Mine has got to be Coco Ichibiyana. Can’t go past their curry, especially after a night out.
I literally go 2-3 times a week. It's cheap, convenient, I can grab a quick snack for ¥700 or make it a sizable dinner for ¥1200-1500. I go to the location outside one of my schools so regularly that the staff asks me if I'm having the usual.
goals
Don't forget the cheap drink bar.... Cappuccino for the win!
That 100 yen lunch time drink bar is cheap as fuck of course, but I still wish they did something about their coffee machine. No matter how many refills I go for, that "coffee" does absolutely nothing for me in terms of caffeine. Weakest coffee this side of アメリカn.
Probably intentional though, I guess. Beans aren't cheap these days, and they still need to find a sliver of profit margin somehow.
Wouldn't mind paying a little extra for some decent coffee a la carte, to be honest.
and they still need to find a sliver of profit margin somehow.
How Saizeriya makes a profit has always been the biggest mystery in Japan.
The price is fucking so low. Would it make an old Italian grandma cry? Yes. Do I like a jug of wine some fried prawns and pasta for like 1000 yen? Yes I do.
I am not a kid but I still Saize. I always order the chicken wings, some sort of pasta, and the escargo with the focaccia. I don't care how non-authentic it is. Yum.
This is the way.
Toriki
ジャンボ金麦 clutch
The good thing about Toriki is that over the years, my appetite has shrunk by as much as the price has gone up. 280yen -> 370yen now I think?
I still think it's a great place to go with friends and just get wasted and pig out on snacks, especially since it's easy to split the bill based on item order count, but before when it came to pay I'd think "wow that's it?" but now it's like "yeah looks about right"
They've become so expensive. I can't eat there anymore unless I dish out 3000 yen minimum. For that money I'd rather do yakiniku.
Where are you eating yakiniku for 3,000 yen? It's like double that whenever I go...
gyoza no oshou
Terrible for health, but really good.
There is an Osaka Osho by my house which is okay but isn't the same....
Gyoza not good for health?
Definitely the better chain for gyozas. However i live next to kamata so there are some of the better chineses restaurants over there
Love Osho! Quintessentially cheap and cheerful.
Komeda’s. Every time.
As a Nagoya resident I love to see cultured people here
I mean, how does anyone resist the devilish charms of the shiro-noir? HOW???
their fish sandwich is great
They had a seasonal ham katsu sandwich some years ago that I still dream about. Not really a big fan of their other stuff
From drinks, to food (tasty and giant), to service, to value, to ambiance, to locations, to service hours... 🤌
Weird. I have the opposite experience. Everything there seems expensive in relation to the modest portion sizes.
Freshness Burger. They surf that line of quality and cost just right.
Man, I love Freshness Burger. Unfortunately, Nagasaki is one of the prefectures without a store. Please come here. Pretty please?
Might get some tonight actually
I’ve always wondered if patties are 100% beef or a mix?
Always love to order Coco Ichibanya level 15 spiciness after a long and tiring day at work.
Coco Ichi all the way! Tried a level 10 when that was the highest they had, now there's a 20, and they're not incremental increases. For reference I get a four on most days so I can enjoy the actual flavor of what I'm eating.
Nice! I really love how we can choose our own level. It's rare to find spicy food to my liking in Japan so Coco Ichi really helps satiate my hunger for spicy food. I always order a level 10 if I want to enjoy the flavor while having a spicy kick to it, but I would choose level 15 if I want to reward myself after pushing through a long business trip.
Personally, as a fellow spice fiend who can handle level 10+ just fine, I'm just really not the biggest fan of the flavor of the oil they add to the curry to increase the spice level. Anything beyond level 2 or 3 just starts to taste worse to me, and level 10 is just kinda bleh.
I also worked there for 2 years in college, so maybe I just got sick of it after all the employee meals. I found that my liking for the higher spice levels decreased the more I ate it, till eventually I defaulted to Regular, 1, or 2. Haven't had that problem at any other half-decent curry place I've been to - does tend to happen with really shitty curry where they just add a heap of red powder to make it spicier, but usually places with better curry and spices especially where the curry is made to order don't have that kinda bitter and oily aftertaste that high-spice CoCoIchi curry does.
