Eat Tokyo Tonkotsu ya — Restaurant in London

I am writing to express my utter disappointment with the service I received during my recent visit to your restaurant. As someone who has been a loyal customer since 2021, I am appalled at how poorly the situation was handled, both by your staff and, most notably, by the manager.

The incident began when my friend arrived five minutes before me and informed a staff member that she needed a table for two. The staff member acknowledged her and asked her to wait at the front. When I arrived, we continued waiting for another five minutes. During this time, two couples arrived and waited nearby, but no formal queue was established, as no staff instructed us to form one. Another five minutes later, a group of ten arrived and queued behind us.

Suddenly, the manager came out and allowed the two couples to enter, skipping over us entirely. At this point, I stepped forward to address the issue, as my friend and I had clearly been waiting longer. The manager dismissed my concerns, insisting that the couples had arrived ten minutes earlier. He further instructed us to move behind the group of ten in the queue, despite the fact that his own staff had confirmed we were there first.

When we called over the staff member who had initially asked us to wait, he confirmed to the manager that we were indeed there before the couples. Instead of apologizing or addressing the situation professionally, the manager scolded his colleague in front of us, which was both unprofessional and inappropriate. Rather than taking accountability or diffusing the situation, the manager’s behavior only exacerbated the issue.

At no point did the manager attempt to resolve the matter in a professional or courteous manner. He did not apologize for the misunderstanding or offer any explanation beyond dismissing our valid concerns. Even when it was proven that we were right, he begrudgingly said we could be next, but by that point, the treatment we had received left us with no desire to stay. My friend and I left, deeply disappointed, and I made it clear that I expected much better from a place I had supported for years.

This is not the first instance of poor service at your restaurant. On a previous visit, I experienced staff rushing my party to finish our meal within 30 minutes because the restaurant was about to close. While I chose to overlook that experience because the food has always been good, this recent incident has left me unwilling to return.

I expected far better—both in terms of professionalism and basic respect for loyal customers. Your manager’s inability to manage situations fairly and professionally, coupled with the lack of basic customer service, reflects poorly on your establishment.

I will not be returning, and I am deeply disappointed to say that your restaurant has lost a...

Disconsolate on a trip to London, Bond St to find my fave (Atariya near Selfridges) had closed down.. sushi alternatives according to google were a ramen place, a wasabi bento, and a yo... grim. But near there, accidentally found this place.

Quick stop, had the miso soup (wonderful; hot and warming on a chilly December lunchtime (especially with a dash of togarashi i added for an extra kick -- sue me, purists!!) which they thoughfully served early as well they might, whilst i expected the rest: hosomaki salmon, hosomaki tuna, ikura nigiri, uni nigiri and chutoro nigiri.

Hosomakis were fine, the tuna mild and not actinic on the tongue, so was happy enough and a bit unseemly in my haste. Went down fast, but blunted my eagerness enough to slow and enjoy the rest.

Chutoro came apart nicely on the tongue, somewhat buttery and marine, not the best ive had but satisfying enough to order another. Aparently in my haste I'd ordered three more, but the staff were understanding and gracious about the error. Uni hadn't had in a while, so was well happy they had it. Seemed a bit watery (as did the ikura) so either it was from the last of the pile or maybe its their style of preparing/washing the anemone and the roe (i would have thought its just from the wholesaler, but who knows), but enough flavour was there and I was well chuffed.

Had an extra ikura gunkan and another chutoro... kinda wish id finished with an extra uni gunkan too, but where does that end eh. Next time!... and i'll also explore their clams. Havent had had a decent akagai in a while.

Not a fan of saba shime personally, so cant say i'll try that, but another diner's looked pretty good.

(sadly Carupisu had sold out, so had a coke with it.. brutal with the delicate flavours, but i had a fair bit of the gari to work the coke off it)

The gari was nice, not the usual pink overpickled stuff, perhaps home-made or a good brand? I dunno. Had a nice crunch and a nice bite to cleanse the palate without being over-vinegared. Wasabi was the usual.

Would i go again, heck ya!

Top tip - incredibly busy at 1240 right through to 1330, i was lucky as a walk in to get seated! Eased up considerably around 2pm, and seats became more available as the lunch time...

My review three years ago was: Lovely, lovely, lovely! And five stars.

My review this year: I'm going to tell you what happened on December 10, 2024 at around 2 p.m. After looking on Google to see if the restaurant was family friendly and had stroller access and having gone there on numerous occasions in the past, we decided to have our lunch there. We didn't make a reservation because it was a Tuesday. When we entered we greeted them and told them that we were two people with the baby. The first thing I asked was if they had a baby chair, and the waiter reluctantly told me yes. The waiter with the earring in his ear and an annoyed face tried to seat us at a table where we were practically in the middle of everything. I told him if we could move to the table that had just become free to leave the stroller in the corner so as not to bother the waiters. The waiter with a bad attitude and a bad face told us that we could only be in the restaurant for 45 minutes. I told him no, that we were going to have the necessary time because we were going to eat and feed my baby. I refused and he said we could stay but with that attitude I told him we were leaving When I walked out the door I told the waiter with a nose piercing that they had been very rude. And she replied; so what? The waiter came out after me and I told him that we had come many times that it was Tuesday and that it was empty. And that if they treat my baby badly I will leave the place. At no point did they apologize to us.

Point number one: tell Google to change the information about the restaurant. It is NOT a family friendly restaurant. There is no space for strollers. Nor for wheelchairs/disabled people.

Point number two: if the waiters don't like babies: put up with it. It is what it is. But I will not return to a place where they discriminate against families and babies. Point number three: these two people, by doing their job poorly and being in a bad mood, have lost two customers and ruined one of my favorite...