Toriya Kou NEO — Restaurant in Tokyo

Terrible Experience at Toriya Kou NEO– Poor Service and Overpriced Food

I had the unfortunate experience of dining at TORIYA KOU NEO located in the heart of a popular tourist area - Shibuya Sky and it was dreadful from start to finish.

First, the service was extremely disappointing. The grey-haired gentleman who served us was rude and unwelcoming, which immediately set a negative tone for the meal. Instead of a warm greeting, he seemed annoyed by our presence, which was completely unprofessional. Sadly, his poor attitude wasn’t an isolated incident—every single server we encountered displayed the same lack of hospitality. No one seemed to care about creating a pleasant dining experience.

As for the food, it was equally underwhelming. It was far below the standard of any decent Japanese restaurant and outrageously overpriced for such low quality. Overall, it felt like a complete waste of money, Given the subpar food and poor service, we had no desire to spend any more money here.

To make matters worse, we were shocked to find that a service charge was automatically included in the bill, which is not a custom in traditional Japanese restaurants. Given the lack of service and the poor attitude from the staff, there was absolutely no justification for this charge.

I highly recommend avoiding this restaurant if you value good food and courteous service. The entire experience was frustrating and disappointing, and there are plenty of better options in the area. Save your time and money and steer clear...

The staff was offended that I brought in a can of beer and a smoothie. Since they were both down to the last sip, I finished the drinks before handing it to them as they had requested. The waiter asked me to order one meal and one drink so I obliged and ordered the beef set and a sake. They returned immediately with the sake as I proceeded to wait over 20 minutes for my meal. At one point, the waiter brought out a beef set to the patron sitting next to me. They seemed to have an issue with the order and so the waiter took it back. I didn't think much of it at the time until I asked the waiter when my food will be ready as I had a massage appointment to attend. He went to check and it turned out the food was ready all along but he neglected to bring it out to me. The beef had overcooked from being covered the whole time and all I got was a sumimasen. They just expected me to accept my fate despite their irresponsibility. The beef quality was mediocre and made worst by the poor timing. I left the food unfinished and was forced to pay for their mistake at their behest. No gomen nasai, nothing for their brazen rude incompetence.

TLDR: DO...

The food here is, at best, mediocre. In my case, I even received some of my food raw—despite the fact that the dish in question was not meant to be served that way. I fully understand that some Japanese dishes are traditionally raw, but this was simply not the case here. Comparing it to other restaurants in the area, the quality falls far behind, yet the prices are nearly double those of typical yakitori spots. This place is clearly an overpriced tourist trap targeting foreign travelers.

One of the most frustrating aspects was the service. Despite speaking Japanese throughout my visit (and having lived in Tokyo for over a year as a full-time student), the staff insisted on addressing me in English, assuming I couldn’t understand Japanese. This kind of treatment can feel dismissive and even offensive.

Additionally, when my friend and I ordered the same set meal, we received different food items, raising serious concerns about their consistency and quality control.

In short, this restaurant is far from authentic, the food is subpar, and the prices are unjustifiably high. You’d be much better off spending your...