Every Saturday, a mysterious doorway to the Western Restaurant Nekoya appears in another world, and otherworldly inhabitants come through and enjoy a fabulously cooked meal. There’s the treasure hunter Sarah, who stumbles upon the doorway in an abandoned mine while hunting for the treasure of the great William Gold. The demon Aletta finds a safe haven and employment opportunities at Nekoya after being denied a job and place of residence on the other side simply because she’s a demon. But the restaurant Master doesn’t care, as long as she brings her smile and a good attitude towards serving customers. An elf with some culinary prowess of her own stumbles into the restaurant, convinced that humans couldn’t possibly cook a dish that doesn’t victimize animals in any way. Nekoya’s fiercest customer, the Red Queen, has an insatiable appetite and gets a private dining experience so as not to frighten off (or eat) the other restaurant guests.
This is a tamer food manga for anyone whose students or patrons might be clamoring for extremely popular but overtly sexual Food Wars. The main plot is pretty similar to The Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu, in that both are restaurants with doors that open to other realms, but Restaurant is set in a more modern era, and the drawings are more revealing for the female characters. There are moments of female nudity with the most sensitive areas being cleverly covered by hair, soap bubbles, or chef’s hats.
As is traditional with food manga, the dishes are lush and beautifully illustrated. Readers beware if they begin this book on an empty stomach. The Master of Nekoya seemingly has magic abilities to make ingredients into the most delectable dishes, but it is more likely that he is just an amazing chef. Nothing is explained about how this door came to open to another world, but this isn’t necessarily something that needs to be addressed. The enjoyable vignettes and slices out of the lives of each of the patrons are the more entertaining part of this story.
Restaurant to Another World Vol 1
By Junpei Inuzuka
Art by Takaaki Kugatsu
ISBN: 9781975309039
Yen Press, 2020
Publisher Age Rating: Teen (13+)
Series ISBNS and Order
Title Details and Representation
NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
Character Traits:
Creator Highlights: Japanese
