The rain has not yet started to fall. I was drawn to a soba restaurant near the Hongo 3-chome intersection, but hesitated when I saw a young couple with a child gathering there. I turned back and ended up at "Akamon Gyoza-ken," a gyoza restaurant. Despite knowing it might not be a good choice, I ordered the "popular No. 1" rice dish. The appearance of the waitress and the cleanliness of the place almost made me think she was Japanese, but interactions in the kitchen revealed she was Chinese. I ordered the "W Gyoza Set" for 858 yen. The rice dish was decent, but the gyoza and egg soup were not impressive. As I left the restaurant, I pondered whether it's really necessary to search for good gyoza when places like "Gyoza no Ohsho" are just fine.

Second visit. This time, I decided to try something different from the Chen Mapo Ramen set I had last time. I chose the Paiko Ramen set, which comes with dumplings. And all of this for 990 yen, isn't that a good deal? The pork bone broth was light and soaked into the noodles, providing a nice texture. The soup was classic and well-balanced. The noodles were cooked slightly soft. The dumplings had just the right amount of filling. Overall, it was a satisfying lunch.

I made a mistake with my order. The staff at the restaurant are natives of the continent. It's bold of them to set up a shop right in front of the Akamon gate. They have a red storefront just like the Akamon gate, facing each other. It's probably packed with students and professors on weekdays. Looking at the menu on the wall, they have dishes like spicy grilled dumplings, Akamon special mapo tofu, and many dishes that make you want to come at night. I spent my waiting time deciding to come back at night after the pandemic is over. Finally, the sound of the wok stopped... and here comes the fried rice. - "Fried Rice with Five Ingredients + Dumplings Set" ¥850 Again, fried rice. This fried rice looks like a regular fried rice from a local Chinese restaurant, not the special kind. But one thing worth mentioning is the char siu. It has a slightly continental flavor seasoned with cinnamon or cloves. It's a well-made char siu. The overall taste is a solid and basic fried rice. The portion is student-friendly, but I can't finish it all. The taste is simple, almost monotonous. Towards the end, eating feels more like a task. I should have ordered less. It's my fault, not the restaurant's. As for the dumplings, they are smaller than the fried rice. But being the main dish, they have their own unique characteristics. Especially the pork filling. These dumplings have a strong pork flavor. Here, it's better to order a la carte dishes along with rice, rather than sticking to set meals. Why did I choose fried rice? Thanks for the meal. There are several types of dumplings, so I'll have to come back to try them someday. I didn't realize this wasn't just a dumpling shop until I visited. Maybe they should name the shop "Chinese Akamon" or something similar. This is a place you should visit at night.

I visited the Gyoza restaurant in front of the University of Tokyo - I ordered the Mapo Tofu Noodle Set (900 yen) 😊 The Mapo Tofu had a perfect balance of spicy tofu and thin noodles, which I enjoyed while sweating a bit from the heat. The gyoza was delicious too, with plenty of filling and a generous size! Thank you for the delicious meal! 🍜🥟

The sign that said "recommended by the store" caught my eye, offering a "Good Job Set" for 600 yen, which includes 3 types of dumplings (6 pieces) and 1 drink. I didn't try the set meal, but for dinner that day, I enjoyed some beer while snacking on dumplings and roasted pork, all for under 1,000 yen. The restaurant is a bit of a walk from Hongo-sanchome Station, but it's a great spot for everyday dining. The dumplings were a nice mix of standard, spicy, and spinach-filled varieties, and the cold sliced roasted pork with Chinese sauce was a tasty appetizer. Overall, a good place for a solo dinner, with no wait time and a cozy counter seat.

The dumplings at Akamon Gyoza-ken are delicious, but this time I tried their "Yaki-Kirimen" for the first time. It was really tasty. I think I might be able to recreate it at home using kishimen noodles. I will definitely order this dish again. The portion was too much for me, so next time I'll invite someone to share it with me.

Located right in front of the iconic Akamon gate of the University of Tokyo, it's no wonder this place is named Akamon Gyoza-ken. I arrived just before the lunchtime rush at 2:55 PM and found the place empty. I decided to order the Mapo Ramen set, which consisted of regular ramen topped with boiled bok choy and mapo tofu. However, the portion of mapo tofu was noticeably small compared to the menu photo, with only a few pieces of tofu. The noodles were thin and straight, similar to tonkotsu ramen noodles. The soup was slightly spicy with little thickness. The gyoza that arrived towards the end of my meal had a generous amount of filling, but the texture was chewy rather than the popular fluffy kind. I felt that the prices were a bit high for what was offered, especially when I realized that the listed price of 900 yen was before tax, and the actual bill came to 990 yen. It's common to see prices listed without tax, but in this day and age, it would be appreciated if the final price was clearly displayed, especially for dine-in customers like myself.

