They actually taste like the real deal
Have you ever tasted authentic Japanese food in the US? By authentic I’m not talking about grocery store sushi or Top Ramen. A lot of the restaurants Americans consider to be Japanese are actually adapted to cater to American tastes and can’t really be categorized as Japanese. If you’re interested in some real Japanese food there are actually several chains from Japan that have locations stateside!
I’m a Japanese student and while studying abroad in the US I tried a bunch of Japanese restaurants. Soon I realized that Japanese food is so much more expensive outside of Japan. In addition, I was kind of disappointed about some Japanese food I tried, especially sushi and ramen. The ramen broth wasn’t warm enough and the sushi was very dry and didn’t look fresh. Sometimes they tasted different from real Japanese food. Most Japanese restaurants are good, but there are several bad apples, tread carefully.
So in this post, I’ll introduce you to 9 Japanese chain restaurants in the US worth a visit. The following Japanese restaurants are originally from Japan, loved by Japanese kids, students, and families, and there are many locations all over Japan as well as in the US.
I went to some of these Japanese chain restaurants in the US with my American friends and they all loved the food. I honestly think the quality and atmosphere of the restaurants are similar to the ones in Japan! You should definitely check them out if they’re close to your house (I’d even say they’re worth a bit of a road trip!)
1) Gyu-Kaku
Gyu-Kaku is the most popular yakiniku chain restaurant (Japanese bbq) in Japan. You can choose a variety of courses like premium and all-you-can-eat. Usually students will go for all-you-can-eat and eat as much as they can until satisfied in Japan. This is the perfect place for a first date, families, and catching up with your friends. The restaurant is located in the main cities in the US, you should check out their website. You don’t want to miss having one of the most delicious yakiniku! They have a pretty affordable and large lunch menu, so you might want to go there around that time. Please note that the lunch menu is not available on weekends or holidays according to their website.
2) Kura Sushi
Kura sushi is one of the most famous Japanese chain sushi restaurants in Japan. Concept of this restaurant in the US is revolving sushi, in which each sushi plate is unique and tasteful. Their philosophy of “muten” or “nothing added” is an ongoing promise that they prepare their food using natural ingredients with no additives or artificial preservatives.
To maintain the freshness of sushi on a conveyor belt, they have RFID tags. They are a type of tracking system that uses smart barcodes in order to identify the items. A tag is attached on the bottom of each sushi plate at Japanese sushi restaurants. This allows the machine to know the distance sushi plates have traveled in a lane and make a decision to discard based on how on the total distance traveled. This disposal standard is different for each sushi item. As a result, The restaurants have succeeded in minimizing food waste by implementing this technology and their sushi is always fresh!
3) CoCo ICHIBANYA
CoCo ICHIBANYA, known as CoCo curry among many foreigners in Japan, serves a variety of Japanese curries with toppings. You could select the spiciness level of a curry from 0 to 10 when you order. In my case, I wouldn’t go for more than three because I’m not good at handling spiciness. But if you like spicy food, try the level 10! I bet it’s crazy spicy like you can’t imagine. The three most popular CoCo curries are pork cutlet curry, lightly crisped chicken curry, and chicken cutlet curry.
4) Ootoya
Ootoya is a high quality and affordable chain restaurant in Japan. They use prepare all their fresh produce daily. Their meat and fish are fresh as well. They cook all dishes to order, so you can always have warm and fresh Japanese food. One of the best dishes offered is teishoku. This is a meal made up of a variety of dishes, consisting of meat or fish, rice, miso soup, and pickled vegetables, it is a common family diner in Japan. The options available at this restaurant are all nutritionally balanced and healthy, so eat up!
5) Ippudo
Ippudo is well known for its tonkotsu ramen from Hakata, Fukuoka. It has been described as the most famous tonkotsu ramen shop in Japan. Tonkotsu ramen uses broth made from boiling pork bones. For the noodles, they use thin ones which compliments the tonkotsu broth creating the perfect savory harmony in your mouth. It’s so good you might have to request a kaedama– an additional order of noodles only after eating all the noodles at a ramen restaurant. Combine your ramen with a side of gyoza (dumpling) for the best experience.
6) Ikinari Steak
This is one of the most affordable steak restaurants in Japan. Although it’s popular and famous in Japan, they’ve had decreased business resulting from the pandemic and they had to shut down some restaurants in Japan and New York. Hopefully, they will survive because honestly this is one of my favorite restaurants. Their steaks are really thick and their special garlicky sauce is unbeatable. The restaurant oozes fabulous smells that draw you in from the street, it’s irresistible.
7) Gindaco
Gindaco is the most famous and loved takoyaki shop among many Japanese people. Takoyaki is made by dissolving flour in water, adding small pieces of finely chopped octopus, dried shrimp, powdered bonito, aonori (green laver), red pickled ginger, and a very small amount of chopped green onions. The mixture is poured into a round griddle. Crispy on the outside, and gooey on the inside, the texture is just incredible. Combined with Japanese brown sauce and mayo, Takoyaki is brilliant. Warning! Fresh ones are really hot. Don’t burn your tongue! They’re easy to take out, so takoyaki shops tend to be in or near stations in Japan, so people can grab them after work. Best Japanese convenience food ever.
8) Ringer Hut
One of the most popular foods you can order at Ringer Hut is Nagasaki Champon which is a Japanese noodle dish. It’s a part of the regional cuisine of Nagasaki prefecture in West Japan. The combination of luxuriously thick noodles and the deep richness of the soup made from the abundance of fresh vegetables and a wide variety of ingredients from the mountains and sea is amazing. There are so many toppings such as pork, shrimp, mushrooms, Japanese fishcakes, and seasonal vegetables. It’s the perfect healthy dish with balanced nutrition and great flavor.
9) Rokkaku HAMAKATSU
ROKKAKU HAMAKATSU is a fusion of ROKKAKU which is a Japanese restaurant that has been operating in Hawaii, and HAMAKATSU which is a tonkatsu specialty restaurant. The concept of “Rokkaku” is to offer authentic Japanese cuisine in Hawaii, a place blessed with rich nature, while adding the know-how of “Hamakatsu”, which is focusing on the deliciousness that is tonkatsu. They are delivering enjoyable dining experiences throughout Japan.
How many of these restaurants have you tried before? If you have never tried any of them you night know what real Japanese food tastes like. Maybe, I’m overreacting but I truly believe you need to try them. It’s worth it and they won’t disappoint you. Let us know what your favorite Japanese restaurant is! We’d love to try your recommendations.
If you like Japanese food you may end up wanting to make some at home. To start you should get some seasonings which are necessary to cook Japanese food. You can find them online or at a local Japanese grocery store in the US. Please have a look at this post about 10 necessary Japanese seasonings.
Thank you so much for reading this post. Please comment or shoot us a message if you have any questions. Have a nice day!