IKEDA - Japanese Cuisine — Restaurant in Porto

I have been to this restaurant before several times and always had positive experiences. Today’s dinner was the complete opposite. I had booked a table over a month ago, yet when I arrived the waiter said that it looked like they didn’t have my name listed anywhere. Eventually they “found it” and I was given a table by the door. This ended up being a curse since it was right next to the Uber Eats station.

IKEDA is now more focused in the Uber Eats take away market than in the actual customers they have in house.

For the 1h30 I was at the restaurant, the door opened and closed DOZENS of times with delivery men coming to pick up orders, right next to my table. In a cold February night this was far from ideal. But this was not the main problem. The phone was constantly ringing, the Uber Eats tablet was constantly beeping and the land phone was constantly ringing too, frequently simultaneously. We were in the middle of such a ringtone frenzy that we couldn’t even hold a conversation and it was driving us crazy. Employees ran around the place fully ignoring the beeps and sounds until eventually they did look at the tablets and phones, oblivious that it was being terrible for us that were right there.

When we tried to point this out to one of the waiters. she said that customers who have a problem with being so near to the Uber Eats station usually ask for a different table (such as in the upstairs room). So basically it looks like it was my mistake. If I wanted a nice quiet dinner I should have asked for a different table. Too bad for me.

When we said we were complaining because we had been working all day, were super tired and were only hoping for a nice quiet dinner, and instead got an extremely noisy and busy place right next to us, she said that she too had been working since the morning and was also very tired.

I get it, it’s hard for everyone, but seriously… what kind of service is this?! Not a single apology. Always bouncing the problem back to us.

When we asked for the bill, the manager came by and offered to pay for the drinks but I refused. I wasn’t complaining to get free drinks. I had a terrible experience and for such a premium priced place, I was extremely disappointed and I cannot and will not recommend this place to anyone, which I did for a very long time. Truly disappointing. For this price bracket there are much much better places in Porto not that far away.

The food here is amazing, but the service is simply terrible. Perhaps this is why Uber Eats is so popular. Now it...

Summary: Unbelievably good Chicken Gyosas, Almost perfect Ramen and Terrible Service for the Price.

Note: My review is mainly based around Ramen. But this place serves lots of other dishes.

First, we got the chicken gyosas, which were absolutely more than perfect. They are 11eur old, but they melt in your mouth. Incredible flavour.

The Ramen is very good, nice strong flavours, good variety of vegetables, perfectly cooked egg, good quantity of noodles. It is almost perfect if it wasn't for the fact that they didn't have pork. Which, for me, is not acceptable going to a place to pay 20eur for a bowl of ramen and not having a simple protein like Pork whichever is the most common choice when having ramen.

The food flavour is 5/5 but the service for the price is terrible. The restaurant was at maximum 25% full. We sat down, looked at the menu and after waited at least 10minutes for someone to come take our order and they never came. We had to wait for the waiters that were just sitting around, to look at us so we can tell them to come to the table.

In a friday night dinner, again, with the restaurant fairly empty, they didn't have Pork for the Ramen, and the ramen took like 30minutes to come. We never got asked if we needed anything else to drink. They didn't come to take our plates after we are clearly finished with the ramen, again we had to call the waiters ourselves. We asked for the bill and it didn't come for a long time, so we had to get up and go ourselves to the cash register to pay.

The atmosphere is nice, but the seats close to the door get constantly bothered by the cold wind when the main door to the...

I recently tried takeout from IKEDA, a Japanese restaurant, and let me tell you, it was quite the experience. While I didn't dine in, I did catch a glimpse of the venue, and it exuded a calm and sophisticated vibe. The staff I encountered seemed genuinely friendly and accommodating, and the fact that they all speak English is a definite plus.

Now, let's talk about the food. When I returned home and opened up the packages, it was nothing short of mind-blowing. Sushi rolls and gyozas that tasted as good as they looked – a real treat for the senses. Even the packaging itself was neat and well-presented.

The only slight hiccup was the edamame; it didn't quite hit the mark, but it was still enjoyable.

Now, I must admit, the prices are a bit on the higher side, but considering the quality of the food, it's completely justified. In fact, it's an experience I'd be willing to splurge on again.

In conclusion, I'm definitely looking forward to visiting their restaurant for a dine-in experience. IKEDA left a lasting impression, and I'm eager to explore more of their culinary...