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Its restaurant recommendation time!!

BankerguyCanada

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Hey guys.
Ive got my bars, clubs, lounges, sightseeing, cafes, 'Japanese niche' places lined up for my trip!

But... i havnt done any research on restaurants. Before i dig in.. i was hoping someone could make some recommendations!

Could someone please recommend:

A) Two cheap eats places - maybe a college hangout..somewhere with yummy but cheapo food. Somewhere locals would go. Could be a good ramen shop or good izakaya place etc.

B) Two medium priced level restaurants...think $60 USD for 2 people ($60 before booze. Or maybe 1 drink)

C) Two nice places. Places where you probably should go in wearing more than a tshirt and shorts.. maybe a blazer or suit etc.. NOT toooo fancy. But a nice place. Think $120 USD for two people


Types of food. I like everything except natto.
Sushi. Yakuniku. Japanese Steak ..its all good

Where: ginza shibuya shinjuku ebisu akihabara those areas would be perfect

Thanks.
 
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Also you may want to look at the Open Table app that can be used to make reservations in advance.
 
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You might also want to check out the Japanese drama series "Kodoku no Gurume" (you can find it online with english subtitles) about a businessman who eats at various real-life restaurants It's short, about 30mins, and at the end of every episode, Qusumi-san (the creator of the manga the series is based on) visits the restaurant, has a beer and samples the menu. Each place they show is pretty reasonable, hole in the wall type of place. Already making my list of which of these I want to check out next trip to Japan. :)
 
I'd look at bento.com and other sites to study up on what's on offer. Not just specific shops but types of cuisine.

In the mid-range category, I'm partial to washoku en in marunouchi.
 
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If you like hamburger steak and steak, try Meat Yazawa in Gotanda. Cheaper if you go for lunch , about $20-25. Go ealry and wait in line. We went about 1045a (it opens at 11a) . 20+ people were already waiting. They play country and western music which I thought was cool. Anyway it was delicious.
 
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If your looking for cheap but decent food you have to go to Saizeriya, you can find it almost everywhere.

Its Italian style food but changed to Japanese standards and is tasty and also cheap.

What's also cheap and really good is Marugame Udon, they offer different types if Tempura to your Udon and for less then 1000 yen you can fill yourself up with very nice Udon and tempura.

Also a nice place is Seko no Yamachan, it's actually more like an Izakaya but they are famous for their Tebasaki chicken wings which are addictive.

Price is reasonable and the food is good.
 
Well that must be the first time Saizeriya and food have ever been combined in the same sentence. :p

They offer frozen and bastardised versions of Italian stuff reheated in microwave. Yeah, I still have been found there more than I'm willing to confess as they are everywhere, open 24/7 and thus offer a place to sit down and talk.
 
Well that must be the first time Saizeriya and food have ever been combined in the same sentence.
Truth.
It says something about standards in japan, though, because I would welcome a Saizeriya in large areas of most cities in my country. It would be an awesome step up from the dross on offer today.
Anywhere you see saizeriya in japan, though, there will be something better nearby.
 
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Well that must be the first time Saizeriya and food have ever been combined in the same sentence. :p

They offer frozen and bastardised versions of Italian stuff reheated in microwave. Yeah, I still have been found there more than I'm willing to confess as they are everywhere, open 24/7 and thus offer a place to sit down and talk.
I know right! My stomach cant handle their food..
 
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Places to eat non-Japanese breakfast at: Denny's, Royal Host, will run you less than ¥1000 a person. Their lunch is discounted their dinner meals are expensive at ¥2000 a person so I usually only eat breakfast there.

Places to eat where you will spend about ¥1500 a person. Waco and Sabuten are both tonkatsu restaurants and they are both delicious. I prefer Waco. Hotto Motto is a bento style shop where you have to take out, there is no seating, but a meal will cost less than ¥1000/person. Star Kebab stands are around most popular areas of Tokyo and are a great quick snack on the go.

Places to stay away from. Saizeria (bastardized italian is never good), Kourakuen (some of the worst ramen in Japan and their green and yellow signage makes them easy to tell it is them).

There's also a couple fast food don restaurants that are pretty disgusting for their F quality meat. I can't remember the name of them, someone help a guy out here...
 
If your looking for cheap but decent food you have to go to Saizeriya, you can find it almost everywhere.

Its Italian style food but changed to Japanese standards and is tasty and also cheap.

.
.

Haha! I was reading about these guys. If you go into any Saizeriya kitchen there are no knives as it all comes out of plastic bags.

It is not even that cheap. If you start adding 'extras' like the drink bar, soup, bread roll, dessert - normal restaurants are cheaper if you get the lunch set!
 
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If you just want cheap sushi, then try Hamazushi. It's a national chain with locations in various parts of Japan. Besides the conveyor-belt, they have menus (touchscreens) in both Japanese and English.

Hamazushi is a family restaurant. Certainly not the place for a quiet date.

http://www.hamazushi.com/en/
 
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There's also a couple fast food don restaurants that are pretty disgusting for their F quality meat. I can't remember the name of them, someone help a guy out here...

Yoshinoya and Sukiya? I don't really know if there is any difference in reality but for some reason I have been eating sometimes in Yoshinoya but will avoid Sukiya like a pink salon girl with herpes.
 
Oh and stay away from "Dis"gusto (ie Gusto)
Yoshinoya and Sukiya? I don't really know if there is any difference in reality but for some reason I have been eating sometimes in Yoshinoya but will avoid Sukiya like a pink salon girl with herpes.

I actually like Yoshinoya, it's a different one I think it's Matsuya.
 
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This is my personal opinion.
I know gusto is dasai, but they have some items on the menue that i like.
I used to go every spring to eat their seasonal strawberry pancakes, but i didn't go this year because i know so many tasty restaurants in my neighborhood now, even some who are open until late, so there was no reason to use gusto.

Their corn with butter, cheese fries, tofu salad, and hot milk drink from the drinkbar are also lovely.

I'd absolutely choose gusto over other family restaurants like jonathans, who have nothing on the menue that i can eat except some desserts which i didn't enjoy. Thats why i have a soft spot for gusto, they have a few little things on the menue that are available to non meat eaters. (Dont come to me with stories about what hidden ingredients there are. See no evil, hear no evil ;) )

I kind of like it when guys take me to gusto on a date though because its an absolute no go, so its kind of a good tongue in cheek joke.

I also kind of enjoy Miami Garden. Its butchered italian food and doesn't compare to a real italian restaurant, but for a cheap fast food chain its good. The kind of place you end up after some softcore partying at around 1.00 AM.

Pasela (they sometimes have restaurants in their karaoke buildings) is also good for a place that mircowaves their food but its considerably more expensive.

For sushi, i used to like "smart sushi".
But i ate there a while back and was surprised that i liked it before. My go to sushi place now is not a big chain restaurant so i'll not share it on here. I'm sure its not that special anyway, i only eat veg sushi so i'm no expert.
 
I know right! My stomach cant handle their food..
I meant this seriously though. I was enthusiastic when looking at their menue at first, and the food tasted alright as far as i can remember but i felt sick after and since then i went back there with a group of people once, ordered a pizza but when i got it on my plate it was like my body remembered it and i was so repulsed thati couldn't eat it at all. Have avoided them like the plague ever since.
 
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