Takenaka — Restaurant in Vancouver

I was looking forward to going here for some time and ended up going on a busy Saturday afternoon on a holiday weekend. There was a group standing at the door but it was unclear whether we needed to wait in line or put our name down or have a reservation or what. There seemed to be only one server so it took a few minutes for them to get to us but we then determined we needed to put our names down and would get a text when the table was ready.

Walked around the neighborhood for about 10 min before we got the text and went in, was asked by the same server if we wanted a table for two, as though we were newly arrived, which was confusing. I explained we got the text and then we were seated quickly but not given any instructions on how to order. I noticed we got two of the onigiri description menu and a special uni set menu but not the main menu that explained the lunch set and that had the drinks and a la carte options I had seen online. I was confused about how to order because we didn't have the correct menu that explained you needed to go to the counter, and the server was too busy dealing with other tables to take notice. I eventually got the server's attention and she moved to wave me off to say she was busy until I explained I didn't have the correct menu and didn't know what we were supposed to do. She realized the issue and handed us a menu but no real explanation of how to order. We overheard her tell a table that had just been seated, in detail, about how to navigate the various menus and that they needed to order at the counter. So only because of that did we figure it out. Otherwise I feel like I might still be sitting there!

I went up to order and by that point I was frustrated enough with the lack of guidance that I just quickly selected an onigiri for my set and a drink. I didn't think to mention I don't eat meat at that point (pescetarian), and didn't understand that the dishes listed on the board, which included pork belly, were the sides that I would be getting. That part is on me as I should have mentioned my dietary needs but I was flustered by the setup at that point and the counter server didn't seem very familiar with the menu herself or inclined to explain how it worked.

The food came and I realized my mistake with the pork belly I couldn't eat. Oh well. I ate the rest and it was mostly quite good. I liked the salad most followed by the onigiri. The soba noodles were a bit overcooked and the pickled vegetables lacked the sharpness I expected. The miso soup was excellent and I would have gotten the advertised free refill to make up for the dish I couldn't eat, but I wasn't in the mood to try to navigate that process at that point. (Do I go up? Do I need permission to leave the table? Their style of half-table service, half-counter service is very confusing!) Everything was nicely presented.

Overall I felt the pricing was a bit on the high side especially given the haphazard service. I might come back now that I understand the ordering procedures better, and I understand that restaurants have busy and off days but it wasn't the best experience. More signage and slightly more attentive service/more servers would have helped us have a...

Disappointing and Overhyped

My friends and I were really excited to try this place after seeing it all over TikTok. The food looked incredible, and we had high expectations going in. Sadly, the experience left us more frustrated than satisfied.

The space is small and cozy, which means it fills up quickly. We followed their instructions on how to order, but that’s when things started to go wrong. Two of my friends ordered first, and the cashier told them not to pay yet. When it was my turn, I ordered a hojicha cold brew and a special set (upgraded to a spicy salmon onigiri), and I paid — or so I thought. Not even 20 seconds later, my friend behind me mentioned that I hadn’t paid, which confused me since I had just completed the transaction.

To my surprise, the same cashier who had just watched me pay insisted that I pay again. I understand that English might not be her first language, which is completely fine, but what was frustrating was how quickly she forgot and how little effort was made to double-check before asking me to pay a second time. Since I didn’t receive a receipt the first time, I had no way to prove it immediately. When I paid again, I noticed a $2 difference in the total, even though I left the same tip both times.

Later, when our food arrived, it was obvious I had been charged twice because two sets came out. By then, I had to line up again, wait another 30 minutes while my food got cold, and explain the situation to a different cashier because the first girl had been replaced after making multiple mistakes. The new girl at the cash had no idea what was happening, and instead of the original cashier explaining the situation to her, I had to go through the whole mess again. To make matters worse, the second cashier questioned whether I had already received my food and drink when it was clear I had paid for an extra meal I didn’t even want.

On top of that, I realized I had been charged for the wrong drink. I ordered a hojicha cold brew but was charged for a ramune float — which my friend had ordered. Since I didn’t get a receipt the first time, they had to dig through the records to figure it out. And once it was finally resolved, instead of a genuine apology, I was told, “By the way, we can’t refund the tip.” While I wasn’t concerned about the tip, it was disappointing that this was their immediate response instead of acknowledging how frustrating the situation had been.

To add more frustration, one of my friends ordered just two bowls of rice and an onigiri — a simple order — yet we waited 30 minutes with no sign of it. We asked about it twice, and only after asking a third time did someone realize they had completely forgotten her order.

By the time everything was sorted out, our food was cold, and the excitement we had coming in was completely gone. We really wanted to enjoy both the food and the atmosphere, but the disorganized service, repeated mistakes, and lack of accountability made it impossible. Unfortunately, this visit did not live up to the hype, and I can’t see myself coming back...

Everytime I see the food truck, I have such high hopes and want to order there. Well, twice I did order. But each time, my experience is horrible. First time, there was 0 people ahead, but still the wait to make a roll set on their small menu was 15 minutes. No biggy, I wasn't rushed. After I got the food, I was shocked that I paid $21 for what fits inside palm of my hand. I'm all for well portioned food, but this is a bit ridiculous. I was with my mother and my child. While I'm with my child, my mother goes up to ask the food truck if they can give us a cup of water. They said they don't have a cup. So my mother asked if we can use a water bottle, as it was for my son who ran out of water. Then he said, "we are a business. If you want water, you can buy a bottle". I was thinking how I could have taken this and can't think of anything except rudeness and annoyance. Again, 0 customers around, not busy at. All.

I chalked it up as just maybe the man is soured by the lack of customer and having a bad day?

Second time: last week, I had another chance to give them a try. This time it was again one single staff manning the truck at a big family festival. The festival gave food vouchers, one per child, to get a pre-set lunch at any foodtruck. I decided to get lunch later, but it was still 1:30, to avoid the rush. I chose here because they had onigiri, which was what my kids wanted. Well they never got it. I was waiting behind one person who ordered off the menu. No one after me. After taking her order, the staff completely ignores me to make the order. Okay, not a problem. But I wait 15 minutes without a word from the staff while I ackwardly watch her make the food. Not even an acknowledgement. Maybe she's really focused? She calls the other person back to grab the food, and I thought I was going to order now. She looks at me, looks at my voucher, and says sorry there's no more rice; It will take 15-20 minutes to make rice. I said, oh that person got the last of the rice I guess. She said, yes, the remaining rice is for paying customers.

You can't even make this up.

I was gobsmacked. Even if that's the case, I am even fine with that. But why not just make a sign? Why not just inform me in that 15 minutes window I'm awakerdly staring at you and you can clearly see I'm here. Perhaps they are severely understaffed, because each time the truck only had one person. I already wasted 15 minutes, plus now facing this curt and rude service, so I left being quite hungry and frustrated. I did see her make a tuna onigiri for the person before me which was what I was going to get. But it's just rice and a dollop of canned tuna mayo on top. I don't get it, how can this place demand such high prices, have such bad service, yet feel so entitled when they lack such substance?

Turns out bad customer service and overpriced mediocre food is...