Kushiyaki Manten Pontocho Branch — Restaurant in Kyoto

First meal in Japan that had me pretty upset. The vibes were good from outside looking in, as we wanted a place that had drinks and Yakitori - it seemed like it was right up our alley. Luckily there was no wait time but the service was non existent.

The first dish, onigiri came out in about 20 mins (fried rice patties). We wanted to wait for the Yakitori before we ate it as we wanted everything at the same time.

With no signs of it coming anytime soon, we proceeded to eat it first as it was going cold. 30 mins later our dishes came out.. that’s a total of 50 mins since we ordered. For some grilled meats on a stick. And to make matters worse, it was luke warm. I was expecting piping hot skewers as it took forever to come out. Alas it was bland and warm. No side sauces or seasonings.

I’m not sure why this place is so highly rated, I looked around and a few people were blankly staring with empty tables, maybe they were also waiting a while.

As we left, a gentleman waiting for a table was told, it’s a 40 min wait for one, plus a 40 min wait for food. Normally I don’t mind waiting, but there were 5 chefs in the kitchen, most of them standing around.

This is ridiculous as it’s a Tuesday night and there’s no lines whatsoever compared to when we walked past on the weekend. And it was definitely not worth 6300 Yen for that. we could have way better meals, in Japan for that price!!

Anyway, sorry if this seems harsh, but I don’t recommend nor will I ever come...

I will never come to this place again. I came here during my last day in Kyoto (10/23) at night. Before I dine in, I wanted to check if they accept visa and the waiter at the front desk didn’t understand what I meant at first. Then all of sudden, he said we were fully booked tonight ( it was only around 7 pm) and indicated that they would not accept any customer. Then as soon as I walked out of the door, he let a couple behind me in and I went back to ask him why they could be seated and he said they were special (??) then I asked if I could wait once someone finished and he said we were fully booked tonight (again). Then I walked out and another family got accepted again so clearly they treated people differently and I would not recommend a place that doesn’t creat welcoming atmosphere to foreigners. There are tons of good similar places in Kyoto :) I have also attached the picture of the waiter at the front desk so that I wish at least next time, when someone like you come to this place, you could be treated with respect.

Edit: in response to the owners reply: I have talked with people who were admitted that night and they said they did not have reservation at all. Also they did not tell me that I had to wait for over an hour. All they said was that they were full while the restaurant...

This place looks charming and the food smells good. I waited in the line for more than 40 min with the host seating a couple and then a three person party ahead of me even though I arrived first. As a single diner, I have been kept waiting for a long time. I was finally given a table upstairs after I kicked up a fuss. No apologies were offered whatsoever by the staff. When I finally sat down, the bad experience continued. I spent a good 10 min trying to make eye contact with the waiter who would rather clean tables than take my order. I finally figured out to place my order using the QR code and still had to prompt the waiter to bring some ice water and edamame. In contrast, a German couple seated at another table was served as soon as they sat down. A waitress immediately approached them to take order and provide water and edamame. The food when they came was okay. The beef had a lot of chunky fat in it. I was chewing on fat. The shrimp was a tad under cooked. So the texture was unpleasant. I am used to service being really good in this country regardless of the price point. This place proved to be the rare exception to the case. The food is not good enough for me to want to return to put up with similar...