Sumire — Restaurant in Milan

Truly terrible experience.

Despite the restaurant not even being busy, it took 15 minutes just for us to be able to order our drinks. When the staff finally came to take our order they said that we couldn't order food yet for some reason. It took another 20 minutes before we were allowed to order food, and in the meantime the staff were very pushy about us ordering more drinks. All this time, there are multiple waiters standing around doing nothing who refused to acknowledge us. After finally being able to order, it took an entire hour to be served. I could understand this if we had ordered something complicated, but I for example ordered a plain カレーライス - literally just rice with curry sauce.

And if all that wasn't enough, the food wasn't even good – small quantity and neither the rice or the curry sauce tasted authentic.

Took another 20 minutes after we were finished to get the bill and to top it all off, there wasa 7 euro service fee!

At this point, don't waste your time or money on this overpriced imitation of Japanese cuisine and service. Save up for a rice cooker or some plane tickets to...

I was kind of a regular customer of Sumire but I won't go back. The other time went there alone and found almost all tables empty. I asked for a table but I had to seat on the counter because "all tables were booked". They were still all empty when I left 1 hour later. I gave them another chance; the last time I went there with two friends to have lunch. Being told that they are full and a table will be free in about 45 minutes, we decided to wait. After 90 minutes(!) of waiting outside finally a table got free, but the waitress decided to give the table to some Japanese people who just arrived with no reservations! Then they asked us to wait for the next table! Obviously we left the place. I have the feeling that they might have a strong preference of having Japanese people as their customer. There are other good, and also better Japanese restaurants in Milan where they will treat you...

I visited this place on July 2024 and I really enjoyed the dining experience here - I definitely say this is one of the (if not the) best Japanese authentic restaurants in Milan. We ordered several dishes, including traditional Mochi and Dorayaki as dessert. Staff were super friendly and the service fast, despite the restaurant was at full capacity. Fish quality and dish presentation were both great. I definitely recommend this Japanese restaurant if you are looking for an authentic Japanese dining experience in a familiar and quiet ambience. I would suggest to reserve a table in advance as this place is really popular. The only letdown I encountered here: this place DOES NOT accept American Express credit card and this is a negative impact on Customer Experience. Prices are aligned to the food quality provided...