, the beef feels like it melts in your mouth when cooked. There is a girl in charge of the store. She is very attentive to the needs of each customer. She also helped cook the beef for the first time. Her technique is very skillful and clean, and she can put the beef and ingredients very quickly. Neat and tidy, the carefulness and organization of the Japanese can definitely be reflected in this girl. What's more disappointing is that there is only one clerk who is helping, but her English is not good, and almost 99% of the entire store is also tourists, so communication is difficult, but gesticulating is enough to communicate.

This store is worth trying, and you need to book a Book first. It’s so good that I won’t say more about it. The KLook I’m going to talk about charges 30~40% more than the retail price. You can decide whether it’s worth it, but I think it’s worth the money. You need to have a correct address and map. The map indicated by Klook (red dot) is 240 meters different from the correct location of the restaurant (blue dot). The most outrageous thing is Google Map. If you only use Zen, it will point you to another place. It's about 10 blocks away, about 800 meters away. I finally found it using the Japanese address on the receipt on my email. It took me an hour to find it. I arrived half an hour late, but the store He was a very kind person. When he saw me out of breath, he used a phone translator to ask me if I could help. He was very attentive, so he left as soon as he had finished eating, so as not to stop others from finishing work.

The 3 of us ordered the sukiyaki set meal. Later, we felt that eating sukiyaki was too greasy. We asked if we could add another pot of shabu-shabu soup base (kelp + water). I think it's reasonable. Their wagyu beef is delicious, and the vegetables are very sweet. You can eat all you can. It’s not bad for meat lovers. The only downside is that Japanese people don’t speak English very well. If you need any vegetables, just ask Show them the pictures, but using translation software is sometimes not accurate.

I ordered A5 Wagyu Sukiyaki, and the waiter helped wash the first slice and put the vegetables on the plate. The beef was coated in egg wash and was tender and delicious. You can also order different meats in the A5 set meal, which is worth recommending!

The beef is super delicious and melts in your mouth. It is worth coming again next time. The service staff is friendly and the food is served quickly. The pork is also great.

The sukiyaki Kuroge Wagyu beef is so delicious. You can add more after you finish it. Make a reservation for dinner. The environment and service are first-rate. It’s delicious. 👍👍👍

Overall very good food, but was disappointed that the set we paid for was a lower tier package, which we realized we could have just made our own reservation with the restaurant, and saved the exhorbitant booking fee.

Zen Sapporo Shabu Shabu is honestly one of those places you go to when you just want really good beef and a chill hot pot experience. Their beef is the highlight—super thin slices with nice marbling, and once you dip it in the broth, it cooks almost instantly and turns really soft and flavorful. It’s not the kind of beef that gets heavy after a few bites either, which is nice because you’ll actually want to keep eating more. You can really taste the quality, especially when you pair it with the sauces—ponzu if you want something light, sesame if you’re feeling a bit richer. What I like is how everything just feels easy and enjoyable. The beef is consistently tender, no weird chewy parts, and it’s sliced just right for shabu-shabu. The whole setup makes it fun too, just cooking at your own pace and mixing flavors however you want. Yeah, it’s a bit pricey compared to other spots, but for the quality you’re getting, it kinda makes sense. If you’re a beef lover, this place worth trying.