Eat: Matsunoya (Shinjuku, Tokyo)

Our last “breakfast” in Japan. Sigh…

We went to Matsunoya, a tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) chain. They are under the same company as Matsuya, the gyudon chain.

Like Matsuya, you would order from a machine, but here they provide a bit of table service. The menu has English on it, so it is easy to order.

Pork Loin Cutlet and Japanese Fried Chicken (750¥, approximately $9.00 CAD). It comes with miso soup and cabbage.

Jeff ordered the pork cutlet with fried chicken. The fried chicken isn’t the best, but the pork loin is quite good here.

70g Pork Loin Cutlet (400¥, approximately ($4.90 CAD)

I ordered the standard tonkatsu set, which comes with miso soup and rice.

For tonkatsu on a budget, it is pretty good. As we conclude our trip, we have been going to budget-friendly places. When people say that you can eat cheap and good in Japan, they aren’t wrong.

Matsunoya
1-3-14 Okubo, Shinjuku,
Tokyo 169-0072, Japan

Eat: Tatsunoya (Shinjuku, Tokyo)

Located in Shinjuku is a popular ramen joint, Tatsunoya (they have locations in California), known for their tonkotsu ramen and tsukemen (dipping ramen). You can expect to wait upwards of 30+ minutes during peak times.

Ordering was easy: select your order on a vending machine and hand in your meal ticket. Not sure if they do this during less busy time, but while lining up, the staff had us order at the vending machine and then re-enter the line. Once it was our turn to be seated, we gave our meal ticket. It was quite efficient and service was quick.

Tsukemen Motsu (small size, 800¥, approximately $9.70 CAD

Tsukemen is pretty outstanding here, the soy and pork-based broth is rich, savoury and contains fried pork innards.

Medium Tsukemen Motsu Special (1100¥, approximately $13.30 CAD). The special comes with extra pieces of pork and soft boiled egg.

It is a bit fatty for me, but fortunately they offer small size. If you’re still hungry and loving the broth, you can ask for rice porridge to be added into the broth at the end of your meal!

Tatsunoya
7-4-5 Nishishinju-ku,
Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan