I felt like having a proper breakfast set meal today. Not in the mood for shibu soba or inari set. So I decided to go to Matsuya. I was originally thinking of having raw egg, but when I saw sausages on the digital screen, I changed it to sunny-side up eggs. I had a bowl with sunny-side up eggs and sausages. Then I had a small beef bowl as a side dish. It was hassle-free and easy. But I still wanted to have tamago kake gohan with raw egg. Maybe next time. Thank you for the meal. (*ﾟ∀ﾟ)

This is a review of a regular chain self-service restaurant called "Matsuya". Despite being a big fan of Yoshinoya, Matsuya has always been a bit distant for me. It's been about 10 years since I last visited this place, but the one thing I have always enjoyed eating here is the "Kalbi Yakiniku Set Meal". I find it difficult to go for the "Beef Bowl" at times. I don't consider myself a blind fan, but I have always thought that Matsuya excels in the freshness of the salad and the homemade feel of the miso soup. However, when it comes to the taste of the beef in the beef bowl, my preference has always been for Yoshinoya. The beef at Matsuya can be a bit challenging to savor due to the thickness of the sauce, but the subtle umami flavor of the beef just doesn't suit my taste. The restaurant has transformed into a self-service establishment without me noticing. The interior layout has also changed significantly from the past. The "Kalbi Yakiniku Set Meal" (730 yen) - as shown in the photo. I feel like the slices are thinner now compared to before. With the reliance on imported meat and the rising cost of raw materials, it's understandable. Back when there was a special sauce for the kalbi, I find that the current sweet sauce lacks the depth of flavor that I used to enjoy. What I find most satisfying now is using soy sauce instead. Soy sauce manufacturers are truly great. Drizzling soy sauce over grated daikon like in the photo enhances the flavor. I don't want to talk too much about the meat quality at a place like this, but I feel like it tastes better this way. The free extra rice is also a nice touch. You can eat heartily. Thank you for the meal. I feel like the kalbi plate has subtly tilted over time. It's good that the sauce gathers to one side. This restaurant has glass windows, making it easy to see inside from outside. As someone who has always claimed to be a Yoshinoya fan in the local area, it's a bit awkward to be seen... (By Kyonatsu Shuusora, 12/31/2022) (26 reviews/3.06)

I sometimes feel like having the sausage and egg set meal. Of course, the side dish is gyudon. I decided to go all out from the start. A mini gyudon. But with extra rice. Sunny-side-up egg on top. Sausage on the side too. It would have been great if I had added some raw vegetables like shredded cabbage too (lol). A new kind of rice bowl. Lots of red pickled ginger and shichimi spice on top. That was a delicious meal!

It's been a while since I had the sausage and egg dish. Is the large serving the same price? There was someone behind me in line, so I hurried to order and didn't really understand (-.-) Oh well, it's okay. But next time, I might go for the large serving. Matsuya is always reliable. Good meal (´ω｀) ===========

I heard that Matsuya has a mini size gyudon and I wanted to try it. They used to offer free upgrades to large and extra-large rice portions for their 24-hour set meals, but now you have to select your options at the ticket machine. The staff and the restaurant itself are nice, and the food is cheap and delicious.

There are various Matsuya locations, but it's interesting how the compatibility can vary even though it's the same chain. This particular Matsuya is one of the places I stop by before my lectures at Rikkyo University. It's convenient and nice. I usually get a bowl of rice topped with a raw egg, then add a mini beef dish on top to make a small beef bowl. There are also pickles and seaweed available. The miso soup here is really good. They also serve pickled ginger on the side. Thank you for the meal. (´ω｀)

I like the breakfast set at Matsuya because you can choose a side dish for free up to the special size. The beef bowl with plenty of sauce is delicious. Even though sausages and fried eggs are easy to make at home, sometimes I feel like eating them outside. It's funny, isn't it?笑

