Gonpachi — Restaurant in Tokyo

We recently came here with a group of students on a school trip and this was the WORST food experience we had on our entire trip. First of all, they said we did not have reservations (which we did) and then later they said "oh yes you do but we need to push it back" and they delayed our lunch reservation by an hour. When we finally got there they still made us wait downstairs. When we were finally ushered in we realised they had overbooked themselves and we had to wait so that they could accommodate a big table of Caucasian guests. I guess a small group of Asians was not important to them. Even if we set aside this lateness, what really left the worst impression was the utter garbage we were served. All our poor hungry students got was a TINY plate of 3 -4 tiny pieces of chicken karaage, a TINY plate of bitter salad, a bowl of rice and soup. I know that typically perhaps agents who book school trip lunches/dinners might not book fancy meals at all but this was beyond ridiculous. Service took forever for us, but interestingly the other diners who were Caucasian got served very quickly. So there we were, hungry and still waiting, only to be served two typically small side dishes for lunch. At no other restaurant in Tokyo or Nagoya were we ever served such rubbish. And we tried ordering more but we were ignored. When I checked with the local agents who had pre-booked the meal we were told there was meant to be more food but the restaurant just acted like that was it and never bothered giving us anything else. I would never ever ever recommend this place to anyone ever. Before anyone can say it's because we didn't spend a lot, I want to clarify our students were able to get much better meals in other less fancy restaurants for less than was was paid for this grossly overhyped place. It is very obvious that this branch is just riding on the reputation of the main branch. Our students had been told this was such a famous place and they were looking forward to the food and their disappointment was really quite visible although our students were too polite to say anything. Where they took loads of photos of the food in other places, they had nothing to take pictures of here. If I compare the garbage food here with the food we got in smaller restaurants like Sushi Izakaya Tofuro which we also ate at, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING good to say about this Gonpachi. We will make sure we tell our local agents to never ever book this...

We had an incredible dining experience at Gonpachi Asakusa Azumabashi! The food and service easily earned a 5/5 from us, though I gave the atmosphere a 3/5—only because the music selection felt mismatched with the restaurant’s vibe. It’s not a dealbreaker, but if you’re sensitive to music like I am, it’s worth noting. That said, don’t let it stop you—this place is a gem!

We originally planned to eat elsewhere but decided against it when we saw the long line. Feeling hungry and a bit dejected, we spotted Gonpachi’s entrance and decided to give it a try. Despite not having a reservation (tip: book ahead!), the staff warmly welcomed us and found us a table with a lovely view of the street and Sumida River.

The service was exceptional, and Kenji, our server, truly went above and beyond. He was not only efficient and professional but incredibly observant and thoughtful. At one point, I felt a little chilly and casually rubbed my arms. Without me saying a word, Kenji noticed and brought over some warm tea. It might be standard, but it felt like such a kind and personal touch. He also patiently explained how to enjoy our dessert (we weren’t sure at first!) and checked in on us just enough to make us feel cared for without being intrusive. Kenji’s warm and attentive service really made our night, and we can’t thank him enough for making us feel so welcome and comfortable.

Now, the food. Wow. We were blown away. The sashimi set was so fresh and buttery it felt like it melted in our mouths—we ordered it twice! The beef sirloin skewers were heavenly (trust me, skip the toppings and enjoy them as is), and while the chicken skewers were decent, they didn’t compare to the sirloin. Our hand rolls (salmon, salmon with roe, uni) were delicate and flavorful, and the green tea terrine dessert was the perfect way to end the meal.

Drink-wise, my husband enjoyed his oolong hai and Asahi, while I had two of their spicy Moscow mules. I didn’t find them particularly spicy, but they were so good I didn’t care!

We left with full bellies, happy hearts, and a firm plan to come back. For the quality of food and service, the price was very reasonable. Highly recommend this spot—especially if you’re lucky enough to be served by someone like Kenji!

(Forgive my photos, I mainly...

Great food, but bad customer service by the waitress. Visited on 11/7/25.

The food took time to arrive, and part of our order was the egg roll (dashimaki? Sorry if pronounced wrong). After about 1 hour of dining and enjoying every other dish, it looked like this egg dish wasn't coming anymore. We waited about 10 minutes, and then requested for the bill, which the waitress bought along with the egg dish.

I asked her politely if we could cancel this dish seeing as we finished all other dishes 10 minutes prior and there was zero follow up from her or any other member of staff prior to this dish arriving. No one said "Sir, your egg dish is arriving, sorry for the delay" or something like that. No one.

She just bought the bill, put it down on the table first, then placed the egg dish. And acted totally normal about it like we're supposed to pay and then eat it.

When I asked her to cancel, she said no we cannot cancel this, sorry about the situation but the chef is really busy doing other orders.

Well, that's not really my problem as the customer. Any well functioning restaurant should do their orders by table, not ad hoc.

Usually, I would ask to speak with the Chef and/or Manager and escalate this issue, but given it is Japan, I don't speak the local language and I was on a holiday, I decided not to make a scene and just accept it as a takeaway dish.

Overall, the waitress should have accepted my proposition, and cancelled the order. This would be a top example of customer service not only in Japan, which I have been visiting for 15 years and have seen top tier customer service, but also other parts of Southeast Asia.

I understand if the restaurant or other diners may not agree with my opinion, after all it is my point of view and it could be that I have very high expectations from any service-oriented businesses in Japan based on my prior visits.

I would be giving a glowing review and recommending this place wholeheartedly, but unfortunately my review is not entirely positive.

I hope that future training can help the service improve, but other than that the restaurant is well located, the food was good and all staff were friendly, including this...