Tokyo is known for its amazing dining scene. It spans the full range of experiences from small 6 person hole in the wall places to having the most Michelin starred restaurants of any city in the world, if you love food, its definitely one of the top destinations. Another thing its known for is “invite only” restaurants where you need to know someone to get a reservation. I completely understand the concept. Having run a food service business before, its a huge task to manage all the dietary restrictions encountered. Having an invite only place ensures that this type of time-intensive use of the chef’s time is minimized. I have always wanted to go to one, and was thrilled when on a recent trip, the concierge at the Ritz Carlton Tokyo where I was staying said they could get me a spot at Nagatacho Ohka.
I did some research and found out that they had a very unique concept. They presented some of the finest Japanese ingredients to guests and then guests could request anything they wanted, or leave it up to the chef. It was kind of like a tasting menu or omakase, brought to the next level. It also said that each meal would be customized for each guest. On top of this, there was a beautiful bar where guests could enjoy drinks before the meal or dessert and drinks after. Sounded like an amazing experience. The price per person was around $740 PLUS a 15% service charge. There are very few restaurants in the world at this price point, even those with 3 Michelin stars. As regular readers know, I never mention the price of meals in my posts unless they are outrageously great value or overpriced. Food is an art and its hard to place a price on that. However, in this case, the price is worth mentioning.
The place has private rooms and a counter. We were seated at the counter:
As expected, the meal started with a presentation of ingredients. A tray of meat, one of vegetables and one seafood.
Right off the bat, I felt the service was a bit off. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t of the level of 3 Michelin stars which is what I am going to use to benchmark this place because it is holding itself out as even beyond this level. Also, EVERYONE in the restaurant was not from Japan. For some, it was their first trip to Japan, and others, the first time they were having an omakase type meal. A couple of groups were able to secure reservations through AMEX. Because the restaurant is private, there are few reviews of the place but there are some, and also, a few articles and social media posts. Most are positive and it became clear why. If many of the guests had never experienced omakase before, or it was their first culinary experience in Japan, then yes, one would be impressed. However, if you are benchmarking this place relative to fine dining around the world, then it fails terribly.
We told the server we had no requests and would leave it up to the chef. The meal started with a caviar egg. It was nothing amazing. Certainly not the best egg caviar I’ve had.
The next dish was a beef sando using some kind of award winning beef. It was very mediocre. For reference, I had an amazing one in Ginza a few nights later for 5 times LESS price at Yakiniku Ushijirushi. You can compare the pic below to the pic in the link for my review in the previous sentence. I’ve also had way better at a food truck on the street.
Next dish was an unremarkable salad:
Then some fish:
Pork and mushrooms. This was pretty good.
Mushroom tempura which you can have for way less with a better experience at a tempura omakase.
This lobster spaghetti made me realize that this restaurant was not providing the experience they advertise. First, everyone at the counter was being served the same dishes. There was no customization. Next, I recall reading an article from Tatler on this restaurant which was published 2 years ago raving about this lobster pasta dish. If the place customizes dishes, then why am I being served the same dish someone else had 2 years ago?
The next dish was almost laughable. They presented some ingredients to “make your own sushi”. This was a gimmicky dish. The city is filled with amazing omakase places. This doesn’t even come close.
The meal ended with some sukiyaki and soba.
Regarding the drinks, we had 2 glasses of Krug at about $240 each, a bottle of sake for $1,000 (which was very smooth), and I got to try some Japanese red wine which was probably the highlight of the night. I didn’t know Japan produced red wine and it was very good. I love Bordeaux and would drink this more often.
For dessert, some monaka ice cream sandwiches.
At this point in the meal, things went further downhill. First, online, it was stated that they had a comfort food menu where guests could order some classic dishes. Also, they could order more of any dishes they liked, or anything at all they wanted. We were never presented this opportunity, asked if we wanted more, or even how things were going. The final nail in the coffin was when the groups to our right and left were invited to have dessert and drinks in the bar. I asked the lady server about this and she completely avoided answering my question.
When I asked where the other guests had gone, she first told me that they had 5 private rooms for VIP guests and CEOs who dine there. She then offered a tour of the rooms. This didn’t make sense. First, this is not where the other groups went and second, I also run companies but so what, every guest should GET THE EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE!
It was apparent there was some kind of discriminatory practice that this place was applying to guests. It was strange because I have been to so many Micheline starred restaurants and fine dining places in over 80 countries and have NEVER seen a restaurant discriminate against guests like this.
