Le Pain Quotidien Shiba Park — Restaurant in Tokyo

Dining at Le Pain Quotidien was, without exaggeration, one of the most underwhelming and overpriced experiences I’ve ever had the displeasure of enduring.

To call what they served “toast” is an outright lie. What arrived at my table was a limp, untoasted slice of bread—unbuttered, unseasoned, and utterly uninspired. This was not toast. This was an open-faced sandwich assembled with all the passion of someone filing taxes. No crunch, no warmth, no effort. Just a bland slab of disappointment masquerading as a menu item.

But the real insult? I paid an extra 550 yen for a so-called salmon topping—what I received were five measly, translucent scraps the size of a coin. Five. They looked less like a premium addition and more like the trimmings swept off a prep board. It was stingy, laughable, and frankly insulting.

Flavor? Nonexistent. Not a hint of seasoning, no acidity, no texture—just a dull, dry pile of nothing that actively offended the palate. It takes genuine skill to make salmon forgettable, and somehow, they’ve perfected it.

The staff were polite, but there was an unmistakable air of silent apology in their demeanor, as if they knew exactly what they were serving and hoped I wouldn’t complain.

Le Pain Quotidien isn’t just a waste of time—it’s a waste of money, taste, and dignity. A restaurant that serves food this indifferent shouldn’t be charging café prices, let alone premium ones. Save yourself the disappointment. Go literally...

I’ve been travelling in Japan for almost five weeks, and this has to be the worst restaurant experience. We were there at about 1.15 pm for lunch on Friday 17 October. As we wanted outdoor seating, we were directed to the front counter to place our order. We were served by a chubby male staff who couldn’t have been more unfriendly. We asked to see a menu, and he gave us one but indicated that we couldn’t take it away, which was fine. So, we stood to one side to peruse the menu while conscious of being in the way of the queue. When we were ready to place our order, the bespectacled female staff wanted to take our order but the same unfriendly chubby male staff told her not to serve us and indicated that we had to go to the back of the line. We certainly had no intention to jump the queue, and we had been there for a while (before those in the queue). I would have walked out if not for the fact that it was getting late and there weren’t many other options around. In any case, lunch was extremely average - certainly not worth the wait, nor having to put up with the terrible service. I’ve since learned of other reviews commenting on the poor services received by customers, and I wonder why the restaurant management is allowing that to continue. They responded to reviews of poor services in the past, saying they would address the issue....

A few days ago, we ordered takeout bread and it was delicious, so today we went for brunch, but we shouldn't have gone. The woman with pigtails seemed to be in the worst mood of the day, her expression grumpy the whole time. As soon as she realized we were foreigners, she didn't answer our questions and just walked in. Even though there were empty seats, she directed us to a table with strangers. When we ordered, she spoke rudely, using informal speech instead of formal speech. The morning menu offered juice and coffee, so when I asked if I could exchange the juice for coffee, she responded, "DeKki Nai!!" I was shocked. Was I a child? She was so rude. She even spoke rudely to me, knowing I understood Japanese. Furthermore, when we ordered two breakfast sets (including drinks) and added eggs and coffee, no one gave us a fork or knife. The Japanese couple sitting next to us even asked the waiter to help the foreigner. My entire trip to Japan was wonderful, and everyone was so friendly, but this was the first time I experienced...