A note on the words: hamayaki is the Japanese beach-grill style, shellfish cooked in the shell over a flame. Kawagoe Kaido is the old highway the restaurant stands on. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Red Lobster Kami-Itabashi on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
I want to eat something good today too. This is Hangover Meshi. Right — the customary Red Lobster. I always used to go to the Odaiba branch, but this time I decided to try the one in Kami-Itabashi. I used to come here. What a memory. Like the Red Lobsters of old, it is a proper standalone restaurant, and inside it is done in a sober style that says seafood restaurant. There used to be so many more of them.
It is on the Kawagoe Kaido, so there is parking as well ^^
The menu is not very different from Odaiba, but the atmosphere is a little different, which makes it enjoyable.
At Kami-Itabashi the cocktail shrimp come with the heads on. There are fewer of them, but they may be a little larger.
Heads on look better, though for ease of eating heads off is a step up ^^ Good as always.
Another standard, the popcorn shrimp. Small shrimp, deep-fried.
As a snack with beer I do not think there is anything better.
A plate with three preparations: hamayaki-style, grilled with basil butter, and with sea urchin sauce.
I am not especially good with raw oysters, but these are all cooked through, so no worries. One of the oysters had shrunk down a good deal, and they came over to say they would bring a new one. This sort of service is what makes Red Lobster wonderful. Once before, when a lobster turned out small on opening, they asked whether I would like another. I really do love this place.
So even the medium comes to this now. About what the large used to be ^^
There were a few more of us this time, so I asked for two.
Roughly speaking, a medium is about right for two people.
Normally I would go for the large, but with two of them I stayed with medium. As always I had them steamed, and steaming packs the savor in tightly and leaves it springy — irresistible however many times I eat it. Genuinely good.
A little meat as well ^^ Diced steak.
And at the end…
Enormous.
A brownie so big and so substantial that even sharing it among everyone, a bit at a time, it still feels like a lot. Plenty of cream too, which for someone who loves cream makes it the finest dessert there is. We did not have any rice dishes, but this much sugar filled me up completely. Satisfied.
So, Red Lobster is as ever perfect on service, atmosphere and flavor. The live lobster has been getting more expensive, but it is good and this is the one thing I cannot give up. Coming slowly on a day off is fine, and using it the way I did this time, from midday, is good as well. I shall come again.
Red Lobster Kami-Itabashi (Seafood / Kami-Itabashi Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.8
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
