I'm personally a Mr. Doughnut fan, and I think the popularity of Mr Doughnut among Japanese people could be attributed to savoriness of the dough, and not so much the sugary sweetness. The dough has mochi-like quality by being moist and squishy and has a savory after taste, and this makes it reminiscent of more traditional Japanese sweets like daifuku and sakura-mochi which we are used to eating.
I’m from the UK and man from my experience our sweet foods and drinks are significantly less sweet than in the US and other influences potentially ! So I was just used to the taste of MisDo when I went. I loved the savouriness too!
I love that you did this tier list with a collab and not alone! I really like if 2 people discuss about which one to put on which tier and listen to what opinions both of them have! Really good choice! 💨
The first time i have been to Japan it took me acctually a week to discover heaven. I have been there every second day for the next to weeks of my trip😂
For me, it's Katsuya. It's impossible to beat the price if you want Katsu or Karaage dishes plus the 100 yen coupon is such a sweet deal. Their morning menu is even better. Also buying Karaage or Gyoza with rice in Kamukura, and 400 yen gyudon in Matsuya are great deal as well.
The Katsu at Katsuya always taste like they're using burned or spoiled oil. For me its a no brainer to spend the extra few hundred yen and go to an actual Katsu restaurant (with bottomless rice, soup, cabbage, and pickles) rather than getting fast food.
As a vegetarian (not a vegan!) I'll just say that of all the places I can eat I pretty much agree with you, except Mossie, which I'd put higher, probably because a big burger doesn't concern me. But CoCo is an absolute godsend. There's one across the road from my office and I eat there at least twice a week. Vegan curry sauce and then just select anything you want making a much greater selection than the one or two things on a burger place menu. Torikizoku also have a good number of things for veggies on the menu. I will admit I don't ask too many questions about cooking practices or the ingrediants of sauces....I'm a bad vegetarian!
@@Mslc727 yea it's pretty hard to be vegan in japan if you don't want to cook every day. Milk is everywhere, which is sad (especially traditional stuff like european bread etc.)
When me and my friends went on a trip to japan there we fell in love with Coco’s, Kura/Sushiro, Sukiya, and the Japanese kombinis for different reasons. These Japanese stores will always have a special place in my heart.
First Kitchen is nationwide restaurant. It has partnered with Wendy's. Some have a partial Wendy's menu (Hence the name). Like downtown Kyoto was both a First Kitchen and Wendy's/First Kitchen a couple blocks away. Just a few of Wendy's menu hamburgers and their fries. I don't think they even have frosties.
@@TheBaldr Bingo. I was also super confused when I first saw First Kitchen Wendy's and saw pasta on the menu...then I saw a totally normal Wendys in Tokyo with no pasta. I still think both were about the same quality, so being a merged restaurant doesn't seem to have an effect on the overall quality.
You can speak for yourself on Mr Donut! I freaking love Mr Donut! I personally hate how sweet donuts are in America so I was really excited when I found Misudo! I love ponden rings sooo much! Mochi donuts are insanely good. Don’t even think twice on that.
Ironically I've never gotten a donut from Mr. Donut but I did get their noodle soup on a cold winter day, so that's a win in my book for them. At *least* C tier.
Japanese but also not really a big fan of Mister Donut, might have put it at D tier instead... but with that being said, I do have to say sweets in America are WAAAAAY too sweet, I just cannot understand how Americans eat that crap day in and day out. I lived in America for 10+ years, "Sweet Hell/あまい地獄" is definitely the right word to sum up my experience. So many things I miss about America (BBQ, pizza, hamburgers, all sorts of different ethnic cuisines), but your sweets are not one of them.
Exactly! That's why i will put Sukiya above the other two . The cheese aren't that great (i'm french so i've high standard when it Come with cheese ) but it when really great with everything , especialy with an extra egg .
and rightfully so! I fell in love with it from the first bowl, cheese makes everything whole lot better and thus why Sukiya is the superior of the gyuudon trinity + load it up with tabasco
there's an internet meme for "people who order chi-gyu", I would not have tried the dish if not for the meme, but it was actually good...perhaps I am a Chi-gyu all along
Of course, I'm also objectively correct. - Japanese macdonalds is so good compared to Canada. I think the food is made fresher or something. It comes out super hot. - I'm usually pretty good with hot food but level 7 on ichiban coco kills me. Like visibly open pores sweating pain. - I love Kura. We had a lot of plate wars when I lived there. - Pre-wendy's FK was great. They had the best ebi-burger in my experience. Don't know if that is still the case. - I love the anal bead donuts at mr donut but lately they seem to have changed. Within the last 5 years or so. - That ghost cheese lotteria burger last year is super horrible - Only go to denny's for the deserts . - I don't like mos burger, it's like they forgot seasoning. - In the last few years 711's quality has nose-dived. Go for lawson or familymart if you can.
7-11 serves higher quality food than the other convenience stores. Anyone who disagrees can come to my house and engage in a fair bout of fisticuffs to determine who is right.
From Canada. Got McDonald's for the first time in months, it was a quarter pounder. Not only was half of the patty outside of the bread, but the patty was also folded in half, too. Straight up.