There are cases where guests are offered different menus with different experiences and that I get. However, at this place, everyone was having the same experience and there is zero reasons to provide different experiences for groups of guests.
The following day I shared my feedback with the Ritz Carlton who then followed up with the restaurant. They “acknowledged” my concerns and told the concierge they would refund the meal cost. However, to me, its not the money. We basically wasted one evening and one meal on this place. To me food, is very important which is why I will travel for it, and do a lot of research before committing to a place. No amount of compensation can bring back the time wasted or the feeling of being treated as a second class guest. I typically never listen to hotel concierge recommendations and this experience highlights why. I only did it this time to try out a “invite only” place in Japan, but never again!
If your hotel concierge or AMEX recommend this place to you, stay away. I would put this into the tourist trap category. You can get much better for less cost at so many other places in Tokyo. Go to a place that focuses on doing one thing perfectly. Have an amazing sushi omakse one day then Japanese Wagyu another day. Even if you book a three star experience it will not cost anywhere near this and everyone will likely get the same experience without some guests being discriminated against.
Disclosure: If you sign up for the deal below using my link or code, I may earn a commission.
If you travel as much as I do, staying connected is non-negotiable. Buying and switching physical SIM cards is a hassle and while eSIMs are generally a great option, many of them require you to create a new profile by scanning a QR code every time you cross a border.
Consider Truely (CODE: foodfinancetravel10 for 10% off) because they handle this differently with something called Switchless® technology.
Switchless® means you install a Truely eSIM once, and it stays on your phone forever. It acts as a universal digital gateway. Whether you are landing in Tokyo, Paris, or New York, the eSIM automatically detects your location and connects to the best local network in seconds.
Why is this a game-changer?
Install Once, Use Forever: You never have to scan a QR code or mess with settings again. Just buy a data plan for your next destination, and it automatically activates on your existing Truely eSIM.
Smart Network Switching: Their technology actively scans for the strongest signal. If one network is weak, it invisibly switches you to a better one.
Instant Connection: Because the eSIM is already on your phone, you get internet the moment the plane wheels touch the tarmac. No airport WiFi required.
If you want to try it out, you can use my code foodfinancetravel10 to get 10% off your first plan.
Discover more from Food Finance Travel
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I appreciate, very much, honest articles, such as this one from Food Finance Travel. I was recommended this restaurant by a high end DMC for my HNW clients from UK who, along with said author, do not mind paying any amount of money for a meal, as long as it is of impeccable quality. Extremely pleased I read this – my clients would have been utterly horrified!
Thanks for reading. We don’t make a living giving reviews so we can say what we actually think about a place.
Japanese aesthetics, values, and attitudes can often be misunderstood by foreigners or “lost in translation”.
Since it’s creation I’m a monthly patron at Ohka.
Ohka is not only about it’s excellent cuisine. The Japanese dining experience for more than 1,000 yrs. is more than an American steakhouse serving the best steak, it’s also about the history, the atmosphere, design, presentation, and service.
History: Ohka is located in the world renowned old soba restaurant belonging to film maker Kurosawa’s family.
Atmosphere: Located at the foot of an ancient shinto temple, Ohka embodies the ultimate Japanese aestheic, preserving Kurosawa’s old hand painted mural facade with no austentatious signage. Finding it alone, is like a fun treasure hunt where one initially discovers a diamond in the rough and upon entering, a fine cut highly polished diamond.
Design: Peninsula Hotel Tokyo architect, Yukio Hashimoto has created the ultimate Mingei Gun revival, reinventing traditional arts & crafts into contemporary design.
Presentation: Ohka is as good as it gets, with michelin star restaurant chefs personally doing a theatrical presentation of Japan’s top quality ingredients for you to select from. In addition, they create an art work for each place setting for every course.
Service: Ohka embodies the old Japanese saying: “kyaku sama wa kami sama” (the customer is God). Similar to a good sushi restaurant, the best dining experience at Ohka is the counter. I only use the upstairs private dining rooms for business meetings or special occaisions like desert time on a birthday. Like most restaurants unless previously booked anyone can use either the counter or a private room.
Greetings from Nagatacho Ohka. I am the director of this restaurant. First, I would have welcomed this review of our very private restaurant if it did not have so many inaccuracies.
(1) The price you quote is wrong.
(2) All guests are taken care of by our team in the best way possible.
