Please bear with me. I have just begun my write up on Nagano with Kids and I will be adding to it as I go.
Sukiyaki & Shabu-Shabu
This hot-pot style of eating is so much fun for families and just interactive with kids. This restaurant Syabu-yo is a chain restaurant.
Syabu-Yo Nagano Aozora Branch is 9 mins in a cab (approx 2000 yen) from Nagano Station. You can also take public transport but it will take 18 minutes.
Diners choose the amount of time they would like to have unlimited meat brought to their table (usually 60 or 90 mins) and that price also includes access to a salad and vegetable buffet and ice-cream. The instructions on how to make your meal at the table are here on the Syabu-Yo website but the staff will also help you. My kids prefer sukiyaki to shabu-shabu as it is so sweet and more-ish.
This style of restaurant is tricky if everyone has different dietary requirements (for example if one family member is vegetarian etc) as all the food is cooked in one pot. I guess you could get around this by getting two tables with two separate pots. Sometimes they have pots like the one pictured below that has two sections. This is mostly so you can cook two different flavours but it could also work for a meat side and a veg side too, I guess.
To eat here I would budget for around 2000 yen per adult. The entire restaurant is non-smoking. Syabu-Yo accept most major credit cards.
If you like this restaurant – I’m pretty sure you will! Then you are in luck as you can always google your closest Syabu-Yo branch as they are all over Japan.
They have free wifi. This restaurant is walk~ins only.
There is a change table in the bathroom at this restaurant. They also have the little robots that bring the meat to your table. My kids love this.
SYABU-YO, NAGANO AOZORA BRANCH
長野県長野市東和田930
930 HIGASHIWADA, NAGANO, NAGANO
OPEN 11AM-11PM (FROM 10AM ON WEEKENDS)
If you’re near Nagano Station and can’t find gluten free options. Mos Burger Toigoshomachi Branch is 9 mins walk from Nagano Station and they have a gluten free burger option. Warning: it closes at 8pm. I’ve written more about Mos Burger here.
If you’re in Nagano and are about to do the Snow Monkey Park with kids, please see my write up here.
