Its restaurant recommendation time!!

[Ken1988]

Some government offices open their staff canteens to the public around lunch time. They are cheap. Some are decently rated like one in the Ministry of Agriculture, but in the era of austerity, you shouldn't expect too much out of it. In Shinjuku, you can call on the Tokyo government office's staff canteen on the 32nd floor in Nishi-Shinjuku and the Shinjuku municipality office's staff canteen on the basement in the office at the edge of Kabukicho.

 

[SugoiBoy]

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/

Some similar conveyor-belt sushi chains in Japan include Genki Sushi, Kappa Sushi, and Sushiro.

BTW, Kappa Sushi has cute "trains" that deliver the sushi to your table.

http://www.genkisushi.co.jp/en/

https://www.kappasushi.jp/

http://www.akindo-sushiro.co.jp/en/

 

[Izakayaka]

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.

Now this is exactly what i was going to say, never argue with peoples tastes.

I see people here bash me for me recommending Saizeriya but for i have been to Miami Garden and totally didn't like it.

And Miami Garden isn't cheap, you pay several times the amount you would pay at Saizeriya and Miami Garden even charges service fee which i think is the biggest rip off scam people ever created and i didn't even know they charged service fee in Japan.

I have eaten better Italian food outside Italy, i have eaten better Vietnamese food outside Vietnam and better Belgian food outside Belgium.

Saizeriya being an Italian style restaurant in Japan doesnt mean their Italian food is shit, their style and taste especially for the price believe it or not in my opinion is better then you can find in most places in Italy.

 

[Izakayaka]

.

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!

Your wrong, any "normal" restaurant wherever you go in the world is always more expensive then this kind of chain restaurants.

And normal restaurants charge you service fee.

I also dont understand why your adding soup, dessert and bread roll and then call it expensive, thats the case in any place you eat.

I often dont even eat dessert and it just depends on the person, why would you add soup? I can imagine many people wouldnt even order soup or bread roll.

And the drinks are unlimited, besides that the fact that it comes out of plastic bags doesnt make it bad per definition. It means there is a consistency in the quality and can be cooked fast which is a plus for people who dont want to wait long time for their food and that could change in quality every time somebody else is in the kitchen.

I have been there with Japanese friends and they are not complaining about the quality or taste.

Ofcourse its not the best thing in Japan, thats obvious but for the price and to be able to sit in restaurant style its a decent place for a fast meal.

 

[User#8628]

Now this is exactly what i was going to say, never argue with peoples tastes.

I see people here bash me for me recommending Saizeriya but for i have been to Miami Garden and totally didn't like it.

And Miami Garden isn't cheap, you pay several times the amount you would pay at Saizeriya and Miami Garden even charges service fee which i think is the biggest rip off scam people ever created and i didn't even know they charged service fee in Japan.

I have eaten better Italian food outside Italy, i have eaten better Vietnamese food outside Vietnam and better Belgian food outside Belgium.

Saizeriya being an Italian style restaurant in Japan doesnt mean their Italian food is shit, their style and taste especially for the price believe it or not in my opinion is better then you can find in most places in Italy.

I wouldn't call Miami Garden expensive. I can eat there a dinner for under 2000 yen.

Yes, saizaria is dirt cheap, just in my personal experience i got sick after eating it and cant eat it anymore.

All of the restaurants i mentioned in my post above i wouldn't consider "good food" or any quality, they are just options for when you dont have money or when its midnight and nothing else is open.

 

[impish]

I see people here bash me for me recommending Saizeriya

I don't think we were bashing you, I am pretty sure we were bashing Saizeriya ;-)

 

[chaztagster]

Defensive much?
Kind of funny when someone throws out the "de gustibus" defence and then spends six paragraphs disputing everyone else's opinion.