Perchè — Restaurant in Kanazawa

The pizza is good. The vibe of the restaurant is great. But the service could have been more consistent, for example, they didn’t provide English menu, didn’t serve pizzas at the same time, served water until we ask and we were not informed in advance that one drink per person is a must.

So at first we only get the hot hand towel, no water, and then we try to figure out the Japanese menu for 30minutes. We did ask the staff what is the price of one of the dishes, and tell him we might need more time. The staff didn’t ask if we need an English menu. Then we ordered our two pizzas and the staff tell us each of us will have to order at least one drink. That is quite surprise since they didn’t tell us in advance and the pizza is already not so cheap. After we finished order, we ask for the password of the Wi-Fi. Voila! There comes the Wi-Fi password written in the English menu with pictures! So why we have to struggle 30mins to read the menu?! That’s kinda funny, fine. But then comes the pizza I ordered and my partner’s pizza didn’t come until an hour later! Which is very oily and liquid… And we asked for water after having the pizzas, which is weird because you go to any restaurants in Japan, they will give you water right after you sit down, you don’t even have to ask for it.

Don’t know if all of these are because the younger staff that seem to have no experience in restaurants. But pretty sure they should have provided...

I have traveled extensively and dined at a wide variety of restaurants, including Michelin-starred establishments across the world. Last night, however, was the first time I felt truly disappointed. I had chosen this restaurant based on a strong recommendation from my local hotel and the rave reviews online. It was of particular interest to me because the Japanese chef had trained in Italy and speaks Italian—a connection I felt would enhance my dining experience as both a Canadian & Italian.

Arriving at 8 PM, I noticed there were open tables, yet I was turned away without any clear explanation. Despite speaking to the staff in English and later in Italian, I was told they could not accommodate me. I have never faced such an experience before, especially as a solo traveler. There was no indication that a reservation was required, and I was left feeling unwelcome and confused.

I sincerely hope that this was an off night for what is otherwise a highly regarded restaurant. Clearer communication and a more welcoming attitude would greatly improve the experience for future diners."

Ho viaggiato molto e cenato in una vasta gamma di ristoranti, compresi quelli con stelle Michelin in tutto il mondo. Tuttavia, ieri sera è stata la prima volta che mi sono sentita davvero delusa. Avevo scelto questo ristorante su forte raccomandazione dell'hotel locale e grazie alle recensioni entusiastiche online. Mi interessava particolarmente perché lo chef giapponese aveva lavorato in Italia e parlava italiano, una connessione che pensavo avrebbe arricchito la mia esperienza culinaria sia come canadese che italiana.

Sono arrivata alle 20:00 e ho notato che c'erano tavoli liberi, ma mi è stato detto che non potevano accogliermi senza alcuna spiegazione chiara. Nonostante abbia parlato in inglese e successivamente in italiano, mi è stato detto che non era possibile cenare lì. Non ho mai affrontato una situazione del genere, soprattutto come viaggiatrice solitaria. Non c'era alcun segno che indicava la necessità di prenotazione, e mi sono sentita sgradita e confusa.

Spero sinceramente che sia stato solo un episodio isolato per un ristorante altrimenti molto apprezzato. Una comunicazione più chiara e un atteggiamento più accogliente migliorerebbero notevolmente l'esperienza per i futuri clienti.

**

J'ai beaucoup voyagé et dîné dans une grande variété de restaurants, y compris des établissements étoilés Michelin à travers le monde. Cependant, hier soir a été la première fois où je me suis sentie véritablement déçue. J'avais choisi ce restaurant sur la recommandation de mon hôtel local et les critiques élogieuses en ligne. Il m'intéressait particulièrement car le chef japonais avait été formé en Italie et parlait italien, une connexion qui, selon moi, aurait enrichi mon expérience culinaire à la fois en tant que Canadienne et Italianne.

Arrivée à 20h00, j'ai remarqué qu'il y avait des tables disponibles, mais j'ai été refusée sans explication claire. Malgré mes tentatives en anglais, puis en italien, on m'a dit qu'il n'était pas possible de me recevoir. Je n'ai jamais eu une telle expérience auparavant, en particulier en tant que voyageuse solo. Il n'y avait aucune indication qu'une réservation était nécessaire, et je suis repartie en me sentant non bienvenue et perplexe.

J'espère sincèrement que c'était un mauvais jour pour ce restaurant par ailleurs très bien noté. Une communication plus claire et une attitude plus accueillante amélioreraient considérablement l'expérience des futurs...

I am from Italy and I would say the pizza was good, an average for Italian standards, very thin and wet in the middle. The atmosphere was not really the best, we had to sit on the countertop and during our dinner the 2 waitresses stayed there in front of us all the time in a very silence atmosphere. Also we ate there in 3 with my 5 years old kid and we got 3 full pizze, grilled vegetables, 2 beers but he made us order also a drink for the kid even if he drinks just water, so he explained to us that to order food and drink is a must because like he said “we don’t make you pay the service” and he was quite rude about it. I would say average night in general but the word experience in Kanazawa for us and in general in our many trips during the...