Otonarisan — Local services in Kyoto

From the moment my brother and I were seated, the chef glared at our table (more specifically at my brother) while being extremely friendly and welcoming to his Japanese and white patrons. His attentiveness towards a white couple near us was quite clear; he spoke to them in English, expressing hope that they'd return. Initially, I thought I was seeing things, thinking I might be overanalyzing the situation. However, things became undeniably uncomfortable when, after trying to get his attention for 10 minutes to ask for the check, he deliberately ignored us.

When he finally responded, he did so in Japanese—knowing full well that we didn’t speak the language—with a deadpan expression, staring at us for several seconds before exaggerating an almost comical, dramatic smile and asking, "checku desu ka?" I only wish that I could have taken a photo because words cannot describe how ridiculous the imagery was.

I hesitate to write this review because the waitress, who I believe is his daughter, was exceptionally kind and patient. Her warmth and professionalism were the one redeeming aspect of our visit. As doctors in the US, my brother and I understand the pressures of working with people daily, but this treatment was clearly not the result of workplace fatigue. It felt deliberate and discriminatory.

I practiced Taiko in university and had the privilege to learn drum-making from a Japanese craftsman in my hometown. My brother dates a Japanese woman. All this to say that we are not unfamiliar to the traditions and ettiquete of Japan, so I do not believe we had disrespected anyone. This incident, however, tainted my experience in Kyoto and troubled me for several nights. Food is one of the best ways to share and appreciate culture, and it's disheartening when that experience is clouded by a sense of exclusion.

At the end of the day, we all bleed the same, and moments like these remind us how important it is to foster understanding and kindness, especially in hospitality.

Tl;dr: Owner hates handsome, SEA men. Food was...

My family and I came here for dinner after visiting Nishiki Market nearby. It was very obvious that the owner doesn’t want foreigners there as he glared at my family and me the entire time.

The menu is only in Japanese and when we took out our phones to use google translate, he made a remark in Japanese and started to laugh, I can only assume it was directed at us as the timing was too convenient.

He knew we didn’t speak Japanese, but when we finished our meal and waited for the check, he said something to us in Japanese and had this strange smirk on his face, then asked us in English if we wanted the check. I felt like he said something condescending but I can only assume.

The food was alright. Not worth the poor treatment or uncomfortable atmosphere. Would recommend trying udon elsewhere if you can’t speak/read Japanese. You’ll likely get something just as good or better and you won’t have an old Japanese man staring you down...

Beware: The chef is UNFRIENDLY to foreign customers.

There are some wooden columns at the door, so when we first walked in, we didn’t see the chef at first sight (hindered by the columns) nor could we hear his voice (having loud music there). When we wondered if he could repeat again and the moment he figured we’re foreigners, he frowned and gave a big unfriendly sigh??? (Then he talked in simple english)

Few minutes after he yelled at us in Japanese while he knew we don’t know Japanese at all🙂 (Maybe because we picked up phone for one second with a few hello over the phone with little voice? We had no clue to know but being yelled without reason is definitely not a good experience)

I saw some other reviews about chef being unfriendly to foreigners while being nice to others, which makes me believe this may not be a single case.

Food is okay but took ~30 min when the restaurant is almost full. Not expecting this awful...