Tabelog ratingROCK opened in 1971 as Kiyosato's first café. Its signature is a dark, European-style beef curry, simmered until the beef falls apart into the sauce and finished with a touch of strawberry jam. It comes on a plate the size of your face, with a mound of highland salad and a disc of raisin butter that you melt in as you eat. The restaurant also brews its own Yatsugatake Touchdown beers. You drink them in a large rebuilt mountain-lodge room with a central fireplace and rock music playing.
Almost every reviewer praises the curry. The salad dressing comes up again and again and is sold in the shop, though it can sell out by midday. Guests also single out the thick smoked bacon and long Fire Dog sausages added as toppings, the fries with their dipping sauce and the beer flight. Several diners found the carbonara and other pastas better than they expected.
Waiting is the main complaint. One diner saw the queue screen show 8 groups when 23 were actually waiting. A few recent reviews describe inattentive staff. One guest was overcharged for a beer refill, and the bill was only corrected after they complained. A minority find the prices touristy, and one reviewer thought the curry heavy and dull. One English-speaking reviewer reported stomach upset after dinner.
Reviewers in 2026 paid around ¥1,390 for the plain ROCK beef curry (Regular) and ¥1,990 for the bacon or Fire Dog curry. The Bacon & Fire Dog curry was ¥2,590, the Yamanashi wagyu hamburg ¥2,850, and a five-beer tasting flight about ¥1,500. Typical spend is ¥1,000–1,999 at lunch and ¥2,000–2,999 at dinner.
It is good value. A Regular portion is two bowls of rice plus a full salad, and the quality is consistent. Most reviewers accept the moderate premium as fair for a resort area.
- Getting there: a 10-minute walk (about 690 m) from Kiyosato Station on the JR Koumi Line, inside Moegi no Mura. Parking is available.
- Booking: reservations are not accepted, so everyone walks in. Take an EPARK queue ticket and you will be called back by phone. Weekend and holiday waits run from 20 minutes to 2 hours. Weekdays and around 14:30–15:00 often have no wait.
- Payment: credit cards and PayPay are accepted. Electronic money (IC transport cards) is not accepted.
- Ordering: scan a QR code with your own phone (free Wi-Fi is available), or order verbally with the staff.
- Portions: very large. Half and quarter curry sizes are available, and the spice is mild to medium. Allergy information is available.
- Families and pets: children are welcome. Dogs are allowed on the indoor terrace.
- Seating: 150 seats, with counter, sofa and open-terrace seating plus private rooms. The restaurant cannot be booked for private hire. It is entirely non-smoking.
- Events: special days such as the June anniversary can mean a reduced menu and loud live music. Check the Google Maps updates or Instagram before you go.
