Finished Ristorante Paradiso a while ago, and Bartender more recently. They were both very good.
Slower paced than most animes, but they were well written and had interesting characters that were worth spending time to get to know. I think I prefer Bartender overall, largely because it focuses on the bartending as well as the characters - there are asides to discuss the history of drinks and the nature of a bartender's job, and it was interesting to see the show ponder about these things for a bit. It was also kind of educational, giving the background of a bunch of real drinks and their recipes. This could have been dull, but the stories behind the drinks always compliment the episode (or even advance the plot when told) so they're generally interesting.
In contrast to Bartender's focus on its craft, Ristorante Paradiso mainly just uses the restaurant as setting where all the characters have a reason to hang out (they work/eat there). I don't hold this against the show, because it was obviously about the people and the food, and the people are very well done. I'd just personally prefer something that talked about food more. I appreciated the mundane tone - the characters and plots felt less campy and over-the-top than other animes, even ones with realistic settings. I love camp and I appreciate how saturated anime is with it in general, but this was a refreshing change of pace.
Anyway, on that note, I would like to ask for anime recommendations! I have run out of animes that recently piqued my interest. I'd appreciate suggestions for things that fit any of the following descriptions, with more being better:
- Slow pace and/or chill atmosphere. Little to no action.
- Focus on food or drinks.
- Realistic setting that is not a high school.
- Educational, though I don't want this to be more of a focus than entertainment.