I love super spicy food, but I also believe that spice that compromises flavor is pointless lol. Not in a "so spicy I can't taste it" way, but a "whatever they added this to make it spicier doesn't taste very good" way. I'll choose better flavor over more spice the majority of the time, but it's best when I don't have to make the choice and the super-spicy option is actually as good as the less-spicy one or better!
Impressive! Going over 8 for me is rough and when I am feeling weak I go for a 7.
8 is already spicy so it's impressive that you can handle it well. I just have a higher tolerance for spiciness so I always go for 15 if I want to eat spicy food while 10 is my comfort spicy level.
Hanamaru udon!
My daughter loves the nikohana setto so much! I often just tell them to give me the usual she eats it so often.
Oooooooh. That fried vegetable nest is a perfect edition.
Otoya is the GOAT
Fresh, quality food at a decent price? Sign me up.
Definitely Gusto. There's always a good variety and the prices aren't terrible.
They used to be cheaper, but all Skylark restaurants have crept up into the ¥1,500+ range.
True. I would have written cheap lol but it's definitely increased in the past few years so went with 'aren't terrible' 😂
And that's accurate. For a place you'd want to dine at maybe once every 3-4 weeks, it's certainly affordable. I used to rely on it weekly, but these days food prices are raising higher than my salary.
You can usually find coupons that make it pretty affordable if you don’t mind being flexible with what you eat.
They did, but I feel like they're still in the "Okay" range. I often it as my "office" in the morning with a Morning Set and my laptop.
Cocos because their ice machine has the best eatable ice. Small and crunchy. Iron deficiency I know.
Cocos is the jam for kids.
Burger king cause unironically it is really good and is a nice western fast food burger
They're definitely the best fast food burger in Japan. By a considerable margin, IMO.
My country doesn't have burger king and I have only eaten in Japan, but every time I have eaten I have kinda regretted it. i don't know but i feel like the quality is not good? Can't really explain it well. How does it compare to other places?
Ootoya and Gusto is generally my go-tos. Also, sue me but I prefer Jolly Pasta over Saizeriya.
Nice! I also enjoy Ootoya and Jolly Pasta.
Saizeriya派 here. 1 decanter white wine, karami chiki, koebi salad, pasta/pizza to split with girlfriend for under 2000 yen. and idk about you guys but i swear there's something extra in the saize wine because no other alcohol in this country comes close to fucking me up as fast as saizeriya booze
Mr Donut
Idk why but this made me lol. Just imagined you eating the head of a cute pikachu donut.
Might be boring answer but I love Sukiya. For ramen it's either Ikkakuya or Ippudo. I also like Pepper Lunch
Not boring! Sukiya's Cheese Gyuudon is where it is at! Pure love.
Kalbi don when I’m feelin’ fancy.
I really enjoy Yakiniku Like, the quality is actually decent and you can get some really good deals for the amount of food you get.
Sukiya for my plan B.
No love for Bikkuri Donki it seems? It’s my wife’s favourite, and I’ve always been impressed but it compared to other family restaurants.
One for Bikuri - my kids have big appetites.
Wheres the love for Nakau. They actually lowered the price for oyakodon in the middle of an egg shortage.
I stayed in an Airbnb on the edge between kabukicho and shin okubo and went to Nakau for breakfast most days. So good and cheap!!
Nakau is where it’s at for me too 🥹
Matsuya or Hidakaya.
I’m sitting in Kurazushi as I type this.
Coco’s.
That baked potato.
Yayoi
I love Jonathan’s so much and I won’t hear anything against it. About 10 years ago they really sucked and the food was gross but I feel everything I eat from there these days tastes great. Also cat robots.
Used to avoid it but surprisingly we go to Saizeriya somewhat regularly now. We share a bunch of salads and veggie plates, and then we can share a pizza and the lady gets some pasta if she is in a carby mood. We also get 750 to 1000ml of wine and walk out paying 3000 for the both of us. Yeah the quality isn't great but it's a cheap way to get veggies. The asparagus plate with butter and cheese costs less than buying asparagus at the supermarket. And I'm not fancy so the wine is pretty damn good considering how cheap it is.