A Chinese restaurant located in front of the Akamon gate, as the name suggests. It seems like a dumpling specialty shop from the name, but it's actually a typical Chinese restaurant. They have a decent variety of dishes, all at affordable prices. It's probably a popular spot for Tokyo University students at night. They also offer lunch menus, but it might be better to go for a set menu that comes with dumplings since the lunch menu doesn't include them. I ordered the "Five-Ingredient Soba Set" for 990 yen. The restaurant was about half full. This area seems to be a competitive spot with so many Chinese restaurants around. The Five-Ingredient Soba arrived. It's been a while since I've ordered this kind of dish. It's loaded with vegetables, scallops, and shrimp. The noodles were cooked just right. The soup was a bit sweet, so I had to add a lot of pepper. The dumplings on the sign were just regular pan-fried dumplings, with a slightly strong garlic flavor. They were good even without any dipping sauce. Overall, the portion size and prices are reasonable, making it a decent choice.

Tokyo Gyoza Communication Chief Editor Tsukada here. I received a tip that a gyoza shop frequented by University of Tokyo students has opened right in front of the University's Akamon gate. I usually work in Yushima, so it's been a while since I came to the Akamon side. Based on the tip, I visited "Akamon Gyoza-ken" here. Located almost directly across from the Akamon gate, it's a prime location. The name also prominently features the Akamon gate. It seems like this shop opened around spring of 2017. It has a continental-style Chinese izakaya atmosphere with a focus on gyoza. The interior is bright and clean. It seems like they renovated the space specifically for the opening, not just taking over an existing one. As it was nearing the end of lunchtime, there were only a few customers inside, who seemed to be University of Tokyo students. I sat at the counter near the front. Towards the back of the shop, a chef was busy wrapping a large number of gyoza for the evening service. Wrapping gyoza is quite a task. I ordered the set that comes with gyoza and E's sweet and sour fried fish. While waiting for the food to be prepared, I checked out the evening menu. The set gyoza were all one color, but it seems like they also offer three-color gyoza. Looking at the menu, it appears that they specialize in Sichuan cuisine apart from gyoza. They have a great set menu called "Otsukaresama Set" available after 5 pm, which includes six pieces of three-color gyoza and a drink for only 600 yen. I might have to come back for that. After about 5 minutes, the set was brought to me. The sweet and sour fish dish was quite generous in portion. It's like switching the pork in sweet and sour pork for white fish. It's packed with vegetables, which is nice. Rice and soup are refillable, which is a nice service especially for students. The gyoza were slightly on the smaller side, with 5 pieces. The plate was large, so they looked small, but they were just the right size. There were some slight uneven browning spots, but overall, they were cooked well. The finely chopped edges and ample filling made for a juicy and flavorful gyoza. The skin was not too thick but had a good chew to it. The meat had a nice texture with a strong seasoning. The strong scent of leeks was also to my liking. It's a good handmade gyoza. With meat that has a good texture and a strong seasoning, I was tempted to try them with vinegar and chili oil. As expected, they paired well with vinegar and chili oil. This way of eating makes them light and easy to devour, so getting the double gyoza set might have been a good idea. After enjoying the gyoza during lunch, I came back for dinner to try the three-color gyoza. I was tempted to pair them with gyoza beer, but I had a marathon race coming up that weekend, so I opted for plum juice instead. It seemed like a good choice for recovery with its high citric acid content. After a while, the three-color gyoza, two of each, were brought to me. They were arranged in a row, unlike the photo on the menu. It might have looked better if the pleats were facing up to avoid all the browning on the cooked side. First, the green gyoza with spinach. The pleats were larger compared to the white gyoza I had at lunch. I'm not sure if it was intentional or just variation from the cook. The filling was likely the same as the white gyoza. It had a generous amount of leeks, giving it a delightful aroma. Next was the red gyoza with chili pepper mixed into the skin. It had a slow-building heat. Perhaps there's chili in the filling or the chili seeped into the skin, but the meat juice was quite hot. It was spicy and hot, so the heat was quite intense. After eating this gyoza, it might be hard to taste the other gyoza, so be mindful of the order you eat them in. I resisted this time, but I think they would go great with beer. In front of the University of Tokyo's Akamon gate, with a name like "Akamon Gyoza-ken" serving "bright red gyoza," ==========

After taking classes at a faculty near the Akamon, I always come here for lunch! The gyoza is delicious, of course, but the fried rice here is the best. From the classic five-ingredient fried rice to seafood, shrimp, Sichuan, and black varieties, the menu is wide-ranging, and the service is incredibly fast! The portions are also generous! If you can eat with all your might, you will definitely be enveloped in a pleasant feeling of fullness.

Soy sauce fried rice + dumplings.

The dumplings were okay but on the small side, the oil-splashed chicken was not very good.

Fried rice set with five ingredients for 850 yen.

"Chinese donburi a little salty"