Kuruminoki — Restaurant in Nara

Good enough, I suppose. I little too conspicuous in its efforts to project a facade of Rustic IS Authentic--want to see how real our neo-Yippohemianism is? Check out that intentionally chipped paint on the wall over there. The ambiance actually is not all that bad, though. Jejune certainly, but easily forgivable. The stupid-long seating wait times are what kill this place for me. That and it seems to be continually colonized by some of the most vapid, middle-aged bourgeoisie wannabes you never hope to meet. Food's average (read: Japanese healthy, i.e. bland as talc); service is also adequate, albeit turgidly slow. My servers seemed to also affect a slight attitude of condescension, but it was late in the afternoon, so that’s easily forgivable. Lastly, prices are not exuberant, but portions are minuscule. That all being said, my wife likes it there, so maybe that alone says more than any of...

There’re always plenty of different cakes and tarts in each season, and you’ll find what you like for sure!

You can dine for lunch from 11am till 3pm, and I guess you can eat sweets whenever you want. They use vegetables and fruits from Nara and they all taste so lovely!

There’s enough parking (30ish cars) next to the cafe, and they sell some food, clothes, etc. You can get...

Four stars but only because the wait was 30 minutes. Go inside and put your name on the wait list, then look at the cute little shop attached to the restaurant or sit in the cozy waiting room. Unfortunately the menu is in Japanese, but we ordered the set menu easily, and there are a few pictures. The food is delicious and so so worth the wait. Try the...