Working late at later night or traveler just arrive in Tokyo at night time seeking for something to fill their stomach may be a trouble if you don’t like microwave food from the convenience store. Most restaurants, gourmets and cafe doors close at 10pm sharp. If you are hungry in the early morning, you probably will go to Lawson, Familymart or 7-eleven for foods and snacks. However, if you prefer something more well prepared and better cooked than microwave food at convenience stores, then I can suggest the best 10 “24 hours restaurants” around Tokyo.
Matsuya
The restaurant is easily identify by the yellow color logo background, is well-known for its “gyudon” (beef bowl) serve with slice of shredded marinated beef with onion over stream rice. The pieces of beef is juicy and delicious that boiled in soup and serve to you in no time. There are also “Katsudon” known as fish or Pork cutlet cover over rice, usually serve together with miso soup. There is also curry rice, salad and alcohol available as well. Matsuya has only rice, no bread or ramen. No worry about language barrier, once you enter the store there will be a vending machine at the left hand sided, just choose the menu you want and use your cash or suica card to pay from there. You will get a ticket from the machine, the next step is hand the ticket over to the staff and he or she will prepare your dish for you in less than 15 minutes. Please keep in mind that not all branches open for 24-hours.
How to order food: Buy ticket from vending machine (No talking require)
Menu Language: English and Japanese
Recommended menu: BBQ Beef & Kimchi Bowl
Complimentary: Free water and tea
Score: 4
Location: https://pkg.navitime.co.jp/matsuyafoods/spot/list?c_dcflg01=1&lang=en
Sukiya
This restaurant chain located in every prefecture in Japan, is similar to Matsuya where gyudon and Katsudon are available in the menu, beside of beef and pork the store also serve grilled eel over rice. “Donburi” (fish and veggies) is also serve here. The curry rice come with side dishes with vegetables and steak, you can also choose the level of the spiciness. If you are a budget traveler, I would highly recommend this restaurant as a choice. The price and foods reasonable and valuable. What I really like about this store is the menu can be customized with different topping including cheese and kimchi which Sukiya is trying to differential from other similar Gyudon food stores.
How to order food: Talk to the staff
Menu Language: Japanese
Recommended menu: Gyudon with 3 Cheeses (とろ〜り3種のチーズ牛丼)
Complimentary: Free water
Score: 4.5
Location: https://www.sukiya.jp/en/locations/
Yoshinoya
Yoshinoya is known as “The King Of Gyudon” in Japan and is the busiest food store in big city during rush hour. This food chain restaurant is started since 1899 with its first branch in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. With orange background in its logo, this store is keeping its strength for serving cheap, delicious and quick foods to their customers ever since. Yoshinoya’s food menu are quite the same with the above two food chain stores. What make this one different is probably the variety of choice of topping customization and the juicy taste of the marinated BBQ slice beef and onions with special secret sauce. It has grilled salmon and streamed vegetables for your choice if you are eating clean. To make your rice bowl delicious and tasty, get a raw egg, mix it in a seperate bowl and spread it on top of your beef bowl.
How to order food: Buy ticket from vending machine (No talking require)
Menu Language: English, Korean and Chinese
Recommended menu: Unagi rice bowl (grilled eel)
Complimentary: Free water
Score: 4
Location: https://map.yoshinoya.com/p/shopmap/
Isomaru Suisan
If you like seafoods such as sashimi, crab, oyster, mussels, raw fishes or Izakaya style. Then this restaurant is for you, the interior looks old-fashioned unlike the first three above. You will get to try every kind of seafoods that is available in the store at a very low price compare to other shops. There are more than hundred branches in Japan, mostly in Tokyo while the few in other prefectures. The foods they serve are very fresh, at the entrance you will get to see the fishes are swimming in the tanks. You will get to BBQ the foods yourself which can be the fun part of eating at this restaurant. Furthermore, you will find snail and clams in the menu book as well. All dishes will come to you in less than 10 minutes even if the space is packed with people. If you don’t read Japanese, ask the staff for an ipad, it has English menu in the device. Beware that since you have to cooked the foods yourself, the place is very smoky with delicious smell.
