Le Cafe De Joël Robuchon — Restaurant in Tokyo

Tucked into the first floor of the NEWoMAN complex at JR Shinjuku Miraina Tower (4-1-6 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022), this elegant little bakery is a perfect escape from the rush of the station above.

We wandered through the shops waiting for the downpour to ease, still warm from our coffee and tea at Blue Bottle. Just as we were about to call it a day, the buttery scent drifting from Robuchon’s display case stopped us in our tracks. The pastries looked almost too perfect to eat—and tasted every bit as good as they looked.

Funny how being a little tired and rain-soaked can steer your decisions. We went for an egg-salad sandwich on a pillowy, slightly sweet bun that reminded us of a hot-dog roll. It was simple, comforting, and easy to eat—exactly the kind of thing you could carry through a quiet garden and enjoy one unhurried bite at a time.

Next came what I thought was a brie-filled pastry. Surprise—it turned out to be a cloud-light, subtly sweet cream instead. My husband loved it, and I had to admit it was a lovely twist.

Our final pick was the showstopper: an adorable acorn-shaped pastry filled with rich, nutty chocolate cream. Almost too cute to eat—but of course, we did.

One small curiosity: they charge a few yen for takeaway bags, something we hadn’t encountered at any other bakery. Hardly an issue, just a tiny cultural quirk that somehow made the experience feel even more...

First of all, my low rating is entirely due to the service attitude of this place. When leaving, I took the bus from here. I had previously tried their coffee, which was very bad, so I bought coffee from Blue Bottle nearby. I bought a lot of bread from them, and others who don't drink coffee ordered drinks. The server said they weren't allowed to drink outside-bought beverages, so we just ate the bread. Later, because there were still children who hadn't finished eating, we stood there drinking coffee, and they came over and tried to get us to leave. We told them we hadn't sat at their table and had still spent money there, but she refused to budge! I've been to so many countries and stores and have truly never encountered such a merchant before! Let's not bring up national grievances or racial discrimination—just the service awareness. From a business perspective, shouldn't you observe why someone isn't drinking your coffee? We ourselves found it too troublesome to buy coffee elsewhere, but they only knew how to keep pressuring us to leave, which made us very angry! Although I know Japanese don't care about this, I'm writing this to warn fellow Chinese visitors! The bread is delicious, but it's not that good that I would specifically choose to eat there. From now on, I must...

I recently visited your café and wanted to share some feedback regarding my experience. While I appreciate the atmosphere and the menu selection, I encountered a few issues that I believe could be improved.

Firstly, given the café’s small size, securing a seat can be challenging. Additionally, I found the pricing to be quite high, with a coffee costing 500円. While I understand that quality and location can influence pricing, I personally felt it was on the expensive side.

Regarding service, I ordered a croissant, but it was only lightly heated and still cold when I took a bite. When I politely asked if it could be reheated, I was informed—somewhat abruptly—that nothing could be done since I had already started eating. I completely understand if there are policies around reheating food, but I felt that the response lacked professionalism and consideration. Given that the initial issue was that the croissant was not heated properly in the first place, a more understanding approach would have been appreciated.

I hope you can take this feedback into consideration to improve both service quality and...