On the way back from a lunch date with my wife, we found that a shop she's long loved had moved, so we stopped by [CHATA]😃 It's originally a café, and they also sell wagashi and such for takeout, so this time we got takeout😃 No parking. It's best to use a nearby coin parking lot. The café is reservation-only, and the menu is fixed for the day, so it seems tough if there's something you don't like — looks like a shop with very particular standards😅 So, what we bought this time was the "big chestnut manju" and "shiratama shiruko"😆 The chestnut manju has a whole chestnut inside❗ The shiratama shiruko was delicious too, a satisfying snack😃

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It was a terrible shop. After going inside, no matter how many times I called out loudly, though I could hear noises, nobody came out. When someone finally did come out, far from greeting us they didn't even look our way and tried to walk past, so I managed to call out to them. Apparently you pay first, so I ordered, but there was no option besides coffee (when I searched beforehand, menu photos with tea and juices came up, so this was unexpected). Since I'm not big on coffee, I asked, "We'll leave right after eating, so could we just have cake?" and was told, "We don't accept food-only orders. It takes time, so if you're in a hurry please go home"… I understand wanting us to order 1 drink, so I said we had time and ordered a café au lait and cake. There was only 1 group in the shop and it was empty, but we were told to sit right next to the customers already there, and they also had a look of (why next to us when it's this empty?), but there was even a posted notice saying not to sit anywhere other than the designated seat, so we couldn't move. It felt like they just wanted to pack people in tight in case it got busy. It stayed empty until the end, though. In the end the people next to us hurriedly left, and I felt bad. However, someone who came in later and seemed to be a regular sat alone in the spacious window seat that fits several people, while another person who came after that was assigned a cramped single seat, so I felt this is a shop that treats customers differently depending on who they are. Despite saying it would take time, the café au lait came out in about 5 minutes and tasted like it was watered down; I can't say it was good. We also didn't get the water that was served to other tables, so I figured they wanted us to leave quickly, and we just ate the cake and left right away. They also refuse entry to groups of 3, and for all their notices about wanting you to enjoy a relaxed, quiet space, the rules are way too rigid; it was just expensive and not relaxing at all. Considering you could have tea at a hotel lounge for the same price, both the quality and the hospitality are far too low····· I'll never go again.

Finally made it to Chata, which I'd been wanting to visit. Solo. Ordered and paid first at the register counter right by the entrance. Iced coffee and a 4-kind cheesecake tasting. The menu is only at the counter, so not only could I not take a photo, I couldn't even look at it properly. The staff told me to sit at either the non-window counter or a single-chair table, so I sat at the counter. Just as I settled in, a different staff member told me not to sit there but over here, so I moved. If so, I wish they'd said so from the start. When I'd eaten about half the cheesecake, I saw on Instagram that they seemed to have pudding, so I asked, but one of the staff didn't seem to know the menu and gave a nonsensical answer. Another staff member answered instead. It's certainly a popular shop and the cheesecake may be good, but the vibe was unpleasant. Is it because I was alone? When I was leaving, before I'd even gotten a proper goodbye, I was asked, "Which cheesecake was the best?" I felt gloomy right to the end.

We went today as a group of 3. There didn't seem to be a parking lot, so we put the car in nearby parking and went into the shop. ……… We refuse groups of more than 2. It's written on the entrance door too. So they said… Sorry, but I'd like you to write that online too!! We left the parking right away and went to a different shop. Of course, we were charged for 30 minutes of parking. I don't want to write negative reviews, but I couldn't help writing this one.

The coffee is weak and not great, but it's quiet and comfortable. Coffee and such are pretty overpriced, but I take it as strategic pricing to keep away kids and noisy housewives. The old house is perfectly insulated, not cold at all, super comfortable. Maybe I'll come again^_^