When you’re visiting Japan, you probably have a checklist of foods to try during the trip. From Sushi, to Yakiniku or Ramen, the choices are pretty much endless. Even if you include some lesser-known options like Monjayaki, Yoshoku – Japan’s take on Western Cuisine – is probably not anywhere on that list. Born from European inspirations, these dishes eventually developed into distinct cuisines of their own, with many stores specializing in one dish, or offering a wide selection of Yoshoku. Saizeriya falls into the latter category. As a chain of Casual Family-Style restaurants, Saizeriya offers a wide range of Italian Yoshoku at a very affordable price. And while Yoshoku wasn’t very high up on my priority list, my friend certainly was interested in trying (read: interested because of Mob Psycho.) As a result, here I am, at Saizeriya, so let’s answer the question: How Good is Saizeriya Actually?
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🥘 Doria with Meat Sauce & Egg (¥350) 🥘
A classic Yoshoku Dish of Rice with White Sauce, served Gratin style with Cheese, Meat Sauce, and an Onsen Egg. The flavor profile here is sort of a mix of Risotto and Lasagne, a nice blend of Bechamel, Meat & Tomato Sauce, and Mozzarella Cheese.
I’ve always liked this combination for some reason, so this was an easy pick for me!
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🍳 Beef Hamburg Steak with Demi-Glace Sauce (Lunch Set)(¥650) Small Rice (¥-50) 🍳
Another popular Yoshoku Dish, though this one is probably much more well-known. While the standard Hamburg Steak is a combination of minced Pork and Beef, we went for the 100% Beef option for an additional ¥100. In any case, it’s served with an Onion Sauce, Fried Egg, Corn, Crispy Potato, and Rice.
🍚 Rice – Small Serving (- ¥50) 🍚
Like with a lot of restaurants in Japan, you also have the option to reduce the rice portion for your dish with a slight discount. So for my friend, who’s preparing for a heavy meal later in the evening, this option was an easy pick, AND he gets to save some money too!
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🧀 Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese (¥300) 🧀
For Appetizers, I went for the Buffalo Mozzarella. It’s what you expect, a nice creamy cheese curd with a side of Olive Oil and Salt. Quite the great start for a meal, if you ask me. Normally I’d go for the Prosciutto, but in the interest of sharing with my friend, I went for this option today.
(Care to take a guess if he ended up trying the dish with me? No… no he didn’t. Still, I really enjoyed this dish, though)
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🥗 Lunch Special: Soup & Salad (¥+150) 🥗
From opening hours to around 3PM, Saizeriya runs their usual Lunch special, where you get a side salad and a bowl of soup for an additional 150 yen. Not a bad deal if you want some fresh sides to your meal. (Soup not pictured, we kinda forgot about it…)
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🍹 Lunch Special: Drink Bar (¥+100) 🍹
Likewise, unlimited soda and other beverages can also be ordered during their Lunch hours. They even have little recipes on the machines on how to make a custom mocktail.
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🧂 Condiments & Sauce Bar 🧂
It’s nothing special, but worth noting that there are quite the bit of sauces over by the drinks corner. From the standard Salt & Pepper, to their Signature Hot Sauce. They also have Parmesan Cheese and Olive Oil over there, for those who like to top their dishes with some extra. (Like myself, but not my friend, apparently…)
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⭐VERDICT⭐
So how good is Saizeriya actually? It’s a casual family-style restaurant, value-for-money is probably why you’re eating here in the first place. For around ¥300-600, you get an all-around filling comfort food. Taste wise, it’s a straight “good.” Nothing to write home about, but also no real major flaws to complain about. All in all a pretty nice place to have a relaxing meal, and worth a look at if you want a quick, and affordable, bite for the day. If you want to try out a Japanese twist on European cuisine, or want something affordable but filling after a long day of travelling, consider dropping by at Saizeriya.
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🚗HOW TO GET THERE 🚗
Saizeriya can be found throughout the country, so have a look at Google Maps to see the store nearest to you. The one I went to was around my hotel, a quick walk from Ueno station, on the other side of the road from the main Ueno Market area.
Saizeriya – Ueno Branch
🌏 Location: Suzumoto Building 2F 2 Chome-7-12 Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0005, Japan
🗺 Map: https://goo.gl/maps/mS2HHpgdZg5EMgC38
⏰ Opening Hours: 11AM to 2AM (varies by store)
💻 Website: https://www.saizeriya.co.jp/