For my last breakfast at Matsuya, I had the regular morning set meal which includes rice, miso soup, roasted seaweed, mini pickles, raw egg, and a choice of side dish for 360 yen. I chose curry as my side dish and liked it, so I decided to have a similar breakfast again. This time, I changed it up a bit by getting the egg over rice set meal with a choice of side dish (curry) and a mini beef bowl for 390 yen. I replaced the roasted seaweed and mini pickles with the mini beef bowl and enjoyed a meal with egg over rice, curry rice, and beef bowl all in one. Maybe the roasted seaweed would have made the egg over rice taste better? The combination of beef bowl, pickled ginger, and seven spice is great. I also somehow like the curry. It's not incredibly delicious, but for 390 yen, I got satisfaction from three different dishes. A morning walk with breakfast included, I can't seem to stop it.

I visited "Matsuya Ikebukuro Azalea Street Store" around 6:00 PM on a certain day in January 2021. It is located about a 5-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station. At Matsuya, you order at a ticket machine, so I chose the "Pork Shoulder Ginger Pork Set Meal" for ¥660. I sat at the counter and waited for about 5 minutes until my number was called to pick up the food. I wanted to taste Matsuya's ginger pork again after a long time. The ginger pork has changed a lot from the previous cheap pork belly version. It is now made with large pork shoulder slices and onions sautéed in ginger sauce. It's not bad, but I preferred the old cheap ginger pork made with pork belly. Anyway, I enjoyed the ginger pork served on a plate with fresh vegetables and mayonnaise. I balanced it out with the miso soup with fried tofu and seaweed, sprinkled with shichimi pepper, and enjoyed it with rice. The quality of the ginger pork is satisfying, although the price of ¥660 is relatively high for Matsuya. I felt the need to keep an eye on the evolution of Matsuya's main menu after this experience at Matsuya in Ikebukuro.

I went to try the new "Omar Lobster Cream Curry" at Matsuya on March 30th at around 10 am. The dish came with 9 plump lobsters and plenty of crunchy onions. The sauce had a delicious flavor of Omar Lobster, but there was a bit less sauce due to the extra rice. Overall, I still prefer the original Matsuya beef curry. The highlight, however, was the fresh vegetables with French dressing, which I absolutely loved. Matsuya never disappoints.

It's my first time seeing a steak bowl at Matsuya, it seems to incorporate Steak House's know-how. It's like a new menu that crosses different styles, and it's quite tasty and affordable. The choice of meat is just right, and I think it's selected well. I don't think pickles are necessary for this.

Visited Ueno on February 26, finished "museum hopping" and quickly headed to Ikebukuro. What should I have for dinner tonight? Hmm~~☆☆ Let's try Matsuya's "Super Coarse Ground Beef Hamburg"! Since I had tempura for lunch, having "Western food" for dinner isn't bad either. So, I ordered the "Egg Beef Hamburg Steak Set"! They were having a promotion, so I asked for extra rice. When my number was called, I went to the counter and found a slightly cold iron plate waiting for me. Let's dig in. The hamburger is definitely "coarse"!! The portion size is amazing. Under the hamburger, there are onions and mashed potatoes. The sauce is the same as the beef stew. When I cracked the sunny-side-up egg, the yolk was half-cooked. It was a bit runny. I took a bite and it was "loose". Not good. If they serve the hamburger on a hot iron plate, I want it to be hot while eating. Disappointing. As I ate a few more bites, I encountered something hard stuck in my teeth. Like in the anime Sazae-san, it was a firm cartilage-like substance. There was a large amount of cartilage-like substance in it. When I looked closely at the poster on the wall, it said, "Hamburg may contain cartilage." It's not "may contain", it's "contain". Thanks for the meal. The portion size is nice, but the intentional inclusion of cartilage is a no-go. For this price, I think Kitchen Check's lunch hamburger is much better. Looking forward to the next challenge menu. ===========

In the photo it doesn't show well because it's dark, but the sign for Matsuya's pork steak set meal looks delicious. I ordered the 700 yen option with less rice. It took about 10 minutes for my order to be ready, just as the sign warned that it would take time to cook. I was surprised that there was more cabbage than pork in the dish ^_^) The balance of meat, vegetables, and rice was just right. Also, as it was written on the sign, garlic is used in the dish so be careful if you have work the next day.

