Grouchy Chef

I can’t say enough about this place! It is everything! Y’all know when you see the brand, what you are going to get!

The Chef/Superman is legit! He’s not grumpy.

Bring your manners and respect. Nothing else is tolerated. If you have an issue with that, this isn’t your spot.

Many blessings chef ❤

There's something to be said about the pursuit of a craft, to be completely immersed in it and everything else is just noise.
I think Chef Masumoto is misunderstood by many, he's not grouchy, he's just trying to preserve his vision. I don't understand how someone can come to this place, eat the food and not be impressed, not to mention the incredible price. This is THE PLACE for foodies, because all that Chef Masumoto offers is a love letter to the food, to the better times when people had manners and respect, to purity in the craft.
I will be coming back, and I look forward to tasting this amazing food again.

What a great time! I expected a very rude, uncomfortable experience based on the reviews, and it was not that at all. Chef was very kind and polite the entire time - directive, to be sure, but very sincere and never rude. The food was honestly worth two or three times what we paid. The photos do it no justice, they can't begin to capture how tasty everything was. Highly recommend before it's sold!!

Awesome experience 👏, Dining was excellent, great flavors and delicious foods. Value was also off the charts for a 4 course gourmet dinner!! Definitely recommended and can't wait to try other dishes.

Amazing food! Delicious and exquisitely prepared 4 course French Cuisine for $14-28 per person. Less than a third of the price one would normally pay. Authentic and generous. The price is simply unbelievable and no tipping allowed. The Chef works alone and is meticulous. He is demanding on dinning etiquette and serves with good quality china and crystal glasses. The Chef is attentive to serve you the next course when you are finished with one. To ensure customer satisfaction of prompt food service, he is reluctant to accept reservation for more than 4 people. Highly principled person to a point of being rigid, Chef Masumoto is very proud of his cooking. He thanks you not for your business but for your participation. When complimented for his cooking, he respond with a stoic “ that’s what I do , Sir”. For a Chef with such dedication and beliefs on what he does, not for the money but the passion, this is admirable and deserves to be respected despite rough edges with his communication style. I must admit that I felt really guilty for paying so little for such a wonderful, good quality, delicious and professionally prepared meal. Since I am not allowed to tip, I purchased T shirts and made a donation which all goes to cancer research and not the Chef. Definitely a worthwhile experience and a come back again restaurant! Thank you Chef Masumoto for “doing what you do” and allowing us to “participate”!

This restaurant is definitely worth a visit. Based on the reviews of others I expected the rules and a good meal. I didn't expect to cry. This talented chef uses a label maker in abundance to caption photos people have taken with his t-shirts, all over the world. There are rules, that are not unreasonable. I suspect you'd be admonished, but not kicked out, if you broke one of his rules. Bring cash, and be prepared for a flawless meal with a lovely presentation, and a sprinkle of attitude. Following the meal (no tipping allowed), we stopped to 'participate' in a t-shirt purchase. This exchange was followed by a short conversation about how we can all help fight cancer if we choose to do something, however small. Roll the tears... We'll be back!

For food affectionados, this is a must visit. I have been looking for unique and quirky restaurants in Washington for over 15 years and this one I have only recently found. So if you are reading this, consider yourself lucky. This is one of a kind and very rare find.

The name is not to be underestimated. The chef here is indeed the most grouchy chef I have ever encountered across the continents and over the decades. Think of “soup Nazi” episode from Seinfeld. You go in, follow all the rules precisely, eat and then come out. While making reservations, the chef told me if you have any allergies or food issues then you might want to spend your time elsewhere. This will be his answer for basically any request that diverges from his rules. He doesn’t allow any photography inside except for food and considers it as violation of his constructional rights:

The restaurant is located in a small warehouse and is run by one and only Chef Matsumoto. I am not stranger to “one man show” restaurants, especially from Japan, for over the counter very personal service. This is different because you get one of the nicely done tables. From outside, restaurant is fairly non-discrete. There is no open sign, no lights outside and with black glass door, one might even assume that it’s closed.

You must call the chef Matsumoto to make reservation. Absolutely positively no jeans and you are expected to wear something proper. Also, no credit cards. You must wash hands before sitting down. Also, no clinking of glass.

