ＡＬＭＩＮＡ — Restaurant in Tokyo

In my mind, to give this restaurant a one star review is tantamount to a compliment. That is how poor this restaurant performed when we visited.

We (couple) visited for what we thought was going to be a nice Turkish/Lebanese dinner (taking a bit of a break from the Japanese cuisine) but we ended up falling into this absolute tourist trap.

Before we even arrived, I would like to mention this place is not easy to find. They could do with better signage and actually open the door so it feels more inviting. This was the first red flag in what would be an hour of red flags.

When we did find the place, we went downstairs and were (not) greeted by the okay host/waiter/cashier/cook (all jobs executed in a mediocre manner by the same person).

Eventually we got the attention of our host and were taken to a table. We had one menu so we had to turn sideways in order to see it at the same time. No biggie we thought (red flag #2). We decided on ordering the “special” course. There was no information on the menu to explain what was in this course, or what made it so “special” (red flag #3). Note: this menu was worded such that any reasonable person would think that a couple would pay a grand total of 4500 yen for enjoying this tantalising Middle Eastern cuisine (i.e. two people eat for 4500 yen). After confirming the contents of the course (which sounded like a great deal of food) and that we were indeed expecting to pay around 4500 yen (excluding tax) in total for the course, we placed an order for the “special” course (red flag #4). We also decided to order some Sage tea (with milk). The waiter said this was “on service”. I still have no idea what he meant by this, but if you weren’t paying attention you may think this meant it was free... (red flag #5). I am a cynic so I expected to pay for this tea.

Finally, on to the actual delivery of the food, which was embarrassingly slow and in stages. The people around us came later than us but received their food before us. We were left waiting like a couple of muppets. There was inadequate cutlery, no napkins, no side plates provided with the first “stage” of our meal (a fairly underwhelming salad). We had to ask for side plates twice before the waiter remembered to provide them to us (because.. you know.. being civilised people, we can’t eat without plates...) (red flags #6 - #11).

I will say I loved the food, there just wasn’t enough. Tasted great, but when we get to the real price, taste will not be a factor in our distaste for this “establishment”. When we finally worked out that the course had ended (since there was no indication on the menu what the last part of the course was, we just waited until we were certain too much time had passed for anything else to come out to us) we asked for the bill (red flag #12). We were shocked to learn that our bill exceeded 10000 yen (including tax). Turns out the 4500 yen charge for the course, which was mentioned earlier, was a per person charge (we had basically been lied to by the waiter when placing the order, and it was too late to do anything about it since we had eaten the food) (red flag #13).

I argued over the poor wording of the menu, and initially they agreed until one of the bright sparks behind the counter thought that where the menu said “from” rather than “for” justified their negligence in inadvertently and incorrectly confirming that the price of the course was half the true price. We were left severely disappointed, having paid twice the expected amount. We left, feeling defeated, only to write this long AF review in the hopes others can learn from our mistake.

TLDR; Great food but the course portion of the menu is unconscionably misleading. The place was understaffed with a couple of ostensibly undertrained and definitely inattentive idlers. If you order the course, there is a high likelihood you may misinterpret it and end up paying double the expected cost.

Note: the actual portion sizes are small for the price. This would probably hold true for the A La Carte menu as much as the course...

Oh boy, I don’t even know where to begin. Please read before considering this establishment. I’ve never been spurred by a bad experience to post a review of restaurant throughout my many years of travel—until now.

Pros: -Chicken and rice dish was satisfactory -The strawberry shake was satisfactory -Didn’t wait that long (though the place was empty apart from a table of four next to us)

Cons: -The ayran was an insanely salty, diluted mess with no herbs and 50% ice. An insult to the drink by any stretch of the imagination. -The za’atar was an abomination. Twice as small as the last 100 Arab restaurants I’ve visited AND they put KETCHUP on it. Good lord. I’m not even a foodie. They’d be arrested on the spot back home (if you know, you know). -The chicken shawarma plate was literally chicken, fries, salsa and a generous smearing of—you guessed it—ketchup. No greens, vegetables, nothing. Soulless nothingness. The nerve one ought to have to charge nearly 2500 yen for something like that is borderline psychopathic. -Speaking of psychopathy, they silently charged us 880 yen EACH for an お通し (a small mandatory appetizer as a table charge in some Japanese restaurants) for a piece of watermelon measuring not one, but TWO WHOLE cubic centimetres with ONE cubic centimetre of cheese on top. Those measurements are not an exaggeration. -They asked us if we had a reservation. We said no. Seated us in the most uncomfortable spot in the whole restaurant. NO ONE entered from start to finish—it remained 90% empty all throughout. -Portion sizes were are miserly, especially for the price. They will tell you it’s because they make the best Middle Eastern food in Tokyo, but please, don’t believe it. It’s objectively overpriced by at least 50%. -Last and most importantly, the place is rank, filthy, dark and steaming hot. They have four fans of various sizes pointing in various directions, but to no avail. With the prices they charge, you would think they’d outfit the place with ONE air conditioner, but no, greed clearly runs the show here. We even wiped off black soot from the plates on the table and the table itself. It’s on the level of a Kabukicho restaurant a tout pushed you into.

Please, please look elsewhere if you’re hungry and in the neighbourhood. Ueno is chock-full of options. This place needs to succumb to market forces pronto. Japan and you...

When my wife and I walked into the restaurant, there were maybe 3-4 occupied tables. The place was 2/3 empty. However, it took a full 5 minutes before the maître d' noticed that we were standing, waiting to be seated.

Once seated, we ordered drinks, a couple of appetizers, and the same main course. The drinks were served promptly, but it took a good 45 minutes before the appetizer was served. And then another 25 minutes before the main courses came out! To add insult to injury, they forgot a basic item that we had ordered!

It was impossible to attract the attention of the waiters. However, they were highly solicitous of a table of 4 across from us, and someone (perhaps the owner) in the den behind us. So it wasn't merely the negligent service--it was the unequal treatment that we found offensive.

The food quality was decent, but the portion sizes were minuscule, and the prices outrageous. ¥1000 for a plate of hummus?! ¥500 for olive oil (which should be gratis)?! ¥2800 for a few puny mezze? That is highway robbery.

Despite the inflated prices, the establishment did not seem to accept credit cards. But there was no indication anywhere that it was cash-only.

I was looking forward to authentic Palestinian cuisine. The dismal service ruined...