THE UPPER — Restaurant in Tokyo

The potential of this restaurant is completely unmatched. It’s an easy walk from the metro, but in a way that still feels super classy and has a kind of IYKYK feel to it. You get in the elevator, it whisks you to the tenth floor, the doors open and it immediately says welcome to the classiest and most gorgeous indoor-outdoor dining experience you will ever have. I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say the ceilings were 30 ft high and half of the indoor portion was covered in domed glass so it had this breathtaking greenhouse effect. Couple that with the city lights twinkling everywhere and you can’t say that you aren’t in for a magical evening. Or can you? Front check in was easy, and then they walk us into the dining area, past all of these prime tables and into… a corner by the kitchen. For our anniversary. Meh. (Cue Heath Ledger’s Joker GIF ‟and here we go”) Our server comes over and only tells us about the prix fixe but nothing about the regular menu. After he learns we aren’t going to order off the pre fixe, waiter number one is done with us. Number 2 comes over and takes our appy order of olives, burrata and fries. And while they were all delicious, the black olives were close to frozen as they were so cold and the green ones were warm. Weird QC, but ok. The fries were overflowing off of a dinner plate which was a really odd portion. Is it supposed to be a meal? I ordered a Cotes de Roussillion that was acidic at first, then after sitting a bit became better balanced. They let us sit quite a while which was nice but in hindsight, they either forgot or didn’t want to be bothered. We finally ordered mains, and although we figured this was an a la carte menu, we were talking and forgot to ask, nor did they recommend sides. So, his grilled lamb and my beef/lamb were ordered and 50 minutes later, they appeared, with my steak being lukewarm and leaving me shaking my head at whether it was really beef. It took forever to find someone to get our check, in fact, service was pretty spotty all around, but then as we left, all of a sudden there was a parade of people saying ありがとうございました。 Weird energy, so I ignored all of them and wondered how the Michelin guide got it so wrong. If The Upper has been coming up, until they get their service together, I’m pretty sure they aren’t going much further. Would...

The Upper - What an absolute DOWNER

Took som friends to the Upper for dinner last night. It turned out to be an absolute downer and a circus of lowest class. Booked weeks in advance.

6 people in total. It took 45 minutes for the pre-dinner drinks to arrive! Well, that is 5 out of the 6. One took even longer.

The menu, the staff, and my ordering clearly delineated starters from main cause. Still a main arrived before the starters. Well, not all starters got to the table. Hot got cold and cold got soggy.

I tried twice to offer some guidance on “starters first” then “mains” but that had no impact on the ongoing circus. It took the waitress 10 minutes to uncork a bottle of wine, during which time, we were ready with first aid kit. Two plates of French Fries, which presumably were intended for the steak, turned up before and during the prolonged starter session. Needless to say - totally cold and soggy by the time any meat landed on the table.

Confusion was total.

Food quality was that of a standard Australian or European pub. Nothing to write home about.

Dishes came randomly, well not all. We finally gave up, I myself had half a starter then I lost my interest in the dinner at this circus.

A “manager” turned up with a barrage of excuses, some contradicting them of the wait staff. I had to advise him not to keep on discussing at the table.

We had a few cocktails and I refused to pay for the food, of which non were served in a manner that it could be even vaguely enjoyed.

How this establishment could hold a Michelin Star escapes my understanding. Only thing that fitted with the Michelin Star criteria was that the restrooms were spotless.

If you are thinking of going here - don’t. You will find plenty of places with better food, service and atmosphere. Try a sushi train or...

My husband and I went for lunch on 2022/11/30 around 13:15-15:00. We were really hoping The Upper would become one of our regular restaurants in Tokyo but was disappointed with the service. The food was delicious and the atmosphere felt like we were back in France and NY however, the lack of service was disappointing. I believe this restaurant is trying to be a higher end French bistro that Tokyo is missing but the service was that of a cafe. Attention to details and proper training of staff needs to improve. Some examples: We ordered a carafe of orange wine. Not only was nothing said when the waiter placed the wine down on the table, he did not even pour our first glasses. Our entrees were served at least 10 minutes apart. The kitchen was not busy, 2 of the 3 cooks were talking while only one cook was busy preparing food. When my mussels were served, the waiter just silently plopped it down in front of me, not removing the lid. The waiter only refilled one of our water glasses, though both needed more water. We did not have a reservation, yet the hostess in black made us feel like we were bothering her even though she was not busy. She is the first representative of the restaurant a guest encounters and should be inviting to guests whether or not someone has a reservation or is a foreigner. We would like to go back as the food is well-prepared but the service...