Izasa-Nakatani-hompo Yumekaze-hiroba — Restaurant in Nara

searched up what Nara is known for and Google said "Kaki-no-ha-sushi" which is pressed sushi made wrapped in kakinoha (persimmon leaf) with vinegared rice. After we visited the deers, we did a quick Google map search for nearest restaurant that serves it -- which it brought us to this place! we got there when it just opened so we were one of the first few groups that got seated right away. The dine-in area is upstairs, but it looks like you can just by the kaki-no-ha-sushi downstairs and take it To-Go. The menu is very simple and they have a variety of different sets. I was super hungry so i got the set that came with soba noodles and tempura. the tempura were delicious! the batter was so light and flaky -- mmm that crunch! was so crispy and airy!

overall the meal was pretty good, but i find the sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves to be rice heavy. there are a lot of rice. and personally i thought it was okay. If i were to go back to Nara, i don't think i need to eat sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves again. Not saying it's not good, just not my...

The food here is average and reasonably priced, but there is a minimum order requirement (each person must order at least one drink or dish; sharing one dish among multiple people is not allowed).

One young female server was extremely rude. When she brought me a Coke and one straw, I politely asked for two more straws in English ("one more straw"), and my travel companion also repeated the same request in Japanese. She responded sharply, “Why you need one more straw?” — which came off as very impolite.

During my ten-day trip in Japan, this was the only staff member who left such a negative impression. All other servers I met were helpful and kind. Later, I noticed this same server being much more courteous to white foreign tourists. I suspect this may involve racial discrimination.

I do not recommend this restaurant to...

I was really excited to go there after reading all of the reviews and seeing the pictures of the restaurant, but unfortunately I left disappointed. Maybe I've tried to many good meals before in Sapporo and Osaka, but for me food was correct, but nothing more. Food looks pretty, restaurant has really nice interior design and view, but that's it. Salmon was overdone and over salted, tempura wasn't crispy and got soft, wet and tasteless after few minutes on a table. Tofu had an interesting taste, but I wasn't crazy about it either. Everything else was just proper. In general, food wasn't bad but for sure not worth it's price and waiting for in 20min line as I did. I would give it 2,5stars if I could. I've decided on 2 in order to increase the amount of people reading my review, so they can choose a better...