Japanese national gyudon chain Yoshinoya is the origin of the gyudon beef bowl, Japan’s top fast food item. It’s quick, delicious and packed with protein and other nutrients for the traveller on the go!
The founder of Yoshinoya is said to have coined the word “gyudon” way back in 1899. “Gyu” means “beef”, and “don” is short for “donburi” or “bowl.” What sets Yoshinoya gyudon beef bowls apart, including the best options on the menu and what makes them special?
Let’s look at how to spend 1,000 yen to create an excellent breakfast and lunch while in Japan at Yoshinoya.
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Yoshinoya’s Menu: Classic Beef Bowls and Modern Twists
Yoshinoya’s menu is focused on classic options like the original gyudon beef bowl – thin-sliced beef sauteed with onions and simmered in soy sauce, mirin (sweet wine), cooking sake and a dash of sugar over rice.
Other standard menu options include the popular beef and cheese bowl, beef and kimchi, yakiniku beer barbeque bowl, and pork bowls.
Yoshinoya also features karaage (Japanese fried chicken) bowls, which can be enjoyed alongside the famous beef in a fried chicken and beef bowl – the best of both worlds!
Yoshinoya is also famous for its “double meals”, which offer hearty portions of two meat selections in a “set menu” (rice served separately) style. At just over 900 yen after tax, these double meals are a major bang for the buck for the hungry traveller.
Japan is a country in love with curry rice, and Yoshinoya has a number of curry options as well, including Fried Chicken Spicy Curry, Grilled Beef Rib Spicy Curry and Butter Chicken Curry. Curry dishes can be topped with Quattro Formaggi (four-cheese blend), a soft-boiled egg or natto (fermented soybeans).
While the menu is meat-centric, a number of different side dishes can be added to any Yoshinoya order to give your meal a healthy kick. These include Tororo grated yam, Japanese pickles, kimchi, salad, and potato salad.
Aside from beef, chicken and pork-centric meat dishes, Yoshinoya also offers a Cheese Beef Salad and Kimchi Beef Salad for diners cutting carbs. These dishes feature all the delicious toppings of a deluxe beef bowl, served over salad instead of rice.
Tips and Vocabulary for Ordering at Yoshinoya
For the most part, Yoshinoya restaurants now feature tablets for ordering, while some may still feature paper menus and verbal ordering. The menus feature photos of the menu selections, so ordering should be easy even if you don’t speak Japanese. Note that you can order, receive your meal and generally pay at your seat.
In general, what you need to complete your order is: (1) the name of the dish (i.e. gyudon with cheese), (2) the size and (3) any applicable set menu options or side dishes. For example:
(1) Gyudon beef bowl / Cheese gyudon / Beef & kimchi bowl, etc.
(2) Size selections:
- Nami (regular) +/- 0 yen
- Atama no omori (extra beef, regular rice) +100 yen
- Omori (extra beef, extra rice) +160 yen
- Toku-mori (super large beef and rice) +280 yen
- Cho-toku-mori (mega large beef and rice) +370 yen
(3) Value set options:
- Salad set
- Potato salad set
- Pickles set
- Kimchi set
- Fried chicken set
(all sets include miso soup)
At Yoshinoya, there are also a few secret menu ordering tips you can use to customize your order as desired. See a few examples below:
- Tsuyu-daku (extra sauce; this will make your gyudon beef bowl quite full of liquid, but extra delicious – spoon highly recommended in this case)
- Tsuyu-nuki (no sauce; if you find gyudon beef bowls have too much sauce, you can ask for this option and get a drier bowl)
- Negi-nuki (no onions; for those adverse to alliums)
Finally, it’s worth noting that while many counter-style, smaller Yoshinoya locations will serve you water and take away your tray when your meal is finished, larger locations, as pictured below, feature self-service water stations and tray return windows.
As is common in Japan, guests often pitch in by serving their own drinks or returning their dishes and utensils – just another way Japanese society has inherent levels of respect.
