Tokyo has a bad rep as being rather expensive. However, we maintain that our beloved capital is very doable – if you know where to look. That goes especially for that holy grail of food: ¥500 lunches, including tax. These little gems have become harder and harder to find in recent years (besides the ubiquitous fast food joints, soba chains and university canteens), but we've tracked down our favourites for you. Walk in with a single big golden coin, walk out with a full belly.
The barbecue place downstairs fervently tries to woo customers, but bargain hunters should head up the stairs towards chicken specialist Tori Ichizu instead. ¥500 gets you either a karaage or chicken nanban (both varieties of fried chicken) set meal here, with the customary rice, miso soup and pickles alongside a token salad. Stretch your budget by ¥50 to ¥100 and you’ll be rewarded with either other types of fried chicken or a larger platter featuring both the karaage and nanban.
Following a salaryman is a pretty good way to find a cheap but decent place to eat, and doing so in salaryman central increases that chance considerably. Gyo-Bar is a local favourite in the Yaesu business district. The daily menu consists of four different ¥500 options ranging from tuna and avocado donburi to curry and rice, plus self-service miso soup. The entire place is standing-only and the most popular options sell out way before closing time. Head to their Kyobashi or Kayabacho outlets for even more lunch options.
Maruka is hard to miss, and not only because of the handsome white noren curtain that marks the entrance. There’s practically always a queue in front of this Jinbocho joint, and for very good reason. Join the line and you’ll soon be handed a simple menu packed with orthodox Kagawa-style udon options, including kake udon (served in broth) and kama-tama (noodles mixed with a raw egg, no soup) – most of them priced under ¥500 for a standard-sized serving.
Neither Roppongi nor neighbouring Nishi-Azabu are known for a wealth of cheap eats, but head into the backstreets and you’ll be rewarded. Nanaban is one such gem, an old-school hole-in-the-wall with absolutely everything on the chuka (a Japanese take on Chinese food) menu going for ¥500 – and most unusually, everything comes with a lot of veggies. Sit down, order (note the menu is in Japanese only), place your fat golden coin in front of you, and guzzle away once served. Just get out as soon as you’re done – this is not the place to linger over your empty plate.
A typical salaryman haunt, this izakaya specialises in iwashi (Japanese sardine), and their lunch menu is unsurprisingly on the fish-heavy side. Choose from the daily options at the counter (the menu is in Japanese), pay ¥500, and receive a coloured token. Sit down and within no time your rather elaborate lunch – complete with rice, miso soup, two types of pickles and some nori or furikake, depending on the main dish – will have made its way to your table. There are two more locations around the corner for when this one is full.
Found near the entrance to Omoide Yokocho ('memory lane') on the Seibu station side in Shinjuku, this counter-only Chinese eatery serves cheap food and drinks from early morning to late at night, with most dishes being an absolute steal. For your ¥500 or less option, order their very tasty ramen (a ludicrous ¥420) or their garlic ramen (¥470); cheat and go ¥20 over budget to make it a bowl of wonton noodle soup.
A direct competitor to its namesake in the gyoza department, this Osaka-original chain mainly beats the other Minmin in the price department. A plate of gyoza here starts at a mere ¥250, and you can have a small set (seven dumplings plus the usual rice, soup, salad and dessert) for one fat ¥500 coin. Their other lunch sets are worth a gander too: items like well-seasoned mapo tofu, a lamb-heavy jingisukan-inspired teishoku and a set with both fried and boiled dumplings can be had for ¥800 or less. Who said eating in Roppongi has to be expensive?
Hidden in the basement of a nondescript office building in Hatchobori is one of Tokyo's true rarities: an Uzbek restaurant, which also serves food from the greater Central Asian region. Their lunch plates are amazing value: your choice of main, plus a cup of soup and a side salad, starting at ¥500. Their one-coin option is a hearty kuru fasulye, a Turkish stew of white kidney beans simmered in a tomato sauce, served with a heap of buttery rice. Stretch your budget by ¥200 and you'll be rewarded with oven-roasted chunks of meat or fish, all very well spiced and full of flavour.
The 3rd Burger claims to offer that rarest of culinary species: a burger that you can eat every day without turning into Morgan Spurlock. The patties are minced from fresh meat (no freezing allowed), the buns are free from additives and preservatives, and most burgers come laden with organic veg, including unorthodox toppings like avocado and wasabi. The regular offerings might be just over ¥500, but if you stick to their basic menu, you can get yourself a regular burger or cheeseburger from a mere ¥314-¥422 (including tax).
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