As you are sited, you will be given 3 pages of rules, story of the chef and the concept. This chef has been harassed, attacked and called names over the years and you might appreciate where he is coming from. I have nothing but heartfelt sympathy towards this artist who simply wanted to live just an honest life. Probably all artists worth their salt goes through this.

The concept of the restaurant is to serve very high quality meals at very low prices. Now, let me interject here for a bit that I have visited enough of Michelin star restaurants and I know thing or two about what very high quality, meticulous, artistic and creative foods look like. They don’t come cheap and it’s just not economically possible. So when I sat down, my expectations were not too high but I can now tell you that this restaurant absolutely deserves Michelin star rating and can easily compete in this arena. The catch? It’s about 10 times cheaper than it should be!! It’s mind boggling what chef Matsumoto has achieved here and it’s not without his Herculean efforts. The 4 course dinner cost me $41.94 and I was dutifully given back pennies because the chef does not accept tips. I have spent more on just tips on equivalent Michelin star restaurants.

The dinner was well paced and could be described as French cuisine with Japanese influence. This basically means that menu is boring without any frills, presentation is descent but not showy and test is very delicate. This is the dinner you stop, focus and go slow to appreciate properly. Everything was delicious and carefully crafted with little tastes springing up and developing and surprising. I could definitely say that the bits of redishes and cucumbers in the salad was the best redishes and cucumbers I ever had. The desert was carefully composed of many shapes and tastes. And so it goes.

In the world, where every business is trying to extract as much money from customers as possible, this place is oases, a counter-thesis and, if you allow me to be bit extravagant with my words, a temple. I almost felt guilty eating such a food so cheaply here. So I decided to purchase t-shirt, proceeds of which goes to Cancer research (chef’s sister died of cancer). Now, I haven’t bought a T-shirt less than $15 in recent times and that’s when I was thinking being cheap. I expected that “Grouchy Chef” t-shirt was for donation so it must be $30. Instead, it was just $10. For the price, it was absolutely a steal, high quality and tastefully done. Do get one and this is one time chef accepts more money than price so be generous.

Just got back from the best meal I have ever eaten. Things I would never have ordered, much less eaten, we're presented beautifully and we're absolutely delicious. This was an amazing experience, and I will definitely be returning.

I've since been back, and it was at least as amazing as last time. Chef's soups are to die for, even though both times they were made of ingredients I don't necessarily care for individually. Chef has put the restaurant up for sale, so I will be going back very soon. I can't wait to try the soup.

THE BEST FOOD! Reasonable prices for a unique multi course French dining experience. Be SURE to read the instructions PRIOR to reserving.

My husband and I love this place. We go for the food and the experience. It's called grouchy chef for a reason and if you are sensitive and or can't appreciate the concept of this then this is not the place for you. The chef makes delicious food a 4 course meal at an amazing price! If you follow all of his rules he is very pleasant, if not he will tell you what's what

We had a wonderful experience for our 6th wedding anniversary! Chef Masumoto was a lot less intimidating than I thought he would be. He was quite pleased that I scraped up each and every drop of my entree! Genuinely, if you're going to a place called the Grouchy Chef and you get offended that he is in fact, grouchy- what are you doing? Lol. Just don't be "that" person and dig your heels in about his rules. It's his restaurant, he sets the boundaries. You can follow them, or simply choose to not eat there.

Our courses were incredible; soup of the day was amazing - I have no idea what it was, but it was piping hot and absolutely to die for. It was a sage green color, very smooth and velvety texture, with I believe fennel seeds on top. Tasted a bit like beans or even lentils.

Salad was delicious, whatever dressing was on there was excellent, and literally each leaf of lettuce was coated perfectly and completely. I don't like cantaloupe or honeydew, but both slices of mine were incredible! Chef Masumoto must source quality fruit and choose the perfect ripeness, because I've never had cantaloupe that was actually sweet and juicy. Every time I've ever had it, it tastes like a watermelon rind. Not the case here!!