Eating out edition - Unable to enter the restaurant due to a barrier, went to Matsuya for a Sausage and Egg set meal @ Matsuya / Ikebukuro This is a story from a little while ago, but on 9/7 (Sat) for lunch, I went to this restaurant. It's the Matsuya Ikebukuro Azalea Street store. I actually planned to go to a different restaurant. This was the other restaurant. However, as soon as I entered the entrance of the restaurant, there were about 30 young women standing in a group, not moving at all, and a barrier saying "middle-aged bald guys not allowed" was in place. I didn't have the courage to forcefully break through, so I gave up and decided to rush to the nearby Matsuya instead. It was just before 11 o'clock, so I ordered the cost-effective Sausage and Egg set meal (400 yen). After a while, the ordered items appeared. I put soy sauce on the fried egg, French dressing on the raw vegetables, pickled ginger on the rice, sprinkled shichimi on the mini beef dish and miso soup, and prepared myself. Of course, Matsuya is all about pickled ginger and shichimi. Let's eat. Munch munch munch♪ Oh, delicious! The beef rice dish always tastes great no matter when you eat it. The fried egg. The half-cooked yolk is a high point. The sausage. Getting one for this price is amazing. Raw vegetables. Goes well with French dressing. Pickles. It adds a nice accent. Seaweed. This is the correct form of a Japanese breakfast (lunch for me). Pickled ginger. It's doing a great job. Miso soup. It was a hot day, so I took a bit more salt, but it shouldn't be too bad. When I finished half of the rice, I made myself a mini beef and egg rice dish. You must never leave the broth from the beef dish. I quickly finished the mini beef and egg rice dish, drinking it down in one go. Phew, I'm full. With this taste and portion for this price, the cost performance is definitely satisfactory. I left the restaurant feeling very satisfied. The end. From January 2011 to this day, the number of meals eaten out (breakfast and lunch, excluding company cafeteria): 1,150 meals, average price: 466 yen per meal including tax.

Today, I didn't have much time so I went to Matsuya here. There are so many branches in Ikebukuro that it was difficult to pinpoint the location (lol). I was surprised to see a street named Azalea. It has become self-service since the last time I visited. I ordered the Brown Egg Set Meal for 650 yen. The taste is probably the same everywhere, so I won't dwell on it. I wonder if having three employees is meaningful in a self-service setup?

One day, after finishing my errands in Ikebukuro, I felt a little hungry and decided to eat at this restaurant. I usually eat curry at Matsuya, so I bought a ticket for a regular curry... but to my surprise, they had QR code payment options now. And you can even use Rakuten points! So, I ended up buying a ticket for their new original curry. What amazed me was that each ticket had a number, which was displayed on a screen inside the restaurant, showing when the order would be ready. Once it was ready, you had to go pick it up yourself - it was a completely self-service system. Well, this particular Matsuya branch is relatively small, so maybe it's an experimental store. But personally, I think it's a good idea for Matsuya and other industries facing labor shortages but high demand to try out these kinds of initiatives.

Good evening, it's Cammy. When I went to Ikebukuro to pick up a delivery, I noticed Matsuya's sign. They have a variety of menu items now, which surprised me. Especially, they had ginger pork on the breakfast menu, and it was cooked perfectly. A warm ginger pork dish really gives you energy in the morning. It also came with a raw egg, which was very reasonable. With egg rice, it became a very luxurious breakfast. Thank you for the meal. I feel like I got a great deal.

Nanatamago is a great place to eat. I had a large portion of rice and miso soup served on a small cow plate. With shichimi and pickled ginger, the meal cost only 290 yen. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal!

Ordered the regular gyudon for 380 yen. It was served quickly with miso soup. Personally, I like it as a favorite drink to finish off the meal.

Matsuya is a self-service restaurant. The store is spacious but messy.