Japonais - NYC

12/19/09

will never go back

by peanutmoore at Citysearch

The service was terribly slow, and the food was awful. Fishy fish, soggy calamari, everything drenched in too much sauce, and WAY overpriced. there are so many other choices for restaurants in this area, I'm sorry I wasted my time and money at this restaurant. I cannot believe the positive reviews on this place. If you know the difference between a good restaurant and a bad one, don't go here.

• Pros: comfortable chairs
• Cons: food was horrible

11/30/09

Great Bar Experience

by lovemartini at Citysearch

I went to Japonais to meet a date and I was a bit early so I decided to have a drink at the bar. The Asian (I'm not sure of her background but she's definitely a mix of something-very beautiful.....) female bartender was very attentive and friendly. My date came and we ended up having dinner at the bar. I was having such a great time that I didn't see the point of moving to the main dining. Everything she suggested were delicious. I especially love the tuna ceviche and beef carpaccio. The bar suddenly became so busy but she made sure that we were ok by checking on us every now and then. I would definitely go back but without a date this time.

• Pros: Awesome Bartender

08/31/09

Amazing spot in a area of the city with few options

by Katie30 at Citysearch

I loved the atmosphere. It was elegant and perfect for a date night. I have had been there a couple of times for business lunches but not in the evening. Little different experience when the bill is on your tab not the companies!

• Pros: Shrimp tempura, the rock, le quack
• Cons: little pricey for my favs

03/03/09

GOOD JOB!

by atomus at Citysearch

I went to japonais for a dinner with my gf last saturday. it was packed.

the dining room was very well decorated and had a great ambience.

It was definetely less pretentious than other asian fusion restaurants like morimoto.

i felt very comfortable here as all the staffs were accomodating. It seems like accomodating servers are hard to find in new trendy restaurants.

I had a very comfortable and enjoyable dinner and my gf loved it all as well. It was not the best dinner i have had but it was much better than I expected and would be back frequently here for sure. highly recommended!

• Pros: spicy mono, the rock, le quack
• Cons: foie gras torchon

02/23/09

Great food, atmosphere, pricing

by MikeyDisco at Citysearch

I have been here before at the bar upstairs and greatly enjoyed the gorgeous atmosphere that made up the entire venue. My girlfriend and I ordered off the Price Fix dinner menu and fell in love with everything. I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a nice place to enjoy a wine or for a romantic dinner in a lovely neighborhood.

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: food took a little longer than expected

01/31/09

Most reliable Review~

by jwook at Citysearch

As I read reviews of this place, I was reluctant on coming here but i took the chance. The atmostphere here is awesome however; I must agree that the service sucked. I waited over an hour for my entree. I dont think they care about how they treat their customers. why?? B/c i noticed 20% tip is already included in the bill. No wonder they could care less. This is just a fair warning that they add 20% gratuity automatically and the service is really bad.

Atmosphere and food is ok but service needs a lot of work. Trust me along w/ all the other negative reviews~ Not worth wasting 2 hrs of your night there just for dinner b/c its more waiting than enjoying your time there.

• Pros: Atmosphere
• Cons: Service, Tip is automatically included w/ the bill

01/30/09

Over-crowded and RUDE

by xoxo5 at Citysearch

My boyfriend and I attempted to go here during restaurant week and it was a disaster. We waited 20 minutes in a line just to get to the hostess, all the while being pushed and shoved by others trying to get to the bar or the hostess. By the time we finally reached the podium, we were told by a very rude hostess that we would have to wait another 30 minutes for our reservation. Restaurant 101: learn how to manage your reservation slots and hire more personable staff. I have nothing to say about the food or wait staff because after all of this, we walked out. Not worth it!

• Pros: nothing comes to mind
• Cons: wait time, rude hostess

01/18/09

GREAT AMBIANCE

by dctradam at Citysearch

Went for dinner. Place was dead until around 9:30PM. Then the place came alive. Lots of good looking people. Be prepared to spend a pretty penny.

• Pros: Good Food, Good Service, Great Scene
• Cons: Little expensive

01/12/09

worst service ever and so rude! do NOT go here!

by nycjm at Citysearch

The food is good and the atmosphere is very cool but the service is HORRIBLE. I went with 3 of my friends and we each ordered a burger. Only four of us, and the restaurant is empty- only 4 other people in the lounge area! The waitress only enters in two burgers, and doesn't tell us until she brings out the food. If it were crowded and we were a large party, maybe the mistake would have made sense, but it was not busy! So we very nicely agree to split these and she will bring out the other two later. Now at this point you would think they would send over a free drink, or tell us the burgers on the house, but no. So we split the burgers and don't want to wait for the other two, so we cancel them. She comes back and tells us that the kitchen is angry and we have to take the burgers home if we don't want to eat them now. We said no, we want to cancel them. She sends over the manager who spends ten minutes arguing with us and basically trying to force us to pay for the burgers! He told us that it was an empty restaurant and he wouldn't be able to sell them. We are talking about two $12 hamburgers here, I think such an expensive and upscale restaurant could take the loss. We explained that had we gotten our food on time, when we ordered it, we would not be having this conversation right now, and that his empty restaurant is not our fault. Finally he gave in and then our waitress brought the bill over CRYING, which is so unprofessional. We felt so bad we left her an extra big tip, even though this was all her fault, just because if the manager is so rude to customers we can't imagine how he would treat his employees.

So basically, do not go here. There are a lot of other Japanese restaurants in the city. Go to one where you will be served your food on time and treated like a customer, not one where you will have to argue with the manager for ten minutes because they are trying to make you pay for food that didn't come.

• Pros: the food is good but not worth it!
• Cons: bad, rude service!!!!

11/22/08

Beautiful ambience, bad service and mediocre food.

by docforbrains at Citysearch

This was by far, the worst Japanese restaurant my husband and I have ever been to. When you first walk in, the decor is beautiful and the ambience seems great. Then, the hostess takes us to our table and doesn't even move the table for me to sit- I had to move it myself, while she watched me struggle. The service was horrible- they didn't even go over the menu with us or offer any recommendations. Some of the waiters are walking around like they are from the secret service with earpieces. The waiter even poured our drinks by reaching across the table- not classy at all.The food wasn't even that good and it was definitely overpriced for the quality. There are so many great Japanese restaurants in NYC, this one is not worth it.

• Pros: Nice ambience and decor
• Cons: Poor service, expensive and food not that great