mono grande — Restaurant in Nagoya

I see the last couple of reviews complain about the cover charge. It is known as Otoshi and they are standard in Japan at restaurants. Not fast food places though. At Mono Grande it is 380 yen, which is cheaper than usual. 380 yen is only about £2 and less in dollars, so it is so little it is not worth mentioning. The staff speak Japanese with almost no English, I believe, for the Japanese learning English must be as hard as it us English speakers to talk Japanese. So use google translate to translate the menu. It is very easy to do. Watch YouTube videos on it , if you are unfamiliar. From their recommended menu (there was a much bigger menu too) I chose the miyazaki prefecture kirimine beef rump steak. It was served medium rare. It was absolutely delicious. See photo. They serve a wide selection of drinks, but only one beer as far as I could see. So I had two bottles of white beer, that seemed to be intended to go with the oyster meal they serve , but it went well with the steak too. Dessert was hydrangea Ramune float, which was a sort of ice cream floating in a mixture of jelly and juices etc. It was nice too. Not sure if it had any alcohol in it or not? I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere there. Unfortunately it was my last day in Nagoya or I’d have...

I found Mono Grande day after I arrived to hot Nagoya. Tucked in a back street hidden in surrounding buildings, I almost missed the entrance. I was desperately looking for a small cafe to use WiFI, but I didn't want to go to a Starbucks. I went in - not so small, and when I saw E=mc2 on the wall, I knew I could stay here left alone for a while. I ordered a cup of cofee and a Teramitsu cake. Surprise! Their coffee was much better than Starbucks, Teramitsu with scoops of icecream was so soothing. I have come to this place eveyday, longing for that unforgetable taste of coffee. I have tried a few lunch menu also, they are all unexpectedly good! I even brought my mother to try a lunch and coffee and she wanted to come back next day! Today is my last day in...

Do not come.

They serve you “appetiser” without prior consent or informing, and it’s only a few rice sticks charged at 340 yen per person. We were only made aware of it when given the bill, and they tried to tell us it’s a “common practice in Japan”, which we never encountered during our numerous visits to Japan.

The food is only average so you won’t miss much. Also please take note the price is excluding tax, unlike many...