MOON and BACK Ramen Bar & Brunch Cafe — Restaurant in Kyoto

If you enjoy waiting in line for no reason, this place is a must!

I’d been to Moon and Back Ramen once before and couldn’t remember much about it—neither bad nor good, which says a lot on its own. This time, we were nearby and figured, “Hey, let’s give it another shot.” Spoiler: should’ve kept walking.

We arrived around 5pm—well before any dinner rush—and there were about eight people in line. No biggie, it's Kyoto, we’re used to queues. But here’s where things got... weird.

We peeked inside and saw two completely empty 4-tops. Hmm. Then more people left the restaurant, yet no one was being seated. Now we’re looking at four empty tables (10 open seats) and four open counter spots. The math wasn’t mathing.

Curious, I went inside and spoke to a staff member—bald guy, face tattoos, very “don’t question me” energy. I politely asked about the empty tables. He told me the 4-tops were reserved... in 10 minutes. Okay, fair. So I asked about seating the group of two in front of us and ourselves at the available 2-tops. His response: “Yeah, we might start calling out names soon.” Might? Bold strategy.

Then he turned and began talking to another staffer like I had vanished into thin air.

I returned to the line and shared the intel. A couple minutes later, our tattooed friend came out, stared at the waiting list, glanced at the empty restaurant, gave the ol’ “hmm, let me pretend to calculate the theory of relativity real quick” face, then went back inside... and did nothing.

At that point, we realized this wasn’t a ramen spot—it was performance art. The vibe was less “cozy local eatery” and more “nightclub trying to manufacture hype with a velvet rope and no DJ.”

We left and grabbed dinner somewhere that valued diners over optics. Can’t comment on the ramen because we never made it past the holding pattern. Just know that if you go, you may end up closer to the moon...

Disappointing Conclusion to What Could Have Been a Pleasant Evening

My wife and I decided to try the omakase menu at this restaurant, hoping for a delightful experience. Initially, we asked the waitress whether the omakase included one bowl or two bowls of ramen, to which she replied one, we then reassured and she asked the owner and we were told one. Based on this information, we ordered an additional bowl.

However, after we finished our meal and had been sitting for a while, a third bowl of ramen was unexpectedly served. We explained to the staff that we had only ordered two bowls, as confirmed earlier. Despite this, the manager insisted that we pay for the unsolicited third bowl. To avoid causing any trouble for the waitress, who seemed to be under pressure from the manager, we reluctantly agreed to pay.

To our further dismay, we were then informed of an additional charge for a third person, which felt not only disrespectful but also dishonest. It appeared that the restaurant prioritized revenue over customer satisfaction.

As for the food, the omakase had its moments with decent side dishes and excellent sushi. However, the beef ramen lacked flavor and the chicken ramen was overly salty with little to no authentic chicken taste.

Overall, the quality of the food was overshadowed by the poor service and questionable billing practices. It’s unfortunate that a restaurant would choose to diminish their guests' dining experience in this manner. Potential diners should be wary of unexpected charges and ensure that everything is clarified...

We visited the Nishiki Market early in the morning, however it was too early and most shops had not opened yet. We browsed around for a little while, and looked for a restaurant for an early lunch. Thanks to new technology and Google map search, we found a ramen shop called MOON and BACK Ramen Bar & Brunch Cafe. It was just 30 seconds walk from Kyoto Nishiki Market. The owner chef is a former executive chef of a high-end restaurant in Australia, and previously worked at the Sydney Opera House! The staff was polite and could speak English. The restaurant also offered gluten free options and vegan option meals. That was great 👍

We ordered their signature dish : grilled Japanese black beef sirloin, Kyoto fu, Kyujo Sharrot and a boiled egg with the store's logo. When the ramen was served, the staff used a torch gun to sear the meat which were lay on the edge of the bowl. I am sure everyone will take a video of the torch gun show. 😂The seared meat was tender and tasty. The thin whole grain noodles texture was cooked to perfection which were not soggily soft or chewy. The noodles was in an appetizing shrimp and Oyster seafood soup. The soup was refreshingly soothing and was not salty as well. The whole meal was satisfyingly scrumptious and it just hit the spot in our stomach! Then we continued to venture to our next traditional Japanese dessert appointment at Kyoto Yoshitsugu (reviews posted on...