How to order food: Talk to the staff
Menu Language: English and Japanese
Recommended menu: Kani-Miso (grilled crab)
Complimentary: None
Score: 5
Location: https://www.sfpdining.jp/search/?service=24%E6%99%82%E9%96%93%E5%96%B6%E6%A5%AD&todofuken=0
Mc Donald’s
The global chain restaurant is in Japan. If you are hungry you can grab a hamburger for 200 Yen (US$2) and it is worth to go for happy meal to add the toy for your collection. What the Japanese Mc Donald’s has is mostly available in your country as well. There are a few menu that you won’t get back in your motherland and it is a great place to access your facebook with free wifi.
How to order food: At the counter
Menu Language: English and Japanese
Recommended menu: Coffee and ice cream
Complimentary: Free Wifi
Score: 3
Location: https://map.mcdonalds.co.jp/?f=2
Gusto
Similar to a US -style dinning place. Gusto is a family style restaurant that serve a combination of different menu from western hamburger, beef steak, pizza, spaghetti to Japanese ramen. Also a lot of desserts for your choice. Gusto is available throughout Japan. The choice include All-you-can-drinks beverages at the drink bar and there is a smoking and non-smoking section in the restaurant.
How to order food: Press the bell at the table
Menu Language: English and Japanese
Recommended menu: Breakfast
Complimentary: All you can drink (pay extra)
Score: 3.5
Location: https://store-info.skylark.co.jp/gusto/?_resl=true
Jonathan’s
Is a sister company of Gusto, all menu are identical and price is slightly higher. It is a premium family restaurant who want better cooked foods. If you are an Italian fan, you can give it a go.
How to order food: Press the bell at the table
Menu Language: English and Japanese
Recommended menu: Maccha Parfait
Complimentary: None
Score: 4
Location: https://store-info.skylark.co.jp/jonathan/?_resl=true
Denny’s
Denny’s in America and Japan has a totally different kind of menu. A food chain restaurant operated by Seven & iHolding is a truly US style dinner place and its’ menu has a variety of Japanese and Western foods. Mostly menus are aim at healthy eaters. It has a lot of beefs in the menu as well.
How to order food: Press the bell at the table
Menu Language: English and Japanese
Recommended menu: Hamburger Steak Sets
Complimentary: None
Score: 4
Location: https://shop.dennys.jp/?_ga=2.230213532.1223622210.1530869894-1117875459.1530503637
Sushi-Zanmai
As the name explained itself, this restaurant is selling Sushi at reasonable price. Raw fishes, oyster and clam shell are extremely fresh. You can get Tuna, Salmon, Unagi (eel), Tamago (egg), Ebi, Hamachi, Mackerel and Squid here.
How to order food: Talk with the staff
Menu Language: English, Korean, Chinese and Japanese
Recommended menu: California and Salmon Rolls
Complimentary: None
Score: 4.5
Location: http://www.kiyomura.co.jp/shops/#area11
Ichiran Ramen
The No.1 raman (egg noodle) chain food restaurant in Japan. If you are a big fan of Ramen you shouldn’t miss this one. It usually serve its noodle in a well cooked tasty flavorful soup with slice of tender pork as topping plus a variety of add on available. You can customize the spiciness of the soup and noodle as well. There is usually a long queue in famous tourist spot area, it takes no more than 20 minutes to get a seat and you also need to pay at the ticket machine and choose your kind of soup and noodle on a piece of paper. The table counter is partitioned so you won’t be able to chit chat with your friends. This place provide a very privacy space when eating your food.
How to order food: Pay at ticket machine and customize the food before giving to the staff at the table
Menu Language: English, Korean, Chinese, Thai and Japanese
Recommended menu: The Classic Tonkotsu Ramen
Complimentary: Free water
Score: 4.5
Location: https://en.ichiran.com/shop/map-jp.html