My personal favorite is Toriki. But the lady doesn't eat meat regularly so we go once in a blue moon. Even with the cost increase to 370 I still feel like it's a damn good deal if you stick to the tried and true options.
For chain sushi we cycle between Kura and Sushiro, sometimes doing Hama as well. They each have their strengths and weaknesses.
sushiro has the best rice, i really didn't like the rice at kurazushi and hama's selection was meh. Sushiro is by far the best imo.
I feel like my Hama has a huge selection. But I don't like their soy sauce, even though they have a selection of different regional types which is fun to try, most are pretty meh.
Kura has the best salmon choices for me. Although recently their overall quality has declined I feel.
This is so similar to my situation. We go to Saizeriya often cause my husband can find some vegetarian food there and I can have some meat. Also so cheap. Tbh I don't think I could give up meat but he doesn't eat any so we eat a lot in chain restaurants lol
Also completely agree about Sushiro and Kura but I tend towards Sushiro due to their grilled chicken and eel sushi(s). I sometimes think about the popcorn chicken from Kura though... They have better sides according to my husband.
Gust.
I like pizza, and while it's pretty mediocre, it's decent for the price and I'm not willing to pay outrageously expensive prices for pizza elsewhere.
Jojoen
Matsuya err'day.
Consequently, I got food poisoning from there last week .
Yoshinoya and Coco 🥰
Osho
Outback. Sometimes daddy needs some prime rib.
And an onion flower on the side
And a real baked potato with sour cream and cheese.
God, I'm drooling....
Torikizoku 🍻
Coco’s, Otoya sometimes, Matsuya because it’s close, AnAn because it’s close and cheap, toriki because it’s yakitori.
Hotto Motto! They have some really good and cheap Kalby Beef bentos. And their nuggets are a hit with my kid. I moved right across the street from them and I’m fairly confident my contributions to the store have paid for more than enough of the workers to finish university.
I used to live on the second floor of a building where the ground floor was a Hotto Motto, walking downstairs and getting a piping hot fresh bento within 5 minutes was an absolute sin, so delicious.
Whenever I'm in Toyko, I have to go to Hidakaya Ramen (Unfortunately there in no other parts of Japan as far as I know :( )
I did not know this ! It’s my favorite for a quick lunchtime gyoza and ramen set
They’re Tokyo only? That’s surprising considering how many of them there are!
saizeriya for cheap stuff/groups, denny’s usually has pretty decent desserts, and ootoya cause i like their fried fish and veggies in sauce
Denny's does a decent French Toast.
Saizeriya - I'm there so often that my neighborhood location asks me if I want "the usual." Plus they're nationwide, so easy to find while traveling.
Gusto - a little pricier than it used to be, but decent hamburg-steak.
But my most favorite is Tomato & Onion!! The bullet hamburg-steak and the fries are excellent. It's a bit expensive (typically ¥3,000/visit) and the locations are not easily-accessible at all. But when I can find one (or pay the ¥250 subway fare down a line that just goes to the industrial district), I always pay stop by.
Saint Marc cafe
Royal host, gusto every now and then
Royal Host is great. A little pricier than other family restaurants but it’s worth it. Sadly they did cut their garlic toast recently though. That was unfortunate!
I love their fairs. I think my favorite one so far has been the pub fair (not a British person). The current fair however is not really my thing so I usually have a steak with mashed potatoes and kale salad these days. The desserts are pretty great as well I think.
But yeah, it’s probably the priciest of them all, so I kinda get it that not many people mentioned Royal Host in this thread.
I can’t believe I had to scroll down this far to find another Royal Host fan.
GOGO curry.
It fills a hole in my heart I didn’t know I had.
It used to be Ootoya until I heard some teens saying something about a “foreigner who comes to Japan and eats Ootoya”
Probably one of the sushi places like Genki
Hamazushi, A&W and Yappari Steak
Sushiro and Sukiya
なか卯
Hamazushi, the low sodium soy sauce, half portions of rice, and the fact they never raised prices like Sushiro did, make it my go-to for conveyor sushi.
Akakara 赤から。
If chain restaurant definition can be "only in kanto", then I would say Yuzuan. Tabehoudai shabushabu and sushi is hard to beat.
