Calico — Restaurant in Hakuba

It was our 3rd attempt to have lunch there. For some reason, we always turn up during their kitchen break which is 11-12pm. I have that etched in my memory for next time. We turned up at 1120am and we ordered drinks to wait. The hot chocolate was yummy but could be a bit hotter. I drank it in one gulp cos lukewarm chocolate is not my cuppa. When it was 12pm, I bounced up to the bar to order our food and to my (and others in the line) dismay, there was a sign at the tablet that said it reopens at 1230pm instead! I found out that it was just for today because the kitchen was slammed that morning (they do start serving breakfast from 7am). So yes, it would have been good to improve on their communication with each other and their customers. BUT what happened next was excellent service recovery. To make up for their boo-boo, they offered the waiting tables some fries to tide us over. And one of the staff (a gentleman with moustache) came to each table to explain and apologise. Twice! (I appreciate you too -IYKYK)

When our orders came, it was delicious! The portions are big, not huge but generous. So yes, I would definitely come back to try their breakfast next time I’m in Hakuba.

Note: There are 2 seating areas, with a mix of booth seating and bar top/high...

I didn’t have the 4.7/5 star experience like I thought I would after reading these reviews. We booked ahead knowing that Hakuba is impossible to eat out at during peak season. After ordering, we were told by the waitress that we waited 30min, and that other people had waited longer. That wasn’t the response I was expecting. Our first food came after fifty minutes and the last food after sixty-five minutes of ordering. Perhaps I just came at a bad day. Having said that, knowing it is peak season and fully booked out, staffing should have been better organised by the manager. It puts a lot of pressure on the staff and we saw one of them break down quietly. It’s not fair on the young workers. Despite the pressure they were under, they were lovely and apologetic. A lot of foods we tried to order were not available so all of our dishes were chicken… (chicken wings, chicken Caesar salad, chicken burger, chicken schnitzel). It’s laid back pub-grub. The only thing I absolutely loved about it was that it is dog-friendly. Dogs make...

Wow, just wow! Let’s just say this would not fly, even in Australia. Over an hour wait on two burgers, other patrons getting refunds and leaving. A poor girl waited an hour for a salad! This was the lunch service today. The kitchen staff need to get their stuff together instead of mucking around during a lunch service where customers can see you doing this! Front of house staff need to inform customers of lengthy delays in food, before they order or even if they notice they have been waiting a while (hint: that will hinder complaints). Being offered a round of free drinks was good but it should not take the owner (I’m assuming that’s who it was) coming in to get things moving. Yeah, the food was good. Definitely not worth the over hour wait. Lastly, turn your music down for during the day. This isn’t a Bali beach club, if you can’t match the positive atmosphere don’t blast your loud music. Save it for dinner.

Went 2nd...