My husband got the salmon and I got the chicken breast schnitzel. My chicken had a deliciously crispy crust, was juicy and tender, had delicious layers of prosciutto and broiled swiss cheese, along with an incredible sauce. I can't speak to my husband's salmon, but he absolutely loved it. We both got the bacon mashed potatoes, and they had just the essence of bacon, which was perfect. The veggies on the potatoes were seasoned wonderfully; the zucchini had an amazing pesto on it!

Dessert was a wonderful variety of textures, temperatures, and flavor. My favorite part was probably the matcha fudge. YUM.

We'll absolutely be back if we're in town before he sells the business! 10/10!

I highly recommend the grilled 9oz beef chateaubriand tenderloin steak with cabernet sauvignon sauce and brandy butter. It is amazing! Four courses and over a half of a pound of beef tenderloin for under $40, it can't be beat.

Diamond in the rough! One-man show Chef Masumoto is sure to please. I am an unfortunate picky eater, but both times I’ve been here I cleaned my plate at all four courses (at an amazingly affordable price). I think about the soups often. Sad this place is closing soon, visit while you can! Chef Masumoto can be intimidating at first, but incredibly kind and good-spirited once you start asking questions about his craft.

Love this place, food and Chef are amazing for the price. I was a bit concerned after reading some of the comments but the place was nice. But it is the greatest little secret French place, it felt like this great clandestine French restaurant.. Yes, it is a bit Quirky like the notebook of rules, which I found were great, chef being waiter, chef and staff. But it was private, intimate and the food was superb. I spent $100 for food and wine, where I would have and have spent $300 say at the Palisades for food and wine. Seeing and talking to the Grouchy Chef was fun and eye opening. I snapped this pic before we read the no pictures part of the notebook. I could not help it the Tuxedo napkins were awesome. I will eat there again. Do go with patience and respect, you can tell this Chef cooks for the love of food. Tell only your close friends.

My bf, his Community Transit coworker, his wife, daughter n I loved the food. We loved the cheese fruit salad cuz the pairing enhance our appetite for more to come. Of course it also cleanse our pallet to enhance rhe flavors of the food. Myself, my bf n his coworker ordered the steak n his wife n daughter ordered seared scallops.
My favorite part of the dinner was he told thr gents to pull out the chairs for their ladies n hang their clothes on the seats. He wasn't kidding when the menu said he's going back to the 1970s.
His restaurant is a Gem in a fast paced society. It took us 2 n half hrs to finish @ 4 course meal. He really wants us to enjoy n savor rhe meal not just stuffed them down.
My bf n I really ❤ it n we will go back really soon. Thank u grouchy chef for this unique n wonderful experience!!!!

A lovely place, a true gem of fine cuisine and Chef himself is one of a kind. I drive 70 miles to go enjoy food at Grouchy Chef. I always leave feeling super-satisfied, and I think you will too!

This place is a real hidden gem. The food is amazing and more then fair priced. As you can see just about all of the reviews are positive and I have a hard time accepting the negative ones. As long as you respect the chefs things and use your manners your dinner will go perfect with no issues. Remember to dress clean and professional (no jeans). You pick your entree but the rest is set in stone, in my opinion I wouldn't change a thing anyway (no modifications). You get to enjoy a perfectly presented 4 course meal and all for around $25!!!! I chose the Salmon in a honey lemon sauce while my girl friend enjoyed the chicken in a cream sauce, neither of us left a crumb behind it was so delicious! I'd highly recommend giving this place a shot, you won't regret it!! Its a great date night as kids are not allowed so book the babysitter after making your reservation.
Dont forget to pick your Grouchy Chef shirt up on the way out for a small minimum donation of $10 towards an amazing cause! All proceeds support the fight against cancer.

It is amazing to see the owner all by himself wait the tables, prepare your food and serve it!

What a delicious dinner! We got takeout for 12 people on Monday. We gave Chef a few days notice given the size of our order. It was a meal to behold! It stayed warm all the way to Everett Marina. Such good food, and plenty of it. The scallops were divine! The beef was amazing, and shrimp in a tarragon sauce blew our minds! Very affordable, best dinner in months! We highly recommend Grouchy Chef. Follow his rules. It’s all about respect. Can’t wait to experience his restaurant again once we can eat inside. Thank you Chef!!!

I just love the food. Incredible great chef