EUREKA! — Restaurant in Tokyo

If you want unsanitary conditions and a rude staff, come here. I don't usually review places but this was out of the ordinary.

As a bilingual Japanese American with years working in the restaurant industry, I am usually impressed by the impeccable service that is the norm in Japan. I was excited when a friend recommended we go to one of her favorites. We came early and ordered appetizers and sake. The interior was beautiful and cozy.

It was an open kitchen and as we were chatting, we noticed one of the chefs kept coughing and blowing his nose in a tissue paper which he kept placing next to the food he was cooking--no mask, no gloves, no hand washing. I didn't want to be rude but we also didn't want to be sick so I told the bar tender that we were worried. She then went to talk to him. I'm not sure what was said but he casually threw away the tissue and kept cooking, while glaring at us.

The recommended sake was delicious. Unfortunately, the appetizers were tiny, unimaginative, and overpriced. We had another order come out and the bar tender roughly told us that "he didn't touch it". We didn't finish, paid up, and ran out. I noticed that a lot of foreigners came in after us.

Do the staff think that they don't need to service foreigners at the same level as Japanese people? Overall, a horrific experience and made me sad. What...

TL;DR - Great sake, amazing food, fantastic guidance on pairings. Definitely make a reservation, standing room is worth it.

Highlights: 1) amaebi to lychee tartare + pairing 2) blue cheese ham-cutlet + pairing 3) lamb & mochi spring roll.

All the food was amazing and the selected sakes complemented everything beautifully. Our bartender also accommodated half pours.

The standing room “seats” were still great, though the only thing that would have made this better would have been seats at the bar.

This is an intimate experience and definitely worth your while, if you’re into both sake and izakaya. Our bartender also kindly recommended places that she’d go for food and sake, which we’ll be checking out for sure.

Not pictured: karaage, and yo-nashi to ankimo paitsutsumi, a hot pastry sandwich with honey, Butter, Sugar, Aged sake, Balsamic vinegar, Pear, Puff pastry, Monkfish Liver, Mint, fish stock, and shiitake mushroom.

Delicious, but not for those who aren’t into fishy and funky.

Would I recommend this place? Yes! A regular told us that they’d trust the bartender with their life, and if your life involves sake, I’d be hard pressed to disagree....

Came here expecting to have some good sake and try some interesting small plates based off pictures and reviews. Our expectations were blow away! My wife and I talked to a super friendly server who spoke great English (from other reviews it seems there's always at least one person that does) and we went the omakase route since we really didn't know what we wanted. All the sakes were unique with their own stories and the small plates that came out with them were perfect pairings! Staff was extremely friendly, the sake was great, and the food pairings and sake together elevated each other. Highly recommend! Based off prices at similarly comparable restaurants in America, it was right at, if not slightly cheaper than what I...