Outside of street food stalls and the occasional side order, I’ve never really dedicated a full meal exclusively to Karaage. So for today, I decided to stop by Karayama today to try out some of their budget-friendly Karaage Set meals.

And while all their different sets look quite appetizing – for today’s review, I’m getting their classic Teishoku Set to see how their Karaage stacks up.

So, how was the Karaage Set here? And is this place worth a visit? Let’s get to it. How Good is Karayama Actually?

–Menu & Ordering–
–Karayama Set Meal (6 Pieces)–
–Karaage–
–Set Contents, Sauces, and Sides–
–Verdict–
–Getting There–

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📋 Menu & Ordering 📋

You’ll be making your orders via their ordering machine. (Text is in Japanese though, so maybe have a look at the menu & prices beforehand)

Once you’ve selected your dish, pay for the meal, and make your way towards an available seat, where the staff will confirm your order and serve you some hot tea.

And since the place has counter-style seatings, make sure to grab a seat with a good view of the kitchen as the chefs prepare your meal.

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🍗 Karayama Set Meal (6 Pieces) – ¥950 🍗

Karayama’s 6-Piece Set Meal comes with 6 pieces of Karaage, some rice, shredded cabbage, and miso soup. Pretty standard as far as set meals go, but at this price point, that’s plenty enough. 

Side Note: If you just want a quick bite, you can also get this Set Meal with 3pcs. of Karaage for ¥560.

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🍗 Karaage 🍗

The Karaage are made to order – from flouring to frying – and as you can see from their exterior, look extremely inviting.

The chicken is tender and juicy (though not as juicy as some street food places,) and the crispy, glass-like skin and the pepper-forward seasoning really adds some extra depth to the Karaage. 

Overall really solid, though if I had to note one criticism of the Karaage – at least for my taste – is that while the Karaage was juicy and well seasoned by itself, eating it with the rice left me feeling like it tasted a little… bland. (since the rice doesn’t add any flavor.)

The other set options all have some sort of sauce, so that fixes the problem. But if you wanna order the standard set like I did, that’s something to note. (I always carry packets of salt with me while I travel for moments like this – like a *normal* person – but that doesn’t factor into the review…)

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🍱 Set Contents, Sauces, and Sides 🍱

Outside of the Karaage, the set also comes served with a bowl of rice, shredded cabbage, and miso soup (with tororo kombu), plus some pickled radish, mayonnaise, and sesame dressing on the counter.

A pretty decent selection, though based on the sign on the table and other reviews I’ve seen, it seems that this store doesn’t offer Karayama’s sauces (which would’ve helped with my set) and (unlimited) Shiokara – salted fermented octopus.

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⭐VERDICT⭐

So how good is Karayama actually? Yeah, it’s quite good. By itself, the Karaage was fantastic, and if there was a set that had more than just 6 pieces, you’d totally see me getting it next time. 

The rest of the set was also pretty nice, and though it might not be at the top of my Karaage tier list – when factoring the price point – it’s really quite the satisfying meal.

But like I mentioned in the Karaage section, I did think this particular set was missing some sort of sauce to round off the whole experience. So either grab some salt or mayonnaise, order a different set with a sauce, or check out their other stores – which serve two different sauces with this set.

But with all that being said, if you just need a quick and easy meal with some tasty Karaage at a very nice price point, then definitely stop by Karayama!

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🚗 GETTING THERE 🚗

Karayama only has a single store in the main Tokyo area, oddly enough (the others in Tokyo are a decent bit away.) This particular store is located on the 1st Floor of New Shinbashi Building, right around Shimbashi Station.

JR Lines – Hibiya Exit + 3 mins walk
Ginza Line – Exit 6 + 3 mins walk.
Asakusa Line – Exit A2-2 + 6 mins walk.
Yurikamome Line – Karasumori Exit + 5 mins walk.

This Karayama shop has 2 entrances, so you can either enter through the front of the store, or via the entrance within New Shinbashi Building.

💬 Final Words 💬

I was originally introduced to Karayama through their branch in Bangkok, and after realizing that it was a chain from Japan, I knew I had to try it there as well.

Surprisingly enough, the Bangkok and Tokyo stores were quite different (Bangkok had larger chicken pieces, a thicker (less spiced) crust, and was noticeably juicier than the Tokyo store.) Oh, did I mention the Thai store came with a selection of sauces?

But which store do I prefer, you ask? As a meal, I’d say I prefer the Bangkok store more, but for the more authentic “Karaage” feel, the Japan store definitely has the edge.

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Karayama (Shimbashi Store)

🌏 Location 🌏
Japan, 105-0004 Tokyo, Minato City, Shinbashi, 2 Chome−16−1 New Shinbashi Building 1F
🗺 Map 🗺
https://maps.app.goo.gl/jjqeE2Jrb3cqncgx7
⏰ Opening Hours ⏰
10:30 A.M. to 10:30 P.M. (Last Order 10 P.M.)
💻 Website 💻
https://www.arclandservice.co.jp/karayama/
🏠 List of Stores 🏠
https://shop.arclandservice.co.jp/ae-shop/spot/list?category=04
📖 Online Menu (Japanese) 📖
https://www.arclandservice.co.jp/karayama/menu/

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