For my late dinner today, I feel like dropping by a Gyudon shop for a quick budget-friendly meal. Gyudon has always been my go-to whenever I need something filling to end the day, and having tried a couple of chains at this point, I figured I should visit them all and see how they compare to each other.

So, here I am at Yoshinoya, ordering my classic Gyudon bowl – and kicking off my journey to try them all. And while the comparison post is sure to be interesting, let’s start off with what this place has to offer. Let’s get to it. How Good is Yoshinoya Actually?

–Menu–
–Green Onion Gyudon–
–Gyudon Beef–
–Green Onion Topping–
–Raw Egg Topping–
–Extra Gyudon Beef–
–Verdict–
–Getting There–

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📋 Menu 📋

Yoshinoya features a pretty large menu, with different variations of their famous gyudon – as well as a bunch of other items like Curry Rice, Unajuu, Teppanyaki Beef, and Set Menus.

Outside of that, there’s also a sizable list of add-ons and sides, from toppings like egg, green onions, and cheese, to sides like grilled salmon, soups, and salads. 

With their Gyudon specifically, you also have the option to choose the size of your bowl.

Small (-¥20)
Regular (¥0)
Large Beef (+¥121)
Large (+¥187)
Special (+¥352)
Super Special (+¥473)

A lot of options here, so go for whatever size you feel like grabbing today.

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🍱 Green Onion Gyudon (Special Size) – ¥940 🍱

Here’s what I got today – Special Size Gyudon with Green Onions. Normally if I’m hungry, I would just go for the largest size. But since I’m here to compare their Gyudon with some other stores, I’ve decided to go for the highest option under ¥1,000.

Presentation-wise, it’s your classic Gyudon – thin slices of simmered beef and onions over a bowl of rice, served with a side of sliced green onions and a raw egg.

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🥩 Gyudon Beef 🥩

Yoshinoya uses US Beef Short Plate for their Gyudon. It’s sliced quite thinly, and then simmered in a soy sauce based Tare broth alongside some thick-sliced onions.

So how’s the taste? As far as “Thin Sliced Beef” goes, Yoshinoya falls right around the average thickness from my experience. (~1.3mm, still really thin, mind you) Might not be the thinnest around, but looks can be deceiving, as I was pleasantly surprised with just how tender their beef was – in addition to its natural beefy flavors.

The onions were also noticeably tender, full of sweet notes from the simmering process. And for the Tare broth that brings it together, it’s basically your classic Gyudon flavors, with a good mix of sweet and savory flavors from the soy sauce and sugar. If I had to put a lean on the flavors, I’d say the Tare here leans towards the more savory side of things, and relying on the beef and onions for sweetness. Pretty good stuff.

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🥗 Green Onion Topping 🥗

The Green Onions in this Green Onion Gyudon set is served separately (and keyed separately on the receipt, too, for some extra trivia.)

Compared to the softer, tender profile of the beef, onions, and rice, the green onions bring some much needed brightness and crunch to the dish. Try it out when you’re ordering some Gyudon.

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🥚 Raw Egg Topping 🥚

As part of the set, the dish also comes with a side of raw egg.

The egg comes pre-cracked, so you can either pour it on the Gyudon straight away, or if you’d like just the egg yolk – pass it through the separator to just grab the yolk. (Personal preference, of course, but I do prefer the whole egg for my Gyudon.)

Regardless of how you top your Gyudon, the raw egg adds such a wonderful richness to the dish.

Combined with the beef, you get this really nice sweetness that compliments the heavier flavors of the Gyudon very well.

And if you mix the egg with the rice, the heat from the rice will cook the egg slightly, resulting in this silky, custard-like texture. Even if you’re not gonna order the Green Onion set like I did, if you’re grabbing a bowl of Gyudon, I highly recommend you try the raw egg with it. (Raw Egg by itself here is ¥85)

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🥩 Extra Gyudon Beef – ¥184 🥩

And if you still want more or have some leftover rice, you can also order an extra serving of Gyudon Beef for ¥184. It’s only a couple of bite’s worth of Gyudon beef, but considering the price, it’s not too bad.

Same flavors as the regular Gyudon, of course. 

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⭐VERDICT⭐

So how good is Yoshinoya actually? Starting off on the value side of things. I’ve tried some of their basic ¥450 Gyudon bowls before, and while I wouldn’t say it’s enough on a hungry day, it certainly does the job for a light to medium meal. But if you’re in the mood for something more substantial, you can easily get a filling portion for right around ¥1,000. Considering the price and the portions you get, this place has some really good value-for-money.

Flavor-wise, the Gyudon here was quite good! I’ve been to a couple Gyudon places at this point, and out of all of them, Yoshinoya features the most ‘standard’ Gyudon experience. Think of it as like a “Jack of all Trades” – Very well balanced with all the classic Gyudon flavors you’d expect (Beef, Onions, Tare Sauce), and doesn’t lean too heavily on a single area. You might be able to find other stores that fit your specific flavor requirements better, but for a simple bowl of really good Gyudon, Yoshinoya does just that.

Getting a little philosophical there, but my point is this: Yoshinoya is good, and if you want a place to stop by and grab some solid tasting Gyudon at a really nice price, then hop on over to Yoshinoya. 

Side Note: And if you’re wondering how Yoshinoya stacks up with some of the other Gyudon chains, stay tuned!

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🚗 GETTING THERE 🚗

My visit today was at Yoshinoya’s Ueno store, right around Ameyoko Market. From the subway, the closest stations would be either from Ueno Hirokoji or Okachimachi Station.

From Ueno-Hirokoji Station (Ginza Line), head to Exit A3, and after a quick road crossing to the Ameyoko Market side, the store’s about 2 minutes walk.

From Okachimachi Station (JR Lines), head out from the North Exit, and the store is only about a minute away towards Ameyoko Market.

And if you feel like walking here, stop at Ueno Station (JR, Ginza, Hibiya Lines) and head to the Shinobazu Exit and towards Ameyoko Market. You’ll find Yoshinoya towards the other side of Ameyoko, so browse around for a while before making your way here.

For a quick look at what Ameyoko Market has to offer, check out my previous review here
Full Review: Ameyoko Market

Yoshinoya – Ueno Store

🌏 Location 🌏
4 Chome-2-1 Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0005, Japan
🗺 Map 🗺
https://maps.app.goo.gl/XjzrJnsQcii43VvA6
⏰ Opening Hours ⏰
5 A.M. to 2 A.M.
💻 Website 💻
https://www.yoshinoya.com/
🏠 List of Stores 🏠
https://stores.yoshinoya.com/yoshinoya/
📖 Online Menu (Japanese) 📖
https://www.yoshinoya.com/menu/

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