We went to many restaurants on our recent holiday to Japan and I decided that instead of reviewing every place we went to (which would have me probably writing reviews for weeks), I would focus on ones that left an impression--whether good, bad and maybe a little bit of both on me and my family. Here are my Yelp reviews of the three Japan establishments that I chose.
☆ Unfortunately, our experience
at this spot is far, far removed from my fellow Yelpers' experiences.
We came just at opening and I wouldn't exactly say we were greeted with
much warmth or friendliness by the front desk. We had to read and sign
the agreements, take off our shoes and put our stuff in slots, which is
all fine, but it felt like we were dealt with in a gruff manner.
Once
we were seated, The Huz asked for the unlimited drinks that's meant to
be part of the experience. There was a vending machine that the server
went to, she pushed some buttons and then told him, "No, it doesn't
work." We were confused at first thinking that meant they were going to
get the drinks from the back kitchen or something, but no, no follow-up.
No one asked us if we wanted any doughnuts either. We decided to ask
again and the answer was, "No, the machine doesn't work." The Huz then
decided to get the server's attention (because she wasn't coming to us)
and ask for the doughnuts on the menu. When she comes back with the
doughnuts she says, "You have to eat this here. You can't take it with
you." Um...ok...that's a weird thing to say since we had no intention of
taking them. And to be perfectly honest, the doughnuts were horrible.
Hard and flavorless. I regretted getting them. I also asked for some
water since we didn't have ANY drinks and she responds, "No, sorry".
Umm...wow....calling this place a "cafe" is a huge, huge stretch.
They
also, completely unprompted, told us that we were late for our session
but they were willing to extend the time for us. I was a bit upset at
this time so I responded, "No, we were not late. We were completely on
time."--which of course is the absolute truth since we came even before
they were opened and waited outside til they called us in. It seems they
started the "timer" when she was giving us the rules and we were
putting our stuff away? How does that compute?
To make matters
worse, on our way out, we were putting our shoes back on and the front
desk person was like, "No, no shoes here." So...we're supposed to go
barefoot and put our shoes on outside? Especially since the front area
was so tight from people waiting? I just hurriedly put on my shoes and
got out of there as quickly as I could. The Huz asked if there would be
some sort of discount to the cover charge since there were no unlimited
drinks and the answer was just a firm "no". Needless to say, I
couldn't help but feel scammed.
The pigs are cute. And they go
on your lap and it's all sweet and good. But overall, the service and
offerings are overrated. There are other locations since this is a
franchise so I can't speak to those specific ones. I would specifically
NOT recommend this location.
☆☆☆☆☆ My first instinct is to
gate keep this place because with the combination of price and quality,
it tops many other options. It's unique in it's overall concept
too...quick seating once you get yourself in the queue.
I know
people have issues with not having formal servers at restaurants, but it
works for this place. Ordering is through your phone and dishes are
assigned numbers. There is a picture of each offering giving you a good
idea of what you'll be receiving. The prices are low which, as
travelers, is such a welcome sight. Your food is delivered to your table
either by a person or by a robot. When it's the robot, it's pretty fun.
They have a self-serve water station if that's all you want to drink.
The
food is adequately delicious. Like, yah, it's pretty good. We were
able to go a few times because we went after our visit to the amusement
parks. It truly does hit the spot when you're super hungry and tired and
just want solidly good food without breaking the bank (more than you
already have). The food options include various salads, pasta, pizza,
meats and sides. Highly recommend...but don't tell too many people.
LOL!
☆☆☆ On the day we were in the
area, we weren't able to make advanced reservations so we came to the
location in hopes to get a stand-by time if at all possible. The
front-desk guy firmly (or rudely, depending on how you want to interpret
it) said, "We're completely booked for the day and there's no
stand-by". He then pointed to a QR code to make reservations. When we
got to the link there happened to be a time later in the evening.
So...we booked it. We walked around the city passing time (it was hours
away) and the whole time I was thinking, it was probably a glitch and
our appointment time will be cancelled or we'll get some kind of
notification saying, "it aint happening" (or something to that effect.
LOL). I mean the guy was pretty firm in saying they were completely
booked. But then the time came, we went...and we got in. What was that
all about then?
Anyway, it's set-up like a fancy fine dining
experience (which price tag included), with the Final Fantasy theme. My
guys are gamers and fans so that's the fun part of it.The mocktails are
absolutely beautiful and relatively delicious. The food options like
Risotto, Fish & Chips, Noodles etc, are visually appealing and
picture worthy. But the flavors are "just ok". There is a dining fee in
addition to just paying for dinner, so be aware of that. Complimentary
themed coasters were included in our dining experience, but just a heads
up, they don't look like the displays, they're much smaller.
Again,
it was an okay experience, but it's a one and done for us. Not
repeatable & only mildly recommend, especially if you're a fan of
the franchise.
