These are some Slimes we’d be happy to see while we’re eating. A huge part of Yoshinoya’s success is that while it’s a low-priced place to get a hot meal, eating there doesn’t feel “cheap.” The food is tasty, the portions are good, and the restaurants are clean. News of an upcoming infestation of Slimes […]

Sukiya serves up a unique interpretation of miso ramen. Along with Yoshinoya and Matsuya, Sukiya is one of Japan’s big-three gyudon/beef bowl chains. But while Sukiya has always been a great place to grab a bowl of beef over rice, as of this month it’s also a place where you can get ramen…kind of. At […]

Ordinarily cheap Matsuya opens a high-priced Matsuya inside another upscale Matsuya. Japanese department stores have food departments on their basement levels, and naturally the fancier department stores offer fancier foods. So it might surprise some shoppers at the Matsuya department store in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza neighborhood to find that one of Japan’s cheapest restaurant chains […]

A tale of four Matsuyas, and a whole lot of gourmet wagyu beef. As one of the country’s big-three gyudon/beef bowl chains, Matsuya is among the top choices for those looking for a cheap but hearty meal in Japan. But maybe it doesn’t always need to be quite so cheap, and so Matsuya has made […]

Matsuya makes the step from beefy bowls to milky drinks, but only at select locations for now. Hamburgers and milk shakes have been happily coexisting on fast food restaurant menus for generations…so why not add them to the offerings at other beef-centric eateries? This week Matsuya, one of Japan’s big-three gyudon/beef bowl chains and rival […]

I mean, if I were a mother, I’d appreciate it. Mother’s Day is just around the corner, which means it’s once again time to think of a present to repay the person who gave you the very gift of life. That’s a pretty big thing when you think about it, so a cliche gift like […]

There’s a beautiful reason why Mr. Matsuda didn’t name his restaurant after himself. As Japan’s biggest restaurant chain for gyudon (beef bowl), and also its primary ambassador abroad, Yoshinoya is practically synonymous with the dish, But have you ever wondered how the chain got its name? Looking at how Yoshinoya is written in Japanese, 吉野家, […]