Gifuya — Restaurant in Tokyo

Stumbled across this place during our shopping expedition in Shinjuku. When we first stepped in, the staff tried to dissuade us from entering by saying - Sorry. No. No English menu. We were puzzled and said - no problem. Then they said - we serve pork. We said - no problem. Then they said - meat no halal. We said - no problem :) Reluctantly they gave us two seats and kept ignoring us even when it came to taking the order. We then persisted, spoke the broken Japanese we had learned and managed to wave out and say basic words like sumimasen (excuse me) nee beeru kudasai (two beers please), ichi gyoza (one dumplings), ichi yakisoba (one fried noodles) and then suddenly the server/ cook looked at us, raised an eyebrow and gave a half nod :) Through the meal - we said things like - totemo oishi (very tasty) and the staff now smiled and suddenly were in a better mood. Overall - This place and the servers prefer serving locals since they don’t have to deal with the stress and million questions typical tourists would have but if you persist and understand their perspective, you’ll definitely end up being less annoyed and completely happy with your meal. The food is absolutely delicious. It’s no frills dining but what the place lacks in decor or niceties, it is overshadowed by the tasty bites of food served. It’s brutally honest food and service but that’s what makes it special. We also ended up having super fun conversations with a few locals who were sitting near us and ended up learning more about each other’s cultures and country.

We entered with a frown but left with a massive smile :)

The one thing I learned during my time in Japan was that - for the most part - while Japanese people are incredibly humble and respectful - when they make the effort to speak English, they speak very directly and to the point - and unfortunately it may come across as being rude. There’s no sense of context setting or trying to tip toe about awkward situations with gentle words - it’s fairly blunt. Once you look past this and treat it with a practical and pragmatic approach - you will be far less likely to...

We were 5 people (all foreigners), we politely asked for a table in Japanese as our group speaks it well. The workers were hesitant to seat us while the restaurant only has about 3 people seated. They did not bother to serve us water while the other japanese locals were all were tended to and well served with whatever they need, while our group did not even receive water or simple service. The food was delicious, cheap and great quantity, this the only reason I will give them 3 stars, this service was horrible and was a overall 1 star experience. My group was quiet and respected the quiet atmosphere and were still treated like garbage. I complimented the chef's food in japanese and was still treated...

What attracted us in was a seated customer saw us looking in and said “yes delicious “. We sat down and were ignored by both people behind the counter. The counter staff looked at us then looked away, then turned their attention to Japanese customers who were already served. I asked for attention in Japanese (I do speak it) but were still ignored, a few moments later I tried again, ignored once more we got up and left (whether coincidence or not we immediately heard their laughter). Stay away as a foreigner I’m Viet my husband is European, posted outside are “no camera” signs. We ended up at Banshaku-ya a couple of doors down (they also have...