Restaurant to Another World Is a Fabulous Feast for Foodies and Fantasy Lovers

Silver Link

Whoever came up with the concept of a special building where you can go and pay someone else to cook a wonderful meal for you should be given a yacht. Honestly, I could go on for hours on end about how much I love going to restaurants and what kinds of cuisine I prefer above all others. Fast-food restaurants, cafés, diners, buffets, food trucks—it’s all good to me!

For some reason, food presented through anime has a certain way of really making a viewer’s mouth water. There are examples across countless movies and series, but if there were just one restaurant in anime that I truly wished were real, it would definitely be the one in Restaurant to Another World (or Isekai Shokudō)!

Restaurant to Another World was produced in 2017 by Silver Link, a studio also known for WataMote, Baka and Test, and Masamune-kun’s Revenge. I don’t know how I didn’t come across this absolute gem of an anime until just recently, especially given how much I love to eat. When I realized that Restaurant to Another World was prime review material, I jumped on it like white on rice, and I can safely say that it did not disappoint. I spent two straight days binge-watching this anime’s 12-episode first season, and it left me hungry for more.

The titular restaurant in Restaurant to Another World is Western Restaurant Nekoya, a popular bistro located on a street corner. Six days of the week, it caters to the human folk of Earth, but on Saturdays, the doors open up to a more fantastical clientele. Just about any kind of fantasy creature you can imagine has paid the Western Restaurant Nekoya a visit, from bipedal animal warriors to fairies and everything in between. They’re all there for one reason: to enjoy an otherworldly meal prepared by the enigmatic chef known only as “Master” and served by the demon waitress Aletta.

Restaurant to Another World has many things that make it such an enjoyable watch, not least of which being the food that is served. The dishes that appear in every episode are presented up close, allowing the viewer to drool over all the details. Moreover, the flavors, textures, and scents are described by the restaurant’s customers in such an exquisitely descriptive manner that you might find yourself licking the screen in hopes of getting a taste for yourself!

Speaking of the patrons, they’re just as essential to the show as the dishes that are served to them. Restaurant to Another World boasts a cornucopia of colorful characters; you’ve got a vicious slave gladiator, a spunky treasure hunter, a gruff ronin, a mystical half-elf princess, and even a couple of pretty dragon ladies! It’s no exaggeration to say that these guests are the true backbone of this anime and can suit the tastes of any viewer.

With all of this being said, it might be worth mentioning that the characters have no real adversity to overcome (unless you count Aletta’s struggle to find steady employment). If anything, this is really meant to be more of a show that you can just turn on and unwind to after a long day, and it’s highly effective in that respect.

Though I wouldn’t recommend watching Restaurant to Another World on an empty stomach, it’s a highly worthwhile anime to look into. Who knows? You might even gain some inspiration to recreate one of its fine dishes yourself.