I came to this restaurant with high hopes. A friend and her husband had a great experience on a previous visit and thought it would be right up my alley. We came on a Saturday evening and arrived just in time to catch the sunset before starting our meal, which felt like the perfect start to the night.
We ordered our first round of drinks, and the ladies at the table opted for the Osusume while the gentlemen ordered directly from the menu (there were four of us total). The drinks took a little while to arrive, but nothing that raised any red flags yet.
Service started to feel off once the food began coming out. One of the guys received his appetizer, entrée, and side of rice almost immediately--basically all at once--while the other received his entrée well before his appetizer. As for the Osusume, it started strong with the first three dishes coming out fairly quickly. Unfortunately, that momentum stopped completely. We then waited 45 minutes to an hour before the next dish appeared.
Our server did acknowledge the delays, which we appreciated, but that was about the extent of it. At one point he stopped checking in altogether, likely because he had no updates for us. What was frustrating was that we never even had the opportunity to order another round of drinks while we waited.
After a couple of hours, one person in our group had to leave. Meanwhile, my friend and I were still waiting on at least three more courses from the Osusume (we were told it would be 6-9 courses). My friend's husband eventually went to the host stand to ask for a manager. When the manager arrived, we were given conflicting explanations as to why our food still hadn't come out.
By this point it had been over three hours, and we still had three courses left to receive. Another friend left because the wait had become so unreasonable. Unfortunately, the manager didn't offer anything to help make up for the experience--no drinks while we waited, no gesture for the delay, nothing beyond explanations that didn't quite line up.
Walking past the kitchen, things appeared chaotic and disorganized. It honestly seemed like our order may have gotten lost in the shuffle more than anything else. Tables that were seated well after us were able to order, eat, and leave. At one point a group of about ten celebrating a birthday came in after us, enjoyed their entire meal, cut a cake, and left while we were still waiting.
Even small touches fell through the cracks. We never received the lemon or water enhancements that were being brought to other tables, and getting a simple water refill often took 30+ minutes. Going that long without any drink--water included--is tough for a restaurant of this caliber.
Eventually, because it had gotten so late, we asked to have the remaining courses packaged to go. Unfortunately, that experience wasn't much better. The food was poorly packaged and didn't seem intended to be shared between two people, which made it difficult to properly enjoy what should have been the remaining courses of the Osusume experience.
In the end, we were offered a series of explanations but not much in the way of service recovery. We were patient throughout the entire experience and didn't make a scene, but the lack of communication and basic hospitality made the evening feel like a missed opportunity.
Unfortunately, I can't recommend this place. Lack of service is one thing, but when concerns are raised to a manager and they seem to be brushed off, it makes the experience even more disappointing. I could maybe forgive slow service if it were a one-off situation, but the lack of ownership or effort to make things right makes it hard to suggest this spot to others. Come at your own risk and be ready for disappointment. read more