Gopinatha — Restaurant in Tokyo

If you like having a quiet space to focus on your food, this place is it. Coming solo is encouraged. Chatter is discouraged. Perfect for a brief respite from the hustle and bustle of the world outside. There's only one person managing everything, but being the first customer in at lunch time, I didn't have to wait very long for my meal. And although customer service - on the phone and in person - was on the reserved side, she worked quickly and efficiently. The food was in the style of homecooking, nothing amazing, just simple, comforting and nourishing; I particularly liked the okara salad. The lunch set was surprisingly filling for the size, but dessert goes into a different belly, so I ordered dessert and a cereal coffee. The oatmilk creme brulee had a crispy sweet top, but was pretty bland. The matcha marble cake, though, was really yummy, moist with nice crunchy cookie bits on top for contrast, and was the highlight of the meal for me. And it all came to a very reasonable 1600yen. I would come again if I was in the area, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here. There are other vegan restaurants with similar fare closer to where I live. And apart from the cake, nothing really makes this place stand out more from the others. In addition, the lack of bicycle parking really adds to the effort of coming...

The food is just generic veggie food, not bad but forgettable. It's quite cheap though.

Upon entering with my Japanese friend, we were told that it was single diners only and that we weren't allowed to talk at all. But the owner made an 'exception' because the place was empty at that time.

The atmosphere is the worst. As someone who's working in the service industry, interacting with customers or asking a chef about the food or the history of the place is one of my favourite things. So why would the owner decide to open a food business if they hate interacting with customers that much? It was awkward because the owner was quite unfriendly.

I would understand if the purpose of the no-talking rule was to meditate or such. But the kitchen sounds were very loud and the lights were generic office-type blue lights, almost blinding. So what is the point then? It just felt uncomfortable, my friend and I wanted to leave as fast as possible.

I'm confused as to how this place has so many good reviews with such a strange owner. There are many amazing vegetarian and vegan places in Tokyo, I will not...

The food was very yummy and really good value for money. I was completely satisfied with the meal itself. However, I have never been to a restaurant that has a single diners only policy. There are signs in both English and Japanese stating that if you come with a friend please keep your conversation to a minimum and talk quietly. But it seemed to me like the owner didn’t want anyone to speak at all! I told her numerous times that my friend and I wouldn’t talk, and we kept our word. The only explanation for this policy is that some customers don’t want to listen to other customers’ conversations, but it seemed like it was the owner who would be most bothered by people talking! If you want to have a meditation/silent restaurant that’s fine, but I think you need to spell it out for people, and not make it seem like a little/quiet conversation might be fine when really you have a strict NO TALKING rule! Definitely DO NOT come here with someone you haven’t seen for a long time/want to catch...