Brasserie Yamabiko — Restaurant in Hakone

Visited with my family on 10 May 2025, arriving just as the shop opened at 11:30am. We ordered three coffees and a bowl of fries. The cafe was empty except for us and, briefly, one other small group. Our order took about 20 minutes, which was reasonable and not an issue. While dining, I needed to take a work call and stepped outside to avoid disturbing others. When it began to rain, I moved just inside the front door to finish my call, as the reception inside the main seating area was poor. I made sure to keep my voice down and was mindful of the quiet environment. After my call ended (about 40 minutes in total), the male waiter approached and told me I should leave because he found my phone call inappropriate. I explained I had only come inside because of the rain, but he insisted I could have taken the call in my car (which was a rental). His tone was abrupt and, frankly, quite rude-especially surprising given my experience with hospitality in Japan. When I pointed out that there was no sign prohibiting phone calls and that his approach was unfriendly, he told my family to “get out” and then slammed the sliding door behind us as we left. The female staff member was polite, but the male waiter’s attitude left us shocked and uncomfortable. The coffee itself was mediocre, and the fries were nothing special. For three coffees and fries, we paid about USD 30, which felt expensive for the quality and service received. I rarely leave negative reviews, but this experience genuinely upset my family and me. If the owner responds negatively here, it will only reinforce the attitude we encountered. I hope this feedback helps others make an...

We thought we’d try the restaurant given its high star rating against the other places in the area. The location was at the lake front, with jazz playing in the room.

There were 3 set meal items on the menu with one of them being sold out, so we opted for the schnitzel which came with fries, a small salad of lettuce and tomato and a small portion of rice.

The cost was around 6,000 yen for two plates and two glasses of Coca Cola, which is very high for the area.

We waited around 30 minutes to be served despite only 3 meal items on the menu.

The schnitzel took up the size of the plate and was fairly dry. We asked for condiments like ketchup or mayonnaise but they didn’t have any - they offered the dressing of the salad which was like a vinegary relish but it didn’t pair well with the schnitzel which was quite dry on its own.

Both me and my partner left over half of our dishes uneaten, as did another customer couple near to us, who provided their own poor feedback to the owners.

Finally, the tap water station in the restaurant provided shot glass sized cups to use, which just felt childish. Maybe one or two gulps of...

The loveliest place! Came across this when searching for spots by the lake in Hakone and saw some lovely pictures and reviews. The very nice owner said they just opened but they have already created such a great spot. The menu was limited but I saw that in advance. We had the beef plate and a potato side, both delicious. We had green tea and a chocolate pound cake to finish. All great. The view is beautiful and the restaurant is very simple but comfortable. The service was great. Very friendly and easy for English speakers with an English menu and the owner spoke good English. He even helped us out by recommending the Go Taxi app.

It was just the perfect spot for lunch during our day out in Hakone. Highly recommend to anyone getting off the rope car in Togendai! Just need to walk up slightly further than the viewing restaurant there and suspect this is much nicer...