Yamabiko Chaya — Restaurant in Tokyo

I came to this restaurant in July with a group of 8 people; although the staff wasn’t very enthusiast or particularly welcoming, ordering went smoothly unlike in other places in Japan as a foreigner; we were then all eight of us served within minutes ! The kake soba I ate was good.

The location and view are obviously the main point of this cute little restaurant just hanging on mount Takao’s edge…: the outside sitting area gives a great panorama of the forest and the mountains, and you can listen to the birds sing as you eat. It is rather spacious and can accommodate bigger groups ! There also is a smoking area, away from the main eating area so the smell of cigarette does not get to the people enjoying their food at all.

I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you’re looking for a place to cool down and enjoy a bit of rest after your hike ! It might not be a gastronomical three stars Michelin restaurant but the dishes are still...

The food here was a bit pricey for what it was. We ordered two curries and two miso soups, and I thought the miso soup might have been too much. But the curry portions were so small, I’m glad we ordered the soup too.

Their coffee is also overpriced — 500 yen. It was actually pretty tasty coffee, but we were a bit disappointed that the sign said “ドリップ式” when actually it was made with a machine.

The staff were a little standoffish until it was obvious we spoke Japanese.

There was an areas to eat outside, and also a covered “veranda” area. Very comfy setting and not as crowded as some of the shops closer...

Rude staff, disappointing experience No one informed us the restaurant was already closed when we entered. We stood inside without guidance until a staff member suddenly shouted rudely from the dishwashing area that they were not operating. When I asked if there were other restaurants nearby, his response was loud and disrespectful. Very disappointing experience after climbing all the way up here. I would strongly advise avoiding this place. After coming down the mountain, we found a soba restaurant where the staff were professional and the food was delicious — much more...