Sapporo: All You Can Eat Sukiyaki & Shabu-Shabu Reservation

Sapporo’s Beef Zen turns dinner into a relaxed hot-pot feast. You cook thin slices of Hokkaido beef, Shiretoko pork, or Kuroge Wagyu at the table, switching between light shabu-shabu and fuller sukiyaki flavors. The restaurant is on level 6, about a three-minute walk from Susukino Station.

I like the focus on local Hokkaido meat and the clever sukishabu style, which lets you enjoy both hot-pot traditions in one meal. I also like the spacious setting, since a two-hour all-you-can-eat meal is far more pleasant when you are not squeezed around a tiny table.

The main thing to consider is that this is a restaurant reservation, not a guided food tour. You enter Beef Zen on your own, drinks cost extra, and the most lavish seafood choices require a higher course or optional add-on.

Key points to know before you book

• Sukishabu combines two Japanese favorites: Use the same meal for shabu-shabu with ponzu or sesame sauce and sukiyaki simmered in a sweet-savory house sauce.
• Hokkaido ingredients lead the meal: The menus include Hokkaido beef, Shiretoko pork, assorted vegetables, udon, ramen, rice, and dessert.
• Kuroge Wagyu is available: The Gyūzen and Susukino courses use Japanese Black beef, while the Sapporo Course centers on Hokkaido beef.
• Snow crab is tied to the top course: The Susukino Course includes all-you-can-eat snow crab along with Kuroge Wagyu.
• The location is easy to reach: Beef Zen is roughly three minutes from Susukino Station and sits on the sixth floor.
• A two-hour sitting gives you time to pace yourself: The meal is generous, but drinks are not included and there is no guide to explain the restaurant process.

A hot-pot meal in the heart of Susukino

Susukino is Sapporo’s main entertainment district, and Beef Zen places you right in the middle of it. The restaurant is only a short walk from the subway station, so you can reach it without arranging special transport or spending part of your evening finding a distant dining room.

Look for Beef Zen on the sixth floor. One useful detail is that you should enter the restaurant directly at your reserved time. This is not a meet-up for a food guide or a shared excursion. Your reservation gets you into the dining experience, and the restaurant team handles the meal from there.

The room is described as spacious and welcoming. That matters more than it may sound. Hot-pot dining involves a burner, a pot, plates of raw meat, dipping sauces, vegetables, and noodles, so a cramped table can quickly become awkward. Here, you can settle in with family or friends and let the meal unfold at an easy pace.

A recent diner specifically noted the friendly staff, as well as the quality of both the meat and seafood. That fits the strongest appeal of Beef Zen: this is less about a formal performance and more about having a comfortable Japanese meal with excellent ingredients.

What makes sukishabu different

Shabu-shabu is one of Japan’s most sociable meals. A pot of broth sits at the center of the table, and you swish thin slices of meat through the hot liquid until they are cooked. The name refers to the swishing sound, and the cooking method keeps the meat light rather than coating it in a heavy sauce.

Beef Zen serves the meat with its own ponzu and sesame sauces. Ponzu gives you a sharp, citrusy taste, while sesame sauce is rounder and fuller. Moving between the two keeps the meal from tasting flat, especially when you are eating several rounds of meat.

Sukiyaki takes a different route. Instead of briefly cooking meat in plain broth, you simmer it in a special in-house sauce. The result is deeper and sweeter, with a more settled flavor. It pairs naturally with rice, though rice is also part of the all-you-can-eat selection.

The restaurant’s signature idea is sukishabu, a combination of shabu-shabu and sukiyaki. This gives you more variety than a standard hot-pot meal. You can choose the lighter shabu-shabu approach for one plate, then move toward the stronger sukiyaki flavor when you want something more substantial.

That variety is one reason I think the meal works well for groups. Not everyone wants the same style of hot pot. One person can favor ponzu and vegetables, another can prefer sesame sauce and beef cooked in sukiyaki broth, and both can eat from the same table.

Choosing among the three courses

The Sapporo Course is the most straightforward option. It includes an appetizer, all-you-can-eat sukishabu with Hokkaido beef and Shiretoko pork, assorted vegetables, udon, ramen, and rice. You also receive one piece of Wagyu sushi and dessert.

This course makes sense if you want local ingredients without making the meal as elaborate as possible. Hokkaido beef gives you a regional connection, while Shiretoko pork adds a second meat with a different texture and flavor. The noodles and rice help turn the hot pot into a complete dinner rather than a long tasting of meat alone.

The Gyūzen Course upgrades the beef to Kuroge Wagyu while keeping Shiretoko pork in the mix. It includes the same general structure: appetizer, all-you-can-eat sukishabu, vegetables, udon, ramen, rice, one piece of Wagyu sushi, and dessert.

Choose this level if beef is the main reason you are booking. Kuroge Wagyu, or Japanese Black beef, is valued for its marbling and tenderness. Still, the all-you-can-eat format means you should think about how much you will actually eat. If you prefer smaller portions and want to focus on premium beef, the upgrade may be worthwhile. If you plan to load up on vegetables, noodles, and pork as well, the middle course may offer better value.

The Susukino Course is the biggest meal. It includes Kuroge Wagyu, Shiretoko pork, snow crab, vegetables, udon, ramen, rice, one piece of Wagyu sushi, and dessert. The hot-pot option listed for this course is all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu rather than the combined sukishabu style.

That distinction is worth noticing. The top course does not simply add snow crab to the same menu. It changes the hot-pot format to shabu-shabu while bringing in both Kuroge Wagyu and crab. If your priority is seafood, this is the course to examine first. If you specifically want to compare shabu-shabu and sukiyaki, the Sapporo or Gyūzen Course may be the better fit.

