CILQ — Restaurant in Tokyo

The food was very good, and for that I give 2 stars. But of course the service matters as much as the food, and respect for an occasion, but the service was bizarrely both great and terrible.

I (white American) was with my friend, both of us women, and it was my friend's birthday celebration (the restaurant knew). At the beginning of the meal, our server made a special point of enthusiastically emphasizing the "endless bread". Whenever we finished a small bread roll, he would bring more, especially as there were often several minutes' waits between courses. My friend, who is Asian-American (not Japanese ethnicity), and I, had not yet eaten that day, so we ate more bread than usual, but not a monstrous amount, and we both ate the same amount. At some point, the waiter addressed my friend (not me) with a loud exclamation, telling her exactly how many bread rolls she had had, and that "it was a record!" We were completely aghast. I have no idea what he was thinking. Soon after, while my friend was in the restroom, the waiter asked me (in Japanese) in a conspiratorial tone where she was from (I had already told him we're both American). So I told him again that she was American. Then he asked me, "Where is she really from?" At this point, I felt he was trying to pigeonhole her by her non-Japanese Asian ethnicity as something negative, so I just said again that she was only American (we spoke only in Japanese, which I am conversational in, so this negativity was not a lost in translation kind of thing).

While the rest of the service was great, and our waiter was obviously professional in every other respect, the explicit shaming over how much my friend was eating, and the casual anti-Asian sentiment left a bad taste for both my friend and me. Especially on her birthday celebration! We bore it all pleasantly, as we didn't want to completely ruin the night, but we ended up happy to leave. I honestly don't think that the server meant to bother us, and maybe it was because he was an older gentleman with older sensibilities, but perhaps he thought that his behavior was completely appropriate. I recommend that this restaurant educate this server on how not to offend guests, especially on a special day.

I do not recommend dining here at all if you are a non-Japanese Asian. I will certainly...

I visited Cliq for my friend’s birthday, and had the most wonderful experience! The restaurant staff is kind and have great energy. The food from start to finish was beautiful with a fusion of flavors that remain memorable. My favorites were the swordfish gazpacho and the lobster tail. At the end of our meal, our waiter offered to take Polaroid pictures which we got to keep, giving us a sweet souvenir of our night. I plan to come here again maybe for a romantic date night since it was such a great atmosphere. Really a hidden gem in the middle...

I went here for an early birthday celebration and it was such a lovely experience! The food was absolutely delicious — the lobster was my favorite, so fresh and flavorful. The service was amazing too; our server was not only attentive but also funny and kind, which made the night even more enjoyable. They surprised me with the cutest birthday plate that made me feel so special. The atmosphere is calm, elegant, and gives off a luxurious vibe — perfect for a special occasion. Highly...