I’m back again at another Gyudon shop, and today’s visit is at Matsuya.

Matsuya has always been my go-to late night meal, so when I thought about visiting all the Gyudon chains to compare their Gyudon, this was the store I was most looking forward to.

So with plans for dinner all set up, I entered the shop and got my usual order. Let’s get to it. How Good Is Matsuya Actually?

–Ordering Process–
–Matsuya’s Self-Service Store–
–Gyudon topped with Extra Green Onions–
–Gyudon Beef–
–Green Onion Topping–
–Raw Egg Topping–
–Matsuya’s Sauces–
–Classic Gyudon–
–Beef Curry Rice with Gyudon–
–Grilled Boneless Pork Rib with Salt-Based Green Onion Sauce–
–Self-Service Tray Return–
–Verdict–
–Getting There–

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📋 Ordering Process 📋

At Matsuya, you’ll be making your orders via the kiosks by the entrance. There’s a good selection of Gyudon, curry rice, rice bowls, and set meals available, so have a look go for whatever interests you. 

Here’s a look at Matsuya’s menu: https://www.matsuyafoods.co.jp/english/menu/

Once you’ve gotten everything you need, hit the yellow ‘confirm order’ button and pay for the order (cash and cashless options available here.)

You’ll be given a couple of tickets with your order number on it, so keep those handy while you wait for your meal.

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🏪 Self-Service Store 🏪

The Matsuya at Asakusa Kokusaidori is one of their self-service stores. Your order will automatically be sent to the kitchen once you’re done with payment, but you’ll need to head to the counter to pick up your items once it’s ready (your number will be displayed on the monitors around the store.) 

Like with all Matsuya locations, the water here is complimentary – with hot and cold options for plain water and matcha.

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🍱 Gyudon topped with Extra Green Onions (Extra Large) – ¥870 🍱
🥚 + Raw Egg – ¥80 🥚

Here’s what I ordered today – Matsuya’s Extra Large Gyudon topped with Green Onions and an additional raw egg. For a meal under ¥1,000, it’s certainly quite a big portion.

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🥩 Gyudon Beef 🥩

Matsuya’s Gyudon beef is among one of the thinner ones I’ve come across (~1.1mm). As a result, the sliced beef here is extremely tender, and almost had a melt-in-your-mouth quality to it.

The beef also had a nice flavor, from the usual beefy notes to the rich sweetness from the fat – and that’s not even factoring the Tare broth. 

The Tare broth at Matsuya has all the classic flavors of Gyudon, with a very slight lean towards the lighter and sweeter side of things. Personal preference, of course, but I really like Matsuya’s balance of flavors here.

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🥗 Green Onion Topping 🥗

As for the Green Onion topping, Matsuya does things a little bit differently. In addition to the regular sliced green onions, it also comes with this Negi Shio Dare-like sauce, made with Green Onions, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, and some Yuzu (or that’s what I think it is, anyways.) The flavors in this is nothing short of magical, I say. In contrast to the slow-simmered profile of the Gyudon, the green onion adds such a nice citrusy kick that really brightens up the dish. 

I’ve been a big fan of Negi Shio Dare ever since I tried it with some Gyutan, and to see it on a bowl of Gyudon? You know I had to order this out. 

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🥚 + Raw Egg – ¥80 🥚

Anyways, back to the Gyudon. Matsuya’s raw egg is served whole, with a bowl for the egg and another for the shells. It can be a little bothersome if you don’t wanna crack it yourself, but at least you know that it’s a whole egg you’re getting.

Top it on the beef, or mix it up with the rice. Whichever option you choose, the heat will cook the egg slightly, adding a really nice silky richness (and sweetness) to the dish. 

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Side Note: Every dine-in order at Matsuya comes with a free bowl of Miso soup, with an optional ¥210 upgrade if you’d prefer a heartier Tonjiru (Miso Soup with Veggies and Pork Slices.)

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🧂 Matsuya’s Sauces 🧂

Matsuya has a bunch of different sauces and condiments available. From your standard Shoyu, Benishoga ginger, and Shichimi pepper, to Sesame and Salad Dressings, and three different types of “Yakiniku Sauces” (Same English names for some reason, but Red = Sweet Yakiniku Sauce, Green = Ponzu Sauce, Blue = Barbeque Sauce) Experiment around to see which is your favorite.

