Dotori Dining — Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

We happened to stop by Dotori after a massage session nearby, and at first glance, the restaurant seemed very promising. It is a small and charming Japanese-style spot, tucked away inside a little Japanese enclave right in the heart of Saigon. The design, decorations, and overall atmosphere are all done with care, capturing an authentic Japanese vibe that immediately feels warm and inviting. Walking in, I truly appreciated the cozy setup and the sense of being transported to a different place.

However, as the evening went on, the overall experience did not quite meet my expectations. The biggest downside for me was the service. The staff did not seem very attentive or organized, and although it could have been because the restaurant was too crowded at the time, the result was still disappointing. Simple requests were overlooked, and there was a noticeable lack of warmth in the way customers were handled.

Another issue was the food. While the presentation looked decent, the dishes were rather heavy and oily, and the variety was limited. Compared to other Japanese restaurants in the city, Dotori did not offer many options, which made it difficult to find something that truly stood out. Instead of feeling satisfied, I left with the impression that the meal was average at best.

Overall, Dotori has a lot of charm in terms of its concept, location, and design, but unfortunately, the service and food quality do not live up to the potential. It was a missed opportunity, and I left feeling a little regretful. With better staff training and a more balanced menu, this place could become...

Before visiting this place, I should have read the reviews starting with the low ratings. This is the perfect place to ruin your weekend lunch. It was the worst. My family (3) waited outside for about 15 minutes, and the two people who arrived later than us were allowed to go in first (there was one table for two people), and then the four people who came through the other door were allowed to go in first (they sat two people each). I think they should have asked us, the three of us, if we wanted to sit two people and one person separately first. I think this store's operating policy is that the sales of the four customers are more important than the three customers who arrived first. They don't care if the customers wait outside in the heat or not. The employees work slowly inside, enjoying the cool air conditioning. This was our third visit. The food was salty and not so good. I will never come here again, even if I were nearby. Especially on weekends for lunch. When I complained and asked for the manager's contact information, they all said they were employees and no one took responsibility. Who pays the salary? They need to hire a manager or they don't have the ability to run the store properly. Since there is no one to contact, I am...

Very disappointed.

Came in with high expectations for a date night: Opened by 2 Masterchef contestants (signaling an understanding of cooking principles) 4.9 ratings with over 200 reviews

The result was a very unimpressive meal, too sweet, too oily no interesting flavors that would justify the hype. And a very bad after dinner sensation that got us sick afterwards.

We ordered 2 signature dishes, the Maze & Tonkastu. Maze: I liked the idea, western spaghettis with an asian twist, but while the cooking description looked complex, I couldn't feel any in the taste, I mainly tasted sugar and oil. Tonkatsu: I was very curious to taste a dish that seemed personal to the chef. While I don't have much knowledge about Tonkatsu, I found the sauce very basic (tasked like canned tomato sauce) and very sweet overall, and the meat very blunt. Fried corn: While we expected it to be oily, there was a bad aftertaste.

Overall impression: The menu is uneven, several main dishes, no interesting drinks (soft drinks, 2/3 choices of wine..) Sweet & oily after taste following our dinner & for several hours after that Would be nice to have more interesting drinks to pair the food with What I preferred from the restaurant were the...