India The Spice

What a crazy experience. Yes the shop is not for everyone. Yes the food may not be top class. But the vibe and owner make up for it. Not often do you meet someone as hearty and committed to his collection as this man. Todoroki, seems like he only opened this bar/ izakaya to show off his MASSIVE collection of curios from ages past and it is immediately noticeable. For anyone looking for a quirky experience in a great atmosphere this is the place.

Very centrally located close to Nagano station. Don’t get confused by the name - it has nothing to do with Indian cuisine. It’s a modern Izakaya serving very affordable food and drinks. The place has a cool vibe and offers good food. If you are looking for a late night hangout then this surely is a place to be.

NEVER GO THERE AGAIN! The outside of the restaurant looks nice and also some parts inside. But we came to the HAPPY HOUR and ordered Beer Mix drinks and Curry and Tandori. The food was not nice and of small quantity. The „free salat“ was old and covered with mayonnaise from the shop and the „tomato soup“ was without any tomato and brown instead of red. The spices in the curry were dried and became sticky between the teeth. The tandoori was without any soup and side salat. It was written on the menue that ladies do not get soup and salat, this could have been the reason but was really not funny at all? Then we wanted to pay and the owner told us that there was not happy hour today although written everywhere with BIG letters he showed us one menue where we should read written in small letters that there is happy hours except on Saturday and Sundays. Ridiculous! Also we had to pay additional 400 without any explanation. NEVER GO THERE.

They ask you to buy a drink in order to dine here which I think is a bit cheeky. They food was a little too spicy with no flavour. They overcharged us at the end but we were in a rush and just paid it. They have very cool decoration, it's unique. Unfortunately I wouldn't go here again.

DON'T GO! I ordered a draft beer during happy hour, which is advertised for ¥300. He took the order and repeated "draft beer" twice, then "accidentally" served a bootled beer (¥1000) and added table charge (¥400) plus taxes (¥150) later. He also "accidentally" miscalculated when he gave me the bill and tried to overcharge me even more. Looking at the other reviews, he seems to be doing things like this on a regular basis. Long story short: save your money and go somewhere else. The atmosphere and interior is kinda nice though, so if you can afford to be overcharged a lot, this might be a good place for you.

Some vegetarian food option.... Interior is very different.....

I really don't get why this place has any good ratings. Nor why it is recommended in the Lonely Planet Japan. Will definitely write them to remove it because I don't want anyone to end up here. After roadtripping through Japan for weeks and eating in so many places, both touristy and non-touristy, this is the only utterly frustrating experience we've had. As the surrounding area this restaurant is just dingy. You might find the interiory quirky that's up to your personal taste. But it stops being cool when it comes to the hygiene of the toilets. Or staff smoking right next to a family with a small child. The quality of the food is below anything I have come across in all of Japan. The curries don't deserve the name. Not only is the food overpriced but they have the audacity to add a cover charge at the check-out. Of course this was not communicated before and it is definitely not custom in Japan. To put a long story short: It's a rip off. Do yourself a favour and avoid this place!

Super cute decorated, but the prices are not advertized correctly online or outside the bar, the prices where almost double and there was a cover charge that wasn't mentioned outside. Additionally, when foreigners ask for all you can drink, they don't offer it, although it's on the japanese menu.