甲州ほうとう小作 河口湖店

Overall Review: 🌕🌖🌑🌑🌑
Dickson's Fooday Mouthpiece Review #240 - Lake Kawaguchi Edition
During our days in Japan, we traveled to Lake Kawaguchi.
After waking up early and admiring the reverse view of Mount Fuji, of course, we headed for lunch.

I've heard that the dining customs near Lake Kawaguchi feature some unique local noodles (?), so we specially came to try them!
But it turned out to be a must-visit place for tourists~~

We tried our best to avoid the lunch rush, but unexpectedly, there were still a lot of people!
It's really not an exaggeration at all!
You could say the whole restaurant was packed with people!
Even the parking lot outside was full of cars.

The interior of the restaurant is quite spacious,
and everything is arranged in a traditional tatami style.
There are many square tables on the tatami,
with each table accommodating about four to six people.
Therefore, this place is very suitable for group travel or family outings!

However, due to the overwhelming number of people,
we had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated...
It was indeed a very long wait~~

The menu only has a Japanese version,
so when ordering, you might need to check what you want to order.
There are indeed many categories on the menu!
Most of them are related to noodles,
and different combinations depending on the types of meat paired with them.

There are various types of meats available, including shrimp, beef, lamb, chicken, etc.
The forms of noodles also vary,
so just see what you want to order based on the menu!

However, perhaps it's just the local specialty,
I find the flavors a bit difficult to get used to 😂😂😂
But as tourists, we should always try new things!

If you happen to visit Lake Kawaguchi,
and want to try the legendary local cuisine,
remember to come early,
because there really are too many people~~~

Food: 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
Atmosphere: 🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑
Service: 🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑
Price: 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

⭐️ Food
I really feel that the local dishes here are quite different from what we consider delicious.
It actually tastes a bit like very ordinary mixed noodles.
To put it simply, it's a mix of basic noodles and seasonings,
combined with different types of meat.

It’s really similar to the dan dan noodles or zhajiangmian we eat in Taiwan,
but composed with different types of noodles.
The overall taste is quite rich but also complicated,
and indeed, it doesn't particularly relate to deliciousness 😂😂

You can think of it as having a traditional Japanese breakfast or lunch noodle~~
Experience the local lifestyle!

So in terms of food, I feel it's not particularly tasty;
it resembles a very simple yangchun noodle or other types of noodles,
served with a lot of garnishes and vegetables,
creating a large mixed noodle feel~~

⭐️ Atmosphere
Actually, if there weren't so many people, I think the dining atmosphere would be nice,
because although the restaurant is very big,
it is filled with tourists,
making it quite noisy~~~

And since the whole restaurant is decorated in tatami style,
everyone is actually quite close together.
So during dining, it felt like we stepped into a place filled with tourists,
who seemed to just want to finish their meals and leave,
considering there were many more people waiting to come in to eat outside.

Therefore, I found the dining atmosphere to be very commercialized and rushed,
but this is likely a phenomenon that happens at tourist attractions with large crowds!

However, I feel the restaurant did put in some effort into the decor,
as there are some local special arrangements inside,
which also provide good spots for photos or records.

⭐️ Service
Here, there isn't any special service;
it's just very basic meal ordering and delivery.
And since the menu is in Japanese,
a bit of effort is required for understanding it.
Also, since checkout must be done on-site,
as mentioned earlier, because of the large crowds,
just waiting to settle the bill takes a lot of time in line too~

Moreover, because many tourists dine here,
the waiting time was quite extensive,
resulting in a somewhat poor service experience~~

⭐️ Price
From the prices, it's clear that this place is generally frequented by the locals,
as the prices are very affordable and friendly.
Even in a tourist-heavy area,
the prices aren't particularly high.

However, the contents of the dishes aren't too abundant,
so I think the price performance is quite average~~

⭐️ Overall
I think if it's your first time visiting Lake Kawaguchi,
and you want to try the local people's everyday meals,
it’s definitely worth a shot!
After all, seeing the many tourists dining here indicates that it has some tourist value.

But if you're looking for something particularly delicious,
I don't think you'll find it here;
it's more akin to the everyday mixed noodles that we know.

However, because there are just too many tourists,
one must be very patient to wait in line to get in and eat.
This part of the experience felt a bit lacking 😂😂😂