First, you have to take off your shoes here. If you're coming after work or wearing boots and are worried about that, you'll need to prepare. This place is generous: Monday through Thursday, you can enjoy all-you-can-drink including beer for 980円 before tax. So it's always busy. It's safest to call and check whether they can seat you before dropping in. All the food is excellent as drinking snacks. I'd especially like you to try the jumbo Sangen pork gyoza, though watch out for burning your mouth. No complaints about how quickly food and drinks arrive, and the semi-private rooms are relaxing. What bothered me was that the staff seemed a little tired, perhaps, and came across as cold without any smiles. Maybe they're busy and working hard, though… Still, I can see why it's always packed.

+3

When I entered, I was asked, “How many people?” and answered, “Two.” However, immediately afterward, I was asked again, “How many people?” in a somewhat angry tone, leaving a very unpleasant impression from the start. Even after we were shown to our seats, there was no real explanation, and the service overall felt careless. The other staff gave a similar impression, making me question the quality of service throughout the restaurant. Furthermore, despite coming to enjoy food and conversation in a private room, loud noise could be heard from another room. Wondering what was happening, it seemed the staff were repeatedly making loud noises, which was honestly very unpleasant. The noise even continued for 1 hour. As for the food, the chicken katsu I ordered had only about 2 centimeters of meat and was practically a lump of coating. Neither the service, the environment, nor the food was satisfying, and it was extremely disappointing. Frankly, I felt this was an awful restaurant.

I used it for a light business discussion. Every room at this Yama no Saru is private, the menu is higher quality than at the Sapporo Station-front branch, and the staff are well trained. It's a very good place for a casual izakaya visit while maintaining a private space. It seems to be a popular izakaya, and reservations may be needed even for lunch. For dinner, reservations are essential. From the evening until 16:00, happy hour offers inexpensive beer and wine. Personally, I liked the cheese with narazuke. The izakaya menu is also extensive, with sashimi, seafood, grilled dishes, lunch options, soba, sushi, and more. They also take in staff who move from other restaurants to work at Yama no Saru again, and many have izakaya experience, so I think they can respond quickly to various needs. I don't normally visit Yama no Saru, but I'd like to use the Ebetsu branch. The food overall is delicious, and the sashimi is fresh too.

+3

I visited for lunch. There were so many lunch options that I had trouble deciding. The staff had lovely smiles. It felt like good value, so I'd like to go again.

I've never encountered a nice staff member here. The female staff member in her 40s whom I've seen several times and who seems to be a regular employee is also unpleasant and intimidating, making it hard to ask anything. Then there's a small, young-looking male staff member with glasses who was working on a weekday evening. While we, the customers, were still putting our shoes in the lockers, he briskly headed off to show us our seats. He spoke so fast we couldn't understand him, rushed through everything, didn't make eye contact, acted like he didn't want to serve us, and gave careless directions… it was awful. Extremely sloppy and unpleasant.