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How I Spent 1,000 Yen at Yoshinoya: Breakfast
With so many options at Yoshinoya, the selection is almost dizzying, but there’s always a new special feature that entices the hungry visitor. Waking up hungry, I found myself at Yoshinoya for a hearty breakfast: the Salted Mackerel Beef Small Bowl Set Meal.
The base price of 606 yen included a cut of salted mackerel (saba), a small portion of Yoshinoya’s famous simmered beef and onions, a salad with dressing, rice and miso soup. I also selected “asari” miso soup (clams) for an extra 178 yen and added the most delicious and necessary side item – a soft-boiled egg (98 yen).
My Salted Mackerel Beef Small Bowl Set Meal with “asari” clam miso soup and soft-boiled egg came to 882 yen. This was an absolute bargain for a well-balanced, dynamite breakfast, and the clam miso soup provided an extra healthy boost to my morning.
How I Spent 1,000 Yen at Yoshinoya: Lunch
When I visited Yoshinoya for lunch, the special double beef plate “Mugitoro Gozen” looked very enticing – a double portion of classic Yoshinoya beef served with “mugi-meshi” (white rice with barley mixed in for added nutrition), tororo (grated yam, another Japanese superfood), sliced okra and a hearty bowl of miso soup.
As a faithful gyudon beef bowl fan, when eating at Yoshinoya, I was once again impressed by the quality of ingredients and the balance of flavours.
The beef was paper thin, nearly melting and savoury but not overpowering. The tororo grated yam was fresh and invigorating. As a very Japanese-style side dish, it’s a great option to experiment with for the adventurous eater to see how Japanese people find satisfaction in healthy, classic choices.
The “Mugitoro Gozen” plate came to 1,094 yen after tax and was a sublime, balanced lunchtime meal to power me through the day.
Elevated Atmosphere and Service at Yoshinoya
Aside from the fresh, delicious and balanced flavors that give competitors a run for their money – Yoshinoya vs Sukiya or Yoshinoya vs Matsuya would be a heated debate – Yoshinoya comes with a level of atmosphere and service that also sets the original gyudon beef bowl chain apart.
For some interesting history of the storied establishment, the first and second oldest Yoshinoya restaurants in Japan were located inside fish markets: the original Tokyo Fish Market in Nihonbashi and the Tsukiji Fish Market in central Tokyo.
Unfortunately, both locations have closed, and the latter fish market was completely relocated to Toyosu in 2018.
Nonetheless, Yoshinoya retains a friendly, stylish interior ambience with over a century of welcoming hungry diners from all walks of life. As Japan’s most globally recognized gyudon beef bowl chain, Yoshinoya is accommodating for international visitors from all walks of life who are keen to try Japan’s most famous fast food.
Japan’s capacity to accommodate English speakers has improved steadily over the decades. Especially in the major cities, given how many employees are from different countries in recent years, using English won’t be a major problem at Yoshinoya.
Final Thoughts: Yoshinoya is the King of Gyudon
After eating a number of gyudon dishes across Japan, including all three major chains – Sukiya, Matsuya and Yoshinoya – I certainly think Yoshinoya takes home the crown in terms of taste, atmosphere and variety.
Spending 1,000 yen or less at Yoshinoya guarantees an incredible meal filled with Japanese flavors, certified healthy benefits, and absolute satisfaction.
Yoshinoya is the perfect choice to dip your toe into Japanese cuisine – including the many unique side dishes and endless flavour combinations. For the adventurous eater, it’s a perfect chance to try something off the beaten, and even if you like to play it safe, Yoshinoya and Yoshinoya beef bowls are an amazing first experience with Japanese “fast food” cuisine!
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Caleb DeMarais is a writer, translator and content creator based in Tokyo. When not exploring Japan’s timeless countryside or considering 400 years of living history on every corner of Tokyo, he’s digging into Japanese culinary traditions – including a specialty in Wagyu – both new and old, alongside Japanese literature and history. A lifelong student of Japanese language and culture, his fascination with everything Japan continues to inspire his work today. A selection of his writing for the JNTO can be found here.