A tad bit expensive so this is something for those just a little bit more special days.
I feel like I'm going to get destroyed, but of all chains I might go to McDonald's the most.. Still relatively cheap and I'm a sucker for seasonal or limited stuff. Samurai burgers are great too
Aside from that I rarely eat out, and if I do it's at local joint or something fancy.
Go to family restaurant is probably Mori no musashi, but maybe 3-4 times a year tops.
The 5:00pm after menu is pretty damn good with double double cheeseburgers or the 20 piece nuggets and two large fries for 900 yen
Coco Ichi 🔥
Jonathan‘s: mexican pilaf with tandori chicken ftw
haven't been there in a while so are these new?
Coco Ichibanya is physically impossible to go wrong with.
Gyukaku
Farmer's Chicken for some great roast chikin (not that many branches, only in Kanto)
We hardly go out to eat, but when we do, it's a cheap sushi chain (like Sushiro, Hamazushi or whatever's near). :D
Yakiniku King
Joyfull for cheap and easy. Ootoya for a step up. I used to love Matsuya for late night munchies, but we don’t have any nearby anymore.
HAMAZUSHI
Matsuya because it always come with a side of miso soup or salad for no extra cost
Gusto. I order the kid's set for 280jpy using the coupon. You get a point for each set and can exchange for an anpanman item for like 3-5 points.
Sukiya, cause it’s the only chain restaurant in town.
Salvatore has the Mrs and I in their free pizza point card grip.
Sushiko
Yakiniku King! Cheapest delicious all-you-can-eat lunch deal ever.
Sushiro, Uogashi, mainly, we eat a lot fish. Sometimes Coco.
Ringer Hut
Or go-to place for lunch on Saturday shopping days is Hama Zushi, although that's mostly because it's fast and convenient. My favorite chain shop is Komeda's Coffee, where we also occasionally eat lunch, but that's mainly our go-to place for an afternoon coffee breaks when we're out. For serious dining our go-to places are local restaurants that aren't national chain shops.
Chinese Cafe 8 - Whole duck every time
Ootoya, Kamakura pasta, Gusto and Choshimaru are our family go to. Sometimes Saizeria, Coco’s and Coco Curry. Wako for the Katsu cravings.
my friends are annoyed because I always just want to go to Coco's again and again..
Ootoya, Hana and Mos Burger
We have a Toshu near my home station and it’s pretty great. Pretty sizeable teishoku for under 1000 yen in most cases.
Costco food court (if it is OK as an answer to this question)
オリーブの丘(Olive no Ka) and Hidakaya
What?! No love for Yakiniku King here?!
Pari-pari chicken curry, tomato garlic sauce, a dash of houjun sauce to top it off.
Saizerya before they made the black-ink spaghetti a tasteless mush (by saying it is to avoid making women’s teeth black, wtf?)
Ikinari at work
Big Boy, the hamburg plate with salad, soup and dessert bar included for my family of four always works out about 3000yen with after the app discount of 15% taken off.
Denny's! Their app often has super good deals :3
Ikinari Steak... I go there just because of the name.. it's funny.
Not sure it ever was a "go-to", but I really enjoyed Chikara Meshi for griddle-grilled gyudon to give it just a tiny bit of sizzly goodness. Sadly I don't live near one anymore and they seem to be struggling to stay in business. Maybe they've even gone under by now.
Saint Marc Cafe
Toriki!
Matsuya! The hamburger steak is so delicious
Denny’s cause it has a great level up points system. A coupon for a half price stack of caramel pancakes once you reach gold. A coupon for a giant bowl of French fries for 100yen 5 times a month once you reach platinum. Plus a free seasonal dessert coupon every other month when you get to diamond. Points don’t expire as long as you go to Denny’s and use the app once every 6 months so it’s pretty easy to level up.
Coco's Restaurant. It's a bit pricey compared to Ichibanya, but it's drink bar is stacked. For more frequent visits, Jonathan's it is.
Probably CoCo curry, either that Torikizoku
Yoshinoya. I love the set with salad and soup. Unfortunately, their kimchi isn't as good as Sukiya.
I love Hanamaru but it is sightly further away.
Anyone else conflate Coco's and Coco? Similar fonts and colors. Way different menus.
