Latte Pocket — Restaurant in Tokyo

One of the most humiliating and uncomfortable customer service experiences we’ve ever encountered—if you value being treated with basic respect, avoid this place.

I’m not someone who usually leaves negative reviews because I know how hard running a business can be. But the experience my husband and I had here was so upsetting, I feel compelled to warn others—especially if you don’t tolerate being spoken down to or disrespected.

We came to this cafe excited, largely because of the overwhelmingly high Google reviews and the promise of their cute 3D lattes. But now we’re honestly wondering if those glowing reviews are inflated—especially after noticing a sign inside offering customers a free gift in exchange for leaving a Google review. The truth is, the cafe isn’t rated highly on Tabelog, and after our experience, we understand why.

The atmosphere was lovely at first. But my husband, who is Japanese, immediately picked up on the barista (the one making the 3D lattes) speaking rudely in Japanese to the staff member at the register, right in front of customers. It made the environment tense and uncomfortable. When it came time to make our drink, she spoke to us aggressively, questioning the 3D art design we had requested—even though we had already clarified it with the cashier earlier. We tried to be accommodating and said she could do whatever was easier for her, but she snapped back sharply that “it’s not about what’s easier,” then turned again to the register staff, saying rudely, “Didn’t you take the order from them?!”

At this point, my husband asked calmly if she was trying to cause a scene. Instead of resolving things professionally, she stopped mid-preparation, told us she would refund us, didn’t want us as customers, and told us to leave.

To make things worse, she then declared in front of everyone that she felt “uncomfortable” with how my husband had spoken to her—completely flipping the narrative. He had been nothing but polite despite her aggressive tone. When he calmly pointed this out, she threatened to call the police if we didn’t leave, continuing to frame herself as the victim. My husband said she was welcome to do so since we had done nothing wrong, and she went silent. We left with a refund, feeling shaken and disappointed.

We later saw that another Japanese review also mentioned the barista being rude to fellow staff, so clearly our experience wasn’t an isolated one. While we can’t deny the latte art is visually impressive, we never got to try the drinks, and honestly—no amount of aesthetics is worth that kind...

Overpriced, rude, unwilling to assist. $47.50 AUD for 3 coffees with a bit of extra foam. Avoid! We went here today because other places were closed on Mondays. There is an immediate assumption that you should know exactly what you want before having a chance to decipher the menu. This staff member was the only impatient and rude person we have met in 5 weeks of Japanese travel. You are given zero time to interpret the options before being expected to pay up. I deliberately did not order a coffee because of the pressure tactics. There is one small hobo bench to sit on which my daughter placed her coffee on (no lid because of the foam design) that then fell on the floor and spilled. Zero interest in assistance from the surly staff member so we went to leave with the mess on the floor. She then snapped into action and insisted we clean up the mess with napkins. We will never waste our...

I had an extremely upsetting experience at this café.

After paying for my coffee, I briefly plugged in my phone to charge using an open outlet. There were no signs saying this wasn’t allowed, and outlets were clearly available — just like in most cafés across Japan.

One of the staff members immediately shouted at me loudly and aggressively. I unplugged my charger right away. Despite that, she came out from behind the counter, continued yelling, and blocked me from leaving the store. Other employees explained this was because I had used the outlet.

This was a deeply unpleasant experience, especially in a country known for hospitality. I hope no other customer — local or visitor — is...