KIBOU Japanese Kitchen & Bar Reviews Summary

Atmosphere and Decor

Pros:

• "The restaurant has such a vibe.. loved all the details! very cinematic, instantly transporting you."
• "I loved the design of the place. Their wall drawings were really cool and their menus had a great Japanese style."
• "The ambiance was inviting, and the attention to detail in the design created a pleasant and authentic Japanese atmosphere."
• "Waking through the picture perfect entrance into a beautifully decorated interior, we were greeted by a friendly hostess."
• "Atmosphere is one top class with staffs extremely friendly."
• "The restaurant is so pretty inside and the food and drinks were amazing."
• "From the lighting to the hand painted artwork on the wall, I could tell KIBOU was going to be a good evening."
• "The restaurant looks great and the bi-fold doors at the front allowed a lovely breeze to flow through on a warm day."

Cons:

• "The only thing that slightly let it down was the table was a bit dirty when we arrived."
• "The chairs were not comfortable."
• "The restaurant was cold and there was a long wait between ordering the food and the food actually getting to you."
• "It's Tokyo cool. The service was decent enough, friendly and mostly efficient. A bit of leeway given here as they are likely still finding their feet."
• "The rice used for all dishes was tough and sticky — the texture you get when leaving rice out in the open for a while."
• "The tables alongside the stairs feel a bit cramped."
• "The interior design was tacky, too many colours and plastic plants."
• "Be prepared to spend £££ there but it was all of great quality. Only downside would be the seats were quite close to other tables."

Service and Staff

Pros:

• "Special thanks to Tess for the dynamic and non-exhaustive energetic service, yet always served us with smiles."
• "Staff are friendly and engaging, and the food has great variety and flavour."
• "The staff was amazing. From start to end they were attentive and helpful."
• "Service is good and friendly although due to their own success the staff sometimes appear overwhelmed."
• "Staff were nice and friendly."
• "We were greeted by a friendly hostess and taken to our table. It was fully booked and there was a lovely atmosphere."
• "Service was good upon entering and on the table, but we did have to wait for our reserved seating."
• "The service is nice and polite, with the default 12.5% charge I assume that’s normal."

Cons:

• "Unfortunately, when the food did finally arrive, it didn't quite live up to expectations."
• "The food was delicious and the waitresses super friendly but the service was a bit chaotic."
• "The service needs improvement as they put in the wrong order for me and takes almost 30 mins for the food to arrive."
• "The service was a bit over overattentive and were waiting over our shoulder to clear plates before we'd even finished!"
• "The service was incredibly friendly and impeccable. The management are to be highly commended!"
• "Staff were attentive and restaurant beautifully plush however food wasn't what you'd expect for the venue."
• "The staff made us feel very welcome and were helpful explain menu options to us."
• "Unfortunately my friend and I felt a bit neglected by the service staff. Our plates weren't cleared for at least 20 minutes."

Food Quality and Variety

Pros:

• "Food was delicious, service 5*."
• "Food and drinks were amazing. So delicious."
• "The japanese garden for dessert was good but a bit big for one person."
• "Kibou is an excellent Japanese food restaurant."
• "The food was perfect from the start-drinks, starter, side, main and dessert!"
• "The food and drinks were tasty."
• "One distinct advantage of Kibou over Wagamama is the duck buns."
• "I love the drinks, the staff and of course the atmosphere. The food is good."

Cons:

• "However, one major downside of my experience was the wait time for the food."
• "The broth was bland, didn't have any volume or even enough salt."
• "The food was delicious and the waitresses super friendly but the service was a bit chaotic."
• "The food and drinks were tasty. However, we had failed to make a reservation and the female manager told us we couldn't dine there."
• "Nothing fab about the food - just a lot overpriced! We ordered Salmon Teriyaki Don and Salmon Sashimi."
• "The food was okay, had better Japanese food to be honest. The sharing starter was delicious, but came with 5 pieces to share."
• "The food was average at best, we booked the table two months in advance but were given seating to the side of the main staircase, felt very claustrophobic."
• "We asked to have the starters and sushi first and mains afterwards, but we were told it couldn't be, and they would serve them as they came out from the kitchen instead."