(3) This is a by invitation only club for Japanese members. They currently number below 50 persons because we wish to serve only limited guests; but they love our restaurant and actively use it. In the case of foreign guests, we accept bookings from the concierge of specific hotels and travel operators, and all the top companies send us guests very steadily. We are full on most nights. Our return rate is approximately 75% and many foreign guests dine twice in one visit.
Our Japanese guests prefer to dine in the private rooms on the 2nd floor for privacy, so these are often booked. Foreign guests therefore are seated at the counter, and many prefer this experience.
(4) The guests being brought elsewhere after dinner were led to an another room for a surprise birthday celebration. The waitstaff you questioned about the movements of other guests did not give you the accurate answer because it is none of your business.
(5) Our restaurant manager, who is a truly kindhearted man, offered to give you a refund — to my surprise. If I had been there that night, I would never have offered you a refund.
I am sorry that our restaurant is too expensive for you and that you were unhappy with your experience. But judging from our fully booked evenings 11 months of each year so far, you are part of a very small minority.
Price and quality are relative and you are entitled to your opinion. However you should give a thought to accuracy the next time you are displeased and decide to so publicly trash another restaurant.
Hi, I will address the points in your comments below:
Greetings from Nagatacho Ohka. I am the director of this restaurant. First, I would have welcomed this review of our very private restaurant if it did not have so many inaccuracies.
– Its interesting to only hear from you after more than 5 months. As the director of the restaurant at this level, I would have thought you would have been made aware of all the issues and reached out sooner.
(1) The price you quote is wrong.
-Its not wrong. The RC quoted us 74,000 Yen + 15% service which at that time, had the correct conversion mentioned in the post. Our receipts all confirm the same.
(2) All guests are taken care of by our team in the best way possible.
– this is a matter of opinion but if you read the post, its clearly not the case the night I went; if you read other reviews, not ALL guests feel that way either.
(3) This is a by invitation only club for Japanese members. They currently number below 50 persons because we wish to serve only limited guests; but they love our restaurant and actively use it. In the case of foreign guests, we accept bookings from the concierge of specific hotels and travel operators, and all the top companies send us guests very steadily. We are full on most nights. Our return rate is approximately 75% and many foreign guests dine twice in one visit.
Our Japanese guests prefer to dine in the private rooms on the 2nd floor for privacy, so these are often booked. Foreign guests therefore are seated at the counter, and many prefer this experience.
– Ok. I did not dispute this, or state anything inaccurately to the contrary
(4) The guests being brought elsewhere after dinner were led to an another room for a surprise birthday celebration. The waitstaff you questioned about the movements of other guests did not give you the accurate answer because it is none of your business.
-I would say half the guests, from different parties, were led elsewhere. Its not unreasonable for someone to observe this and ask if there was another experience that could be added on or if they were missing out on something, especially if you are advertising some amazing bar on your website which we did not see. Your server can be trained to answer this question without giving personal details. It would be a better response than “its none of your business”.
(5) Our restaurant manager, who is a truly kindhearted man, offered to give you a refund — to my surprise. If I had been there that night, I would never have offered you a refund.
-Yes, he was very kind to offer a refund, and although it was appreciated, I neither asked for it nor expected one. Whether you would of offered one or not is not relevant to me. As mentioned in the post, there is no compensation for wasted time.
I am sorry that our restaurant is too expensive for you and that you were unhappy with your experience. But judging from our fully booked evenings 11 months of each year so far, you are part of a very small minority.
– You did not read the post carefully or you did not comprehend the issues. I did not find the restaurant expensive. I knew the price before I went. I said it was overpriced not expensive. Many things are expensive, but NOT OVERPRICED. For example, a supercar is expensive, but its also worth the price. An FP Journe timepiece is expensive, but there is a reason. These are examples of things that are expensive but NOT overpriced. Unfortunately, your restaurant is both; at least on the night I went and from what I experienced.
Price and quality are relative and you are entitled to your opinion. However you should give a thought to accuracy the next time you are displeased and decide to so publicly trash another restaurant.
-Nothing in my review was inaccurate. The fact that you only cared to reach out after 5 months, is indicative of they way the place is managed.
I work in the travel business and send many of my VIP clients to this restaurant. They handle even the most challenging requests, such as organizing a birthday or preparing kosher meat. They pay attention to every guest. Many of my clients say that dining at this restaurant was the highlight of their trip to Japan. That’s why I really don’t understand what this article is about. It seems to be more about the author than about the restaurant.
Thank you for your views. There are much better choices in Tokyo.
Spring is proof that madness and brilliance share the same nori—while one blooms, the other requires extra wasabi just to digest. 🍱