Kura cause its a couple stations down and can feed two for 2400 yen lol
Katuya, Sukiya, Cocos, and Saize as runners up though.
Sukiya Chee Gyu or nothing. Other places just don’t taste the same.
Kura Sushi Gotta fuel the gacha desire and having the ordered plate come directly to me.
Matsuya
Gusto - cheap Happy Hour beers/sours and with coupons.
Coco Ichiban/MOS Burger - vegetarian
Saizeriya - cheap allrounder with cheap drinks and enough vegetarian
Daikichi is the greatest.
Big Boy
Matsuya, grilled beef bibimbap
In the past couple of week sugidama
Ippudo, ramen.
Burger King
Bikuri donkey! Sushiro! And Hotomoto.
Matsunoya ftw unlimited rice n miso soup
Matsuya, I really like the Pork Kalbi Set Meal that they have. In stores where they also have the My Curry menu, the Tonkatsu with Butter Chicken + Spinach is nice too.
Ootoya and Yayoiken are nice as well, but not as common so I don't end up going there that often.
I loooooove Yayoiken!!
Bashamichi pizza and Modern pasta
Gyoza no Osho is my king. Also Hinoya Curry is leagues better than the other curry chains
Sukiya
100% Saizeriya.
There's a small chain restaurant group in Miyazaki called Creighton House (クレイトンハウス) which is my go to chain. They make a variety of chicken namban flavours and rather tasty cakes that rotate monthly.
Out of the bigger ones, then it would be either Joyful or Gusto.
For a long time it was Yoshinoya.
My first year here I drunkenly stumbled in, ordered a butadon\ kimchee* set with a hanjuku tamago, and passed out on the counter as soon as I'd finished it.
* This was during the mad cow disease scare when imports of US beef were limited, so they served pork instead: sliced the same way and in the same sauce. I dearly miss this superior product which has long since been replaced by another menu item, also called "butadon" which features small, thick cut chunks of pork in a sweet sauce and is awful. I'll eat gyudon, but my enjoyment of Yoshinoya's offering hasn't been the same since the regulations were relaxed.
Yayoiken
Coco Ichibanya always comes in handy when the family is too busy or tired to make dinner - and one just opened up in my neighborhood!
Tendon Tenya is also pretty great value, and is pretty consistent in quality!
Jonathan’s! Happy hour, car robots
Gyudon: Sukiya
Family restaurant: Saizeriya
Curry: Hinoya
Tonkatsu: Wako
Udon: Marugame
Volks. Nothing like endless salad, bread, and soup, plus a steak that's actually not bad. Go for the chicken if you're on a budget, it's good too.
Subway cuz I’m on diet😬 But when I’m really craving for a more high-calorie and satisfied meal I go to Freshness Burger. And Matsuya when I wasn’t on diet before.
I used to frequent Fukushin, Lotteria, and Katsuya a bunch... Denny's if I'm feeling fancy
Coco Ichi...particularly when they offer ささみ。
I tried the level 20 spice for a while, i wouldnt consider it crazy spicy (then again, i found very few things in Japan to be crazy spicy)... but I settled on 10 as the best balance of heat and flavor.
ささみ and sausage combo is my go-to, otherwise it's とんかつ and sausage
Yakiniku Like — apparently it’s owned by Gyu Kaku
Saizeriya, yakiniku king, anrakutei, coshimaru sushi
I can't live without Nakau
Cocos, Yayoiken
yaki Nikku KINGUUUUUU
Coco Ichibanya, Marugame Seimen, Saizeriya and some kebab shops.
Nakau is nice and somewhat more protein packed for the price
マクド
gotta be kura sushi and MOS
Coco Curry and Sukiya.
HAMAZUSHI is the best sushi chain out there.
Yoshinoya, just because - for me it's the closest and cheapest place to get dinner.
Johnathans, because it’s the only one we have within and hour drive 😂
But I do like Komeri if I’m near one.
Marugame Seimen udon or Sukiya. Both places always scratch that deleterious itch.
Are we really not going to acknowledge Lucky Pierrot?!? I/k, Ichiran
The Ritz Carlton Hotel restaurants.
Hotto Motto
The kids love Saize, so Saize.