Eating Out on a Budget in Tokyo
For a student in Tokyo, time and money are major concerns. Though you want to be thrifty with food, you still want to make sure you’re eating healthy food that tastes good. Also, with hectic schedules, you might prefer to study or absorb Japan’s culture rather than cook. A convenient solution is to eat out or buy prepared meals.
Tokyo can be expensive if you don’t know where to get good, affordable meals. Still, there are several dining places whose prices won’t put a hole in your pocket.
The term “B-class gourmet” was coined in 2009 when simple but tasty budget meals were made available. It’s a smart, frugal way to dine. Japanese pubs known as izakayas and meat-grilling restaurants called yakiniku offer these B-class gourmet meals.
Here are some affordable options for eating out in Tokyo, from B-class gourmet meals to mega-cheap restaurants that offer you a hearty meal.
Gyudon set with karaage chicken from Sukiya Restaurant.
Sukiya – a restaurant chain that serves delicious gyudon, curry, and donburi. Sukiya (すき家) is considered to be the largest gyudon restaurant chain. It has 1,964 restaurants scattered all around the 47 Japanese prefectures as of 2017, and more all around the world. Its slogan is straight to the point, written in romanji”save time and money”.
Makaila Puhrmann, KCP Winter 2018 student at Kua ‘Aina.
Kua`Aina, which means “hidden” in the Hawaiian language, is a restaurant located in Sunshine City, a building complex in East Ikebukuro. It is Tokyo’s oldest city within a city and has a 240 meter tall Sunshine 60 skyscraper right at the center. Kua ‘Aina is a Hawaiian-style hamburger joint with amazing Western portions. Kua ‘Aina’s first branch was located at a small town in Hawaii called Haleiwa.
Holly Westbrook, KCP Winter 2018 student at Cocochiyo Cafe.
Cocochiyo Café is not not your typical Japanese restaurant. It’s more of a coffee shop. It prides itself in serving freshly ground, siphoned coffee. They have an English menu on hand and they serve delicious all day meals from breakfast to dinner.
CHATTY CHATTY is a favorite haunt for many KCP students because of its close proximity to the school and the delicious and gigantic burgers, hot fries, and milkshakes, among other things that remind American students of good old Western comfort food with matching Western-sized portions. The restaurant is immaculately clean, seats 20, with minimal yet efficient staff.
