Fishing Restaurant Zauo Shinjuku

This place was so good and extremely fun. We decided to fish for one and share. I wish we had done too fish because it was so good. We decided on the tempura (amazing!!) and carpaccio cooking style. My husband doesn’t enjoy fish so he ordered some chicken and side dishes those were good as well. It’s a little more expensive than most places but worth it for the fishing and tasty experience.

Such a fun and wild experience in Japan! There are two levels for you to fish from, a deeper pool with bait and tackle, or shallow pools that you can hook or scoop with a net. They will prepare different dishes from your catch- including soup made with the fish bones! My husband caught a red snapper and I netted a flounder. A drum is beaten with each catch, and the food comes out quickly. You get a TON of food, we probably could have just eaten off of the snapper but the flounder was delicious. We enjoyed flounder and snapper sashimi and sushi, as well as the soup. My husband also ordered his snapper fried and that made incredible leftovers the next morning.

This was our second time here, and we still love the fun, lively atmosphere! I noticed a review mentioning that they don’t cheer or drum when you catch a fish, but they absolutely did during our visit. The staff was incredibly helpful, especially with kids. One of the ladies went above and beyond, helping my children back and forth at the fishing area to make sure they had a great experience. Truly appreciated their kindness and energy!

Fishing for your own food that gets cooked the way you like sounds great right? Experience was less impressive. After a short explanation, you are quickly ushered to a pool to fish. The fishing lasted about a minute, the fish is hooked, you pose for a photo and are asked how you want it prepared before being ushered back to your seat. I ordered a set menu with the booking. The food came pretty consistently, except towards the end, when the assigned server seemed to forget about the final few dishes until they were asked. Then came the final bill, which came in far higher than the booking might suggest. My fault for not reading the fine print I guess and fishing in the most expensive fish pool unknowingly. Food was fine, nothing mindblowing but the whole experience on balance wasn't really worth it. A novel concept to be sure, but can't say I'd return.

Experience was so unique, and the fish was delicious and fresh!! You can catch your own fish and request how it should be made. It was busy and loud, and they banged the drums when you caught a fish. Very exciting environment, and the fish was deliciously made. Highly recommended!

You don't fish here. The fish are in small tanks and end up injured or dying from the huge hooks you are meant to stab them with. When you try to catch them, you will hurt two or three in the process. Multiple fish swam in sideways circles, clearly suffering, and half the shrimp tank was straight up dead. Though using bait and waiting is an option, it yields no results for the limited timeslot you receive. The rules were a little convoluted, too, despite everything being translated into English in multiple places. That said, the summer shabu shabu set actually came with more than enough food for about 5500 per person before drinks. We ended up with a sea bream and two shrimp. The food looked and tasted good. Staff were trying their best. I can't recommend this to anyone in good conscience, though. I have no idea how the horrifyingly inhumane conditions of the fish are not mentioned in the majority of these reviews, even the bad ones. Disappointed.

Gee, I've never been to a restaurant where you catch your own fish. I saw a glimpse of this place on YouTube where the vlogger was recommending unique dining experiences in Tokyo. Before my husband and I left for Japan, I looked it up on Google Maps and saw that it was just a couple of blocks from our hotel, so I made a reservation on TableCheck, Japan's equivalent of OpenTable. Now the last time I ever fished was when I was ten and my dad made me try it on a lake near Dallas. I didn't catch anything, but my luck was about to change all these decades later. The pricing structure was hard to follow, but basically it started with a ¥836 table cover charge and a ¥110 per-person fee for renting a fishing rod. My husband deferred the fishing to me, so I felt the ghostly glare of my late dad as I plopped my hook into the water tank. Before I could even start whining about my supposed lack of fishing acumen, I snagged a lively Sea Bream by the scruff of its gill. It was squirming like crazy, but I have to admit it gave me a rush. I wish my dad could've seen me. I was asked how I wanted it prepared, and I already knew from previous vloggers that half would be grilled and the other half sashimi. There was something to be said about eating your own catch. It was a satisfying feeling even though I still saw the gill move in a ghostly manner. The rest of the dinner helped satiate us. We ordered the ¥748 Salmon Sashimi, which amounted to o five thick, rich slices, and a ¥748 plate of Assorted Vegetable Tempura, lightly crisped and a nice textural contrast. We decided to have something sour to complete our meal and ordered the ¥429 Pickled Cucumber and ¥495 Pickled Eggplant. Both added the right pickled notes to our dinner. The atmosphere was totally 'Pirates of the Caribbean' as our table was on what looked like an upended galleon with slightly inebriated salarymen occupying the premium tables in the bow. Lots of families come here as kids were scampering around the fish tanks and the dining tables. Someone with real parental skills needed to take charge. The total bill came to ¥8,074, or about $56 for two. Not bad. FOOD - 4 stars...freshest fish possible, the rest was pretty good AMBIANCE - 4 stars..fishing was fun but the Disneyland vibe can be a bit overwhelming SERVICE - 3.5 stars...they do well enough for a convoluted service model TOTAL - 4 stars...worth a try just for the novelty, the catch made it a lot of fun

We visited for a family dinner on Sunday and were very disappointed with the overall experience. First, we tried to enjoy the fishing activity, but we didn’t know the rules, so we asked a staff member in a black polo shirt for help. Unfortunately, they just told us to wait, then never came back. It seemed like most staff were only focused on carrying food from the kitchen to the tables and were not properly trained to assist guests. The main issue was with the cooking of the fish we caught. We caught two fish using a net and requested them to be cooked in four different styles. Each fish head was meant to be cooked the same way, but one fish head never arrived. We finished the rest of the meal and asked a staff member about it. She said it was still being prepared and asked us to wait, but even after 15 minutes, it didn’t come. Then another staff member came and told us our table time was almost over, while the missing fish head still hadn’t been served. Eventually, after questioning, we waited another 20 minutes before it finally came. This made us question whether they actually cooked the fish we caught or just served something else. Additionally, the pricing system is very unclear. The price depends on the size and type of the fish, but there’s no clear way for guests to know which fish is which or how much it costs. Even all the staff didn’t seem to know and 2 of the staff explained in different way. In the end, you just pay whatever price they decide. The total bill cost me over 19000¥ for 2 fish 4 rice and 3 snail sashimi. Also the water didn’t serve until we finished all meal. Then we asked them for water and waited for 10 minutes. One table reserved can have only for 2 hours including the fishing time but the fish were ate too much and will not eat the food from hook. You will see the fish tank floor are full of fish food. The table charge will cost 500¥ per pax. Overall, this was a disappointing and frustrating experience. Please don’t go, there are some more bad t