Japanese Food Restaurant Chains Guide

Japan has a lot of local gourmets. Especially, there are various rice bowl line up here.

It's a really cheap, maybe you can eat it just 500 yen per a bowl. But it's high quality.

We have many rice bowl restaurant chains as listed below.

Yoshinoya『吉野家』

If you imagin the rice bown in Japan, most probably "Gyudon(牛丼)" will be come up with first.

Gyudon is beef bowl which is rice bowl topped with cooked beef.

Most famous "Gyudon" restaurant chain in Japan is "Yoshinoya".

In this shop, you should eat "Gyudon".

Please enjoy this meal!

Matsuya『松屋』

Someone comes up with "Matsuya" if you think about "Gyudon".

You can eat Gyudon with good quality in "Matsuya".

But I would suggest you can eat different menu "Curry rice(カレーライス)" here.

A big chunk of meat is cooked with curry.

Please enjoy this meal!

Nakau『なか卯』

"Nakau" is also one of the Gyudon restaurant chain.

But I would propose you should go to the other chain restaturant as I already shared as above if you wanna eat good "Gyudon".

On the other hand, "Nakau" has unique great meal "Oyakodon(親子丼)".

I love to it deeply to be honest.

"Oyakodon" is cheiken and egg rice bowl.

Chicken, onions, and eggs are simmered in an umami-rich broth and then poured over a bowl of fluffy steamed rice.

This is really delicious and a little bit sweet taste.

Please enjoy this meal!

Katsuya『かつや』

This is not Gyudon restaurant chain, but "Katsuya" has unique rice bowl "Katsudon(かつ丼)".

"Katsudon" is a rice bowl topped with a deep-fried breaded pork cutlet, egg and vegetables(basically onion).

This is very popular for all generation.

The combination with deep-fried pork and egg is awesome.

Please enjoy this meal!

Tenya『てんや』

This is not also Gyudon chain restautrant, but "Tenya" has rice bowl "Tendon(天丼)".

You might know Japanese food "tempura(天ぷら)".

This meal consists of battered and deep-fried seafood or vegetables laid over freshly steamed rice.

I guess the most popular ingredients for tendon include shrimp(Basically it is included in most of tempura dishes).

Japanese eggplant and pumpkin are also popular.

Please enjoy this meal!

All of chain restaturant are cheap price and also fast delivery.

Please try Japanease fast food any "rice bowl" you are interested in.

I would introduce Japanese deep fried dishes here.

One of the good Japanese deep fried cuisines is meat meal.

Basically, we have 2 kinds of deep fried meat, pork and beef.

Mostly common is deep fried pork and it can be cooked easily.

Wakou『和幸』

Deep fried pork is called "Tonkatsu(とんかつ)" in Japanese.

"Wakou" is well know "Tonkatsu" restaurant chain you can access to easily

The texture is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Normaly we eat Tonkatsu with normal sause.

It is served with a refreshing shredded cabbage salad for a satisfying meal.

Please enjoy this meal!

Yabaton『矢場とん』

We have "Misokatsu(味噌カツ)" as one of the deep fried pork.

This meal is eaten with miso sause, not normal sause.

Miso sause is origined from Aichi prefecture, but the restaurant chain came to Tokyo. That's why we have the opportunity to eat this.

I really like this "Misokatsu" and totally different style

Please try delicious sweet "miso sourse".

Please enjoy this meal!

Gyukatsu Motomura『牛かつ本村』

"Tonkatsu" is classic cuisine, but now "Gyukatsu(牛かつ)" is getting to be new trend.

It is deep fried beef, outside is crispy but inside is raw.

You can adjust how cook it is using the hot stone on the table if well-done would be better.

Regarding how to eat it, it's really simple.

You just dip the normal sause, salt or wasabi.

From my point of view, with salt or wasabi is Japaneas style and good harmony.

To be honest, this is not cheap. But I would say this has the high value to try eating.

This restaurant chain is really popular, then you might need to wait long que.

Please enjoy this meal!

Curry rice is Japanese-style thick curry sauce with chunky meat and vegetables over steamed rice.

It is one of the most eaten dishes in Japan today whether at curry restaurants or at home.

Coco Ichibanya『Coco壱番屋』

We call "Coco Ichibanya" as just "Cocoichi".

Cocoichi is to be a fabulous option as the menu is so flexible. We can select the curry type, the amount of curry, the amount of rice, the spiciness of the curry, the toppings.

You can order and create your own menu adding the toppings.

But I would propose you should try "Katsu curry" which is consisting of a pork cutlet(tonkatsu) served with a portion of curry rice.

Please enjoy this meal!

When it comes to famous noodle dishes from Japan, you've definitely pointed to ramen first.

But I would propose new option "Udon". It is a type of thick noodle from Japan that is typically made from wheat flour.

You can enjoy this thick noodle dish in a variety of ways by simply switching up the soup broth or toppings.

This can be served either hot or cold,(hot in winter, cold in summer like that) and depending on how you order it.

Marugame Seimen『丸亀製麺』

"Marugame Seimen" is the largest and one of the most popular Japanese udon restaurant chains.

It might be difficult to order here. So let me share the process roughly.

First, please order from the menu. You get to choose the type of noodle, amount, and whether you want it hot or cold.

Next, you will see how they prepare the your order in front of you and receive it.

Then, pay it.

I really like to eat "Niku-udon" topped with the beef. You should try it.

Please enjoy this meal!

Tsurutontan『つるとんたん』

"Tsurutontan" is more gorgeous option if you wanna eat "Udon".