The meal from appetizer to dessert

Your meal begins with the day’s appetizer. The specific dish is not stated, so you should treat it as a small opening course rather than plan around a particular ingredient. It gives you something to start with while the hot pot is prepared.

The main event is the all-you-can-eat meat and hot pot. The raw ingredients arrive for you to cook at the table. You control the timing, which is part of the fun, but it also means you need to pay attention to cooking meat properly before eating it.

Vegetables are included, and they are more than filler. After several bites of fatty beef or a strong sukiyaki sauce, vegetables refresh your palate and keep the meal from becoming too heavy. The inclusion of udon, ramen, and rice lets you finish the remaining broth in different ways.

Udon adds a thick, chewy texture. Ramen gives the meal a lighter noodle option with a different feel. Rice is the simplest partner for sukiyaki sauce and meat. Since all three are part of the unlimited selection, you can try a little of each instead of committing to one large serving.

Each course includes one piece of Wagyu sushi. Think of this as a small premium sample, not unlimited sushi. Optional all-you-can-eat sushi is also offered, but you should confirm the add-on and its price when booking because it is separate from the included course.

Dessert closes the meal. The exact dessert is not specified, so do not book this expecting a particular sweet. Its role is to provide a small finish after a substantial hot-pot dinner.

How the snow crab and sushi options change the value

The standard price is listed at $49 per person for a two-hour meal. That is a reasonable figure if you take advantage of the all-you-can-eat meat, vegetables, and noodles, particularly in a city where premium beef can quickly push up the cost of dinner.

Value depends on your appetite and your course choice. The Sapporo Course gives you Hokkaido beef and pork, while the Gyūzen Course adds Kuroge Wagyu. The Susukino Course adds snow crab as well as Kuroge Wagyu, making it the choice for a more indulgent meal.

Do not compare the $49 price with a simple bowl of noodles or a quick restaurant dinner. Compare it with the cost of ordering several separate portions of premium meat and seafood. The all-you-can-eat format is most useful if you enjoy trying different cuts and returning for more. It is less compelling if you eat lightly or mainly want one small serving of Wagyu.

Drinks are not included, apart from water. That can affect the final bill, especially if you are dining with a group. I would decide in advance whether the food is enough for you or whether you want to add drinks and all-you-can-eat sushi.

Snow crab is the biggest possible upgrade in the experience. It adds a Hokkaido-friendly seafood element to a meal otherwise centered on meat. Still, the snow crab option is linked to the Susukino Course or an optional add-on, so check exactly what your reservation includes before you arrive.

Who will enjoy Beef Zen most

I would recommend this meal for families, friends, and anyone who likes a relaxed dinner with some control over the pace. You do not need to follow a guide or keep up with a group. You can cook a little, talk, order another round from the included selection, and settle into the full two hours.

It also works well when a group has mixed tastes. The meat choices, vegetables, rice, udon, and ramen give you several ways to build a meal. The three courses also let you decide how much emphasis to place on Hokkaido beef, Kuroge Wagyu, or snow crab.

This may not suit you if you want a quiet, highly formal dining experience. Hot pot is interactive and communal by nature. You are handling the cooking yourself, and the table becomes busy with ingredients and sauces.

It is also not the right choice if you expect a guide to explain Japanese food customs or lead you through Susukino. The reservation covers the restaurant meal only. You enter on your own, and there is no guide provided.

Timing, access, and practical details

The meal lasts two hours, which is enough time for a full all-you-can-eat sitting without turning dinner into an all-night event. Starting times vary, so you need to check availability for the date and time that fit your Sapporo plans.

Beef Zen is about a three-minute walk from Susukino Station on the Sapporo Metro. That short walk makes it easy to pair the meal with an evening in the district. Since the restaurant is in a central sixth-floor location, allow a little time to find the building and elevator rather than arriving at the exact reservation minute.

The restaurant is wheelchair accessible. You should still enter directly at the booked time, since this is a reservation-only restaurant visit rather than a staffed meeting point.

Free cancellation is available until 24 hours before the reservation for a full refund. A reserve-now, pay-later option is also offered, which helps if your Sapporo schedule is still changing. Drinks and other personal expenses remain outside the meal price.

My call: which course should you book?

Book the Sapporo Course if you want the best balance of local flavor, variety, and price. It gives you Hokkaido beef, Shiretoko pork, unlimited hot-pot accompaniments, a piece of Wagyu sushi, and dessert.

Choose the Gyūzen Course if premium beef is your main goal. Pick the Susukino Course if snow crab matters as much as the beef and you want the largest food selection.

I think Beef Zen is a good fit for a two-hour Susukino dinner, especially for a group that enjoys sharing food and trying more than one cooking style. Just remember the key limits: drinks cost extra, the sushi add-on is optional, the top course changes to shabu-shabu, and no guide will meet you at the station. If those points suit your plans, this reservation gives you an easy way to enjoy Hokkaido ingredients in a fun, filling Japanese meal.

FAQ

Where is Beef Zen located?

Beef Zen is in the Susukino district of Sapporo, about a three-minute walk from Susukino Station on the Sapporo Metro. The restaurant is on level 6.

How long does the meal last?

The experience lasts two hours.

Is a guide included?

No. This is a restaurant reservation only. You should enter the restaurant directly at your reservation time.

What is included in the meal?

The selected course includes the full course menu, sales tax, and the restaurant reservation. Depending on the course, this includes an appetizer, all-you-can-eat hot pot, one piece of Wagyu sushi, and dessert.

Are drinks included?

No. Drinks are not included, except for water.

Does every course include snow crab?

No. Snow crab is included in the Susukino Course. Optional snow crab add-ons are also available.

Is sushi included?

Each listed course includes one piece of Wagyu sushi. Optional all-you-can-eat sushi is also available.

Is the restaurant wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The activity is listed as wheelchair accessible.