Tempura Koizumi — Restaurant in Kanazawa

Extremely Disappointed – Unprofessional, Discriminatory Experience at a Supposedly Michelin-Starred Restaurant

My boyfriend & I recently dined here during our trip to Japan while on a culinary adventure reviewing countless restaurant across the country, and despite having experienced incredible hospitality across the country, this was by far the worst dining experience we’ve had here.

We arrived on time and were unexpectedly seated in a private room, isolated from all other diners. After only a few small courses, we were moved to the main counter after everyone else had already been served and was finishing up. The main chef, who appeared to be preparing dishes for the other guests, did not cook for us, did not speak to us, barely acknowledging our presence.

To make things worse, we noticed we were given noticeably less pieces of fruit for dessert than other customers— as if we weren’t worth the full experience. It was subtle, but clear.

We’ve dined at countless restaurants in Japan over the past few weeks — from street food to fine dining — and this was the only time we felt unwelcome. The treatment felt discriminatory. For a restaurant with two Michelin stars, this behavior is completely unacceptable.

Avoid this place if you are a foreign guest —-unless you’re okay with being treated like an...

I booked through Toreta, where it listed the price as ¥13,200 per person (tax included, service charge excluded). We were two people and had two drinks total (one beer, one shochu), but the final bill came total of ¥39k. No matter how I calculated, I couldn’t figure out how they arrived at that total. Note that Tablecheck price is even more ridiculous at ¥22k pp. Not transparent with their prices.

The food was good, though I felt it was overpriced for lunch. Note that egg is added to the batter, in case that matters to you. Very light batter. The chef speaks a little English and will respond if you ask questions, but he’s not the interactive type as he focuses on cooking, serving, and briefly introducing each dish. Don’t expect much in terms of service. He also doesn’t see guests off like what any high end Japanese restaurants would. He would get his staff to do it.

Photos only allowed for the food you’re eating, no taking photos of their cooking / chef / staff etc.

If you ask me I do get the feeling the place is biased for foreigners. It’s a shame because the food is good, price transparency & service in general...

Horrible experience. The main chef did not make our food (HUGE Red Flag). The chef will always do this at any notable restaurant unless noticed before booking which we were not. Nobody else eating dinner besides us - every other Japanese customer was gone. The staff was cleaning up the restaurant while we awkwardly ate our food.

Do not go here. Do not waste your money. Especially if you are a foreigner, they gave the Japanese customers before us more pieces of watermelon for dessert. The food also was nothing special. Wow. Disgusted to waste a dinner here with the countless glorious options Japan has to offer. Whichever Michelin person gave this place 2 stars needs to be re-evaluated...