As for my preference? I prefer my Gyudon without the sauce. But if I had to choose just one, my pick would be the Blue Barbeque Sauce for the added sweetness and acidity it brings to the meal. Work really well with their Grilled Short Ribs, if you’re interested in getting that.

Here’s my review on Matsuya’s Grilled Beef Short Ribs set
Full Review: Matsuya (Sennichimae Store)

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🍱 Gyudon (Extra Large) – ¥720 🍱

Here’s a look at Matsuya’s standard Gyudon. Similar presentation as the Green Onion one, but (obviously) without the green onion.

It’s simply a really good bowl of Gyudon, and you’ll find me occasionally ordering this one over the green onion one from time to time.

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🍛 Beef Curry Rice topped with Gyudon (Large) – ¥940 🍛

Curry Rice dishes are pretty common at Gyudon shops like this, and I decided to give this one a try.

Flavor-wise, it’s a pretty nice plate of curry with a decent mix of spices. There isn’t much heat (at all), but that can easily be fixed by adding some shichimi pepper to the curry. I also wasn’t expecting any beef in the curry here, but there’s a good amount of it, and the chunks were nice and tender.

And for the Gyudon topping? It’s your standard Matsuya Gyudon, so it has to be good. I prefer to eat them separately from the curry (as a 2-in-1 dish), but there’s nothing to stop you from combining the two.

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🍱 Grilled Boneless Pork Rib with Salt-Based Green Onion Sauce (Large) – ¥730 🍱

Here’s a little variation on my favorite Matsuya dish – slices of grilled pork ribs, served with some rice and the usual Green Onion topping.

Instead of the slow-simmered Gyudon beef, the pork slices here are seared over the grill, resulting in a much bolder flavor that compliments the bright, citrusy Negi Shio Dare really well.  

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🏪 Self-Service Tray Return 🏪

As a self-service store, don’t forget to return your tray once you’re all done. 

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⭐VERDICT⭐

So how good is Matsuya actually? Yeah, it’s really good! Matsuya’s Gyudon has all the sweet/savory flavors you’d expect from a good bowl of Gyudon, their thinly-sliced beef is extremely tender, and that Negi Shio Dare topping is just a wonderful addition to the dish. The Gyudon does lean towards a lighter tasting profile, but I really like the flavor combination here, and it gives the dish this light, premium feel to it.

Value-wise, you definitely get your money’s worth here. Their standard ¥400 bowls look filling enough if you just wanna grab a quick meal. And for days where you want a filling meal, Matsuya has that covered with their ¥1,000 options. (The free miso soup also comes in handy as well.) So if you need a place that serves up some great tasting Gyudon at a budget-friendly price point, then head on over to Matsuya!

As for how it stacks up to the other Gyudon chains in Japan? Check out my other reviews here!
Full Review: Yoshinoya
Full Review: Sukiya

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🚗GETTING THERE 🚗

My visit to Matsuya today was at their Asakusa Kokusaidori store – the closest 24 hour Matsuya from my hotel in Asakusa. To get here, you can take the subway to Asakusa Station (Tsukuba Express Line), head out from Exit A1, and the store should be a minute away.

If you’re not around the Tsukuba Express line, the next closest station would be Asakusa Station (Asakusa, Ginza, Skytree Lines.) It’s around a 10 minute walk from this station, but you’ll be passing by Senso-ji Temple on the way there, so feel free to stop by there for a quick visit. (Senso-ji at night is a completely different experience, so I highly recommend it.)

Full Review: Sensoji Temple

Other than that, you can find Matsuya more or less all over Japan, so have a look when you’re visiting and see if there’s any near your place.

Matsuya (Asakusa Kokusaidori Store)

🌏 Location 🌏
Wada Building, 2 Chome-11-7 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan
🗺 Map 🗺
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ym4gAtd5J8ySsjZ1A
⏰ Opening Hours ⏰
Open 24 Hours (Varies by store)
💻 Website 💻
https://www.matsuyafoods.co.jp/english/
🏠 List of Stores 🏠
https://pkg.navitime.co.jp/matsuyafoods/?lang=en
📖 Online Menu (English) 📖
https://www.matsuyafoods.co.jp/english/menu/

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