Yoshinoya

Rating: Not great
Meal: Lunch
Price: 650 yen
Payment:  Cash only
Dishes: Beef and veggie bowl
English Menu: Probably (I didn't ask for one)
Smoking: No

Ah Yoshinoya...many people's favorite gyudon restaurant.  But not mine.  Near as I can tell, the way people feel about gyudon restaurants is similar to how they feel about fast food joints.  Whatever you first encountered becomes your favorite, despite the fact that they are all pretty similar.  But really, Sukiya is the best!

But I had to review Yoshinoya, since it's here, and I had room for a second lunch as the first one was tiny and terrible.  Yoshinoya does have the distinction of being the only international gyudon brand that I know of.  We saw several branches in Manila when we were there last.  If you had no other option and were hankering for gyudon, at least you could get a fix here.

I didn't feel like getting the regular beef bowl, and I saw they had a special with half beef, half veg.  It actually wasn't too bad, but not good enough to change my opinion of the franchise overall.  I will generally go out of my way to avoid eating at Yoshinoya, and since there is usually a Sukiya nearby (think of the McDonald's across the street from the Burger King), I usually get my wish.