Along with their diverse selection of udon arrangements to choose from, they also carry a variety of dishes such as sushi etc.

You will notice the massive bowls when dining at "Tsurutontan". With the hopes to amaze and impress the customer.

"Kitsune Udon" is a good meal which is a Japanese noodle soup in dashi broth, topped with seasoned fried tofu.

Please enjoy this meal!

Have you ever heard "Takoyaki"?
It is a traditional Japanese food that consists of small grilled balls made of soft dough with pieces of octopus at the center.

It is well known and regional food in Osaka.

Gindaco『銀だこ』

The most popular takoyaki shop franchise in Japan is "Gindaco(銀だこ)".

It makes several slight variations on the original, all of them tasty.

Let’s start with the tried-and-true standard of "sauce" dressed takoyaki, an iconic Japanese street food.

Instead of dressing in the traditional sauce, this takoyaki variation is served with a mound of green onion and seaweed.

Enjoy with a light, fresh-tasting tentsuyu(tempura dipping sauce) and grated radish.

Please enjoy this meal!

"Omurice" is a Japanese dish that consists of a sort of French omelet stuffed with fried rice.
It is a simple dish that can be enjoyed by anyone.

The name "Omurice" is composed of two words, omu(short for omelette) and rice, which pretty much sums up its core components.

Fried rice is cooked with chicken and onion basically.

In general, either ketchup or demiglace sause are added as topping to the entire dish.

Rakeru『ラケル』

I can tell you "Rakeru" as the popular and reasonable "Omurice" restaturant chain in Japan.

It has various meal and you can select some small set as well.

Additionally, there is one point to recommend this restaurant with you.

Choosing what to order is very easy for foreigner. Because the menu shows not only pictures of all the dishes but also brief descriptions in English.

You can check the menu in advance in online here.

You might hesitate to decide which menu you order. But both ketchup and demiglace are good.

It's okay you just choose based on your current interest.

One of my favorite childhood drinks from Japan is "Cream Soda".
A cool, melon-flavored carbonated beverage topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This sweet and refreshing Japanese ice cream float might be a bit strange to you, but melon-favored soda is quite popular in Japan.

To be honest, melon syrup doesn’t taste anything like melon, but it tastes quite good.

I would like you to try this refreshing drink with "Omurice" as new Japanese experience.

Please enjoy these meal!

Taimeiken『たいめいけん』

"Taimeiken" is a western-style restaurant and known as long established restaurant chain.

Peak hours are at lunch time on weekends and holidays, and long lines are unavoidable.
It would be better to plan to go there for weekday nights or non-peak hours on weekends and holidays to avoid long waiting.

Standard traditional "Omuraisu" is what I want you to eat. Simple is the best.

Please go to the 1st floor because it has 2 floors and provides different menu.

Please enjoy this meal!

Gusto『ガスト』

"Gusto" is family restaurant chain not "Omurice" restaurant chain.

But let me add this into the list because we can eat good "Omurice" cheeply here.

Gusto provides only "demiglace sause Omurice".

A big chunk of meat is cooked with it and the meat is so tender and juicy.

Please enjoy this meal!

Izakaya is a traditional Japanese bar where alcoholic drinks are served with different affordable snacks and dishes.

It's like a casual bar.

One of the food we often eat in izakaya is "Yakitori".

Torikizoku『鳥貴族』

Yakitori is a Japanese dish of grilled chicken on skewers.

The chicken is cut into bite-sized pieces and includes other parts of the bird, such as the heart and organ etc.

"Torikizoku" is popular Yakitori chain found across Japan.

I always know what to expect at "Torikizoku."

There are many reasons to like it, including its budget-friendly menu, casual atmosphere, and tablet ordering system.

This izakaya concept is like same price(300yen) for all of the meals.
I guess it will be the most attracted point for you.

Please enjoy this meal!

The Japan has isolated culture. So next let's look for some Japanease desserts.
I think Japanese sweets are always creative and delicious, but I think it's different than rest of the world.

I would share the Japanese desserts that the rest of the world should know about.

Speaking of Japanase desserts, many guys might come up with "Matcha(Green tea)" flavor things.

Nana's green tea『ナナズグリーンティー』

We have the matcha cafe chain "Nana's green tea".

I hope this will be good news for any matcha fan will fall in love with. Matcha ice cream is a sweet and refreshing way to end your meal.

The design concept of "Nana’s green tea" is "modern teahouse". Then, you can enjoy matcha desserts and spend the time in Japanease modern style space.

You can find a bunch of matcha desserts here. The best recommendation is the "Matcha parfait" consists of icecream, mochi balls and zellys etc.
The parfait makes you lots of Japanase special dessert at once.

There are wide range of the dessert and drink menu. You can easily understand what it is in English and with the picture here.

Please enjoy this meal!

Last but not least, I recommend you to visit the most popular matcha cafe chain "Tsujiri(辻利)" if you have the plan to go to Kyoto.

Narutotaiyaki『鳴門鯛焼』

I'll share other Japanese snacks for the guys who has sweet teeth!

It's a fish-shaped cake "Taiyaki" which is stuffed anko. Anko is sweet red bean paste and a versatile ingredient that is used to make many Japanese sweets.

The cake is made using pancake or waffle batter that's poured into a fish-shaped mold.
The most commonly used fillings are sweet red bean paste and custard.

I guess red bean paste is strange for you. Please try it if you have the open-mind for new things.
If you completely hesitate to try sweet red bean paste, then the custard is another safety option.

Please enjoy this meal!

This shop has other Japanese desserts like "Monaca" and "Warabimochi". If you want, you can try it as well.