The City Bakery Brasserie Rubin

Sister restaurant to The City Bakery in NYC. Typical American grill fare with freshly baked bread. Nice view from 7F of Osaka Grand Front South Tower. Good place for relaxing late lunch with a big salad. (America size serving, here.)

Food was great but didn't appreciate the semi-hidden 500 yen per person surcharge. This can be found in small print at the bottom of the menu at the entrance. Text is small and seems to only be written in English making it less obvious for Japanese family members to understand. The surcharge was enough to cover a whole main course for another guest.

One of the better coffees around 4/5. Bakery items looked great too! Good setup where bought take out items can now be eaten in the sit down area. Plenty of room there too!

4 stars for the food, 1 star for the staff -_- Despite the prices, I go fairly often, usually for take-out. I love the corn muffins (I'm from the South and I miss cornbread), the cookies are large and taste great when warmed up a little, and the croissants are addictive. However, when eating in, some of the staff are cold/rude. I went during a slow period today and upon ordering a "ハムとチーズフォカッチャサンド" from the clearly posted menu, the girl at the register stared blankly and finally said, with an attitude "バナナ?" and snickered to the girl next to her. I'm sure they get their fair share of travelers/tourists but there are also foreign residents who can and do speak Japanese and it would be nice if the staff avoided "gaijin panic" and responded properly and with decent manners (and full sentences). Or at least, the staff should be trained to use polite English phrases if they legitimately don't understand.

Really good value, we had the chicken and beef burgers (both served with salad and delicious potatoes) the chicken was perfectly cooked! Staff speak some English and the menu is all in English. Served bottomless ice green tea.

I flew a few years from Busan to eat here and buy lots of delicious food. Excellent bakery! Best bakery I know in Asia.

The weekday lunch menu is very good. It's a little more expensive for a meal than other places (Y1,500 - Y2,000) however they kept the table well stocked with warm breads from the oven - we had to tell them to stop bringing it to us. Very busy even though we came here on a Tuesday afternoon, had to wait for 15 minutes but staff did sort us out with a good table. Food portions were very good and taste and presentation were both excellent. Definitely will be coming here again.

Food: 4/5 Food quality is generally good Service: 4/5 Can feel understaffed when busy Value: 5/5 Artisan breads and free Jasmine Tea with most meals Ambiance: 5/5 Really nice open and airy environment Have been frequenting this restaurant since I have been spending time in Osaka. So it is one of my go to places in Umeda when I am around that area for lunch. In the really good days when the kitchen staff is not overwhelmed by back to back orders the food is well prepared and well seasoned. When it is a B-team day or when the kitchen is overwhelmed the food tends to be a bit less satisfying. But for the most part it varies between a 4 or a 5 star in regards to ranking of the quality of the food. The bottomless breads are quite good and addictive, from the traditional French Baguette, to the Artisan Bread to their legendary Focaccia which is only available at the Brasserie and not the Cafe that is located in the basement. The Jasmine Green Tea (not to be confused with Traditional Macha Green Tea) is always refreshing, the fact that they serve that by default saves people from having to order soft drinks. The Red Sangria is one of the better ones that I have had in Osaka. The only downside is that the restaurant is very busy between 11:00AM until about 2:00PM (14:00), so plan to wait in line or just go for a late lunch. I have only been to the restaurant once for dinner, lunch menu provides the best bang for the $$/Yen. BTW: There are some reviewers that are reviewing the Cafe which is located in the basement here in the Brasserie section which is located on the 7th floor. Never had a negative experience with the staff on the Brasserie on the 7th floor.