Locale — Restaurant in Tokyo

From the moment I walked into Locale, I was smitten.

You feel like you're walking into someone's home: it's intimate, cozy, and every detail--from the wooden shelves filled with spices to the sweet lemon postcard that hangs from a column in the kitchen--makes you feel like you've finally come to the right place.

My husband and I sat down at the counter, and enjoyed talking with Katy, who's the chef and owner of the restaurant. She was lovely--easy to talk to and it felt as though she had invited us over for dinner and was casually cooking us 5 course meal in the comfort of her kitchen. We both had her tasting menu, and the ingredients were fresh, delicious, and excellent. The cashew nut sauce with the snap peas and dill was one of my favorite dishes.

What Locale provides that a lot of restaurants have lost is the gift of making you feel loved. It was not a production, it wasn't stuffy, you didn't feel like you had to behave in a certain way or know every detail about the food you were eating. You feel--as the lovely all-female staff take care of you, as new plates full of exciting food are put in front of you, and as the night wears on and you feel the buzz of conversation and happy people around you--that this is what eating out is supposed to feel like. Everything came from the heart, and I would--and will--go back to Locale in...

vice – Avoid This Place!

I had an incredibly frustrating and disappointing experience at this restaurant due to the blatant discrimination shown by the staff. I arrived and took my place in line like everyone else, expecting to be seated in the order we arrived. However, the waiter completely ignored me and instead seated the two parties behind me—both Japanese—before even acknowledging my presence.

At first, I thought it might have been an innocent mistake, but as I continued to wait and watch, it became clear that this wasn’t about a misunderstanding or a simple oversight. The waiter showed a clear preference for Japanese customers, going out of his way to accommodate them while disregarding my presence entirely. I tried to get his attention multiple times, but he either pretended not to see me or just brushed me off.

There was no logical reason for the seating arrangement—there was a queue, and everyone was waiting in line. But instead of following any fair or organized system, this waiter blatantly skipped over me, prioritizing others based on what I can only assume is his personal bias. It was beyond unprofessional—it was outright...

Traveled almost 7,000 miles from Georgia to Tokyo, and this restaurant was our best meal! Cold and raining, we arrived for dinner two days ago as waiter Ben gathered our raincoats and hung them up. The restaurant is cosy, and seating is comfortable. Though the cherry blossoms were not blooming, the herbs and spices were! Katie is the farm to table chef from San Diego who uses all kinds of fresh Japanese vegetables, fruits, and meats to create delicious meals. Though the ingredients are Japanese, the meals are not necessarily Asian. But delicious nonetheless! Katie’s workers seem to also be long term friends, not only describing what’s in the menu but why Katie chooses certain ingredients and the history behind her cooking and the restaurant itself. This restaurant is more like sitting in Katie’s large kitchen while she cooks. Conversation flows between chef and customers and servers and adjoining tables. A wonderful, gracious dining experience! While we did have equally good food at other establishments, none compared to the overall dining...