You should do a new version of this tier list with the coffee franchises such as Starbucks, Doutor, Tully's, and Excelsior. Also, add more restaurants such as Komeda's Coffee, Pepper Lunch, and Ichiran.
Coming from Eastern Asian, I think you are absolutely spot-on - my taste bud put Mister Donuts to A tier, but agreeing with everything else you have. Well, at least the ones that I had tried. I dislike American sweet food because they are super too sweet. To a degree that my tongue feels hurt. And Mister Donuts is just the right amount of sweetness. And because it is not disruptively sweet, I can finally tell the nice smell from the donuts and all the condiments they put on it. BTW I think Australian Krispy Kreme is definitely as sweet, so I like it a lot.
Americans are used to very sugary cereals and other food. It is a shame that we embrace this culture of sugary snacks while many are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetees and obesity rates are skyrocketing.
Damn, Mr. Doughnut was my childhood. In Komatsu where I grew up, there was a huge shopping complex named Jasuko, and in that complex was a Mr. Doughnut. Whenever my Grandma took me out there we would always stop by and get a few doughnuts. I remember always getting the same thing, a kids' doughnut hole box set with a small grape soda.
I loooved Coco Ichibanya. My hotel was in Shinjuku when I was in Japan, so I ate katsukare at least 2 or 3 times at the Coco in Omoide Yokocho and at the one in Tokyo Big Sight during Comiket. I didn't find it all that expensive, compared to what I'm charged for katsukare in my country, since most Japanese restaurants only get sushi and some have ramen at most, so it's rare to find. I also have a funny story about Mister Donut. I saw the ads for the Pokemon promo at Kabukicho and I wanted to try the Pikachu one, but it was sold out (one of the many occasions where I had to learn the word "kanbai" the hard way). I came across another Misdo in Yokosuka and it being a smaller town, there were plenty of 'em. But yeah, it was just a chocolate donut. I satisfied my craving for a good donut at the Kabukicho Krispy Kreme (my first time eating from one too) before going home.
Loving the channel. This is the first time I have wished I found this video later so I could read peoples opinions. I lived around Kawasaki for several years. And agree on your choices. It never dawned on me at the time about Mister Donut, but yeah, I always regretted my purchases there too.
Just before Covid I went on a very budgeted trip to Japan and practically lived off 7 Eleven. I could not stop eating their strawberry daifuku. It’s a 5-600 yen piece of strawberry short cake wrapped in a mochi. Till now, that is probably my favourite dessert. I think they also have it in Family Mart and Lawson. Also loved Matsuya.
I'm from America but I'd definitely put Mister Donut in S tier. Their donuts are perfect for dunking in coffee, and you can get free refills of coffee if you eat in the store. Maybe I'm just weird, but I think chains like Dunkin' Donuts, Krispy Kreme, and Tim Horton's serve donuts that are disgustingly sweet. It's like eating a cheap birthday cake from a supermarket.
As another American, I totally agree! I think Japanese sweets can even be too sweet for me sometimes 😂 I can't stand Hershey's chocolate, for one thing. It tastes like pure fake sugar to me. But there are some sweets I do prefer to be sweeter, like some sodas or coffees (I love a good Frappuccino lmfao). Donuts are already really fatty here in the U.S., but the donuts at Mister Donut seem like a much healthier option!
I agree! Also, Mister Donut's donuts aren't "heavy" like Dunkin' or Krispy Kreme. I can eat 5 donuts no problem at Mister Donut, but eating 2 or 3 at the other chains make me feel kinda sick.
Totally agree. The “gentle” sweetness of Mister Donut really makes it a much better experience for me. You can also eat more of them that way. XD Definitely an S tier for me! Still enjoy American doughnuts, but I much prefer Mister Donut’s offerings (esp. pon de ring).
It's such an interesting video to watch because there are so many positions I don't agree with at all haha (Cocoichi has to be one of the worst places I've been to, Torikizoku is way overpriced (tho I also don't drink), Saizeriya has been my saviour on so many occasions, I like... the drink bar at Gusto, etc etc) So it's really fun to hear the different experiences/view points about them!
For me as a Japanese, Burger King is the best among the burger chain because if we use coupons, they’ll offer a larger burger set for almost the same price as McDonald's. I really agree with your thoughts about Mos burger though😅
The first time I came to Japan was in 2005. It was an organized tour. The first meal there was at Lotteria. We didn't order off the menu, we were just given hamburger and fries. It was pretty gross. All the time I've been in Japan since then, never had Lotteria again.
Hey there! Love your content and I have a bit of a rabbit hole for you. I'm reading Haunted Japan, it's a book about Japanese cults and weirdos/mystics. One of them is Masaki Kazumi, a genius inventor who holds a substantial amount of various patents. He also claims to have achieved various supernatural powers. He sold a product on the 90s called パラメモリ2 or brain potentialiser para memory II. I'm trying to learn more about this weird thing, all I have found are auction photos of the thingy which looks like a Walkman. This stuff is listed on various what looks like bot/scam websites for like 20 000 yen. I don't speak or read Japanese so this is as far as I got, but maybe you'll find this to be a nice challenge 😀
Your opinions are almost identical to my own, especially burgers at MOS being too small. One big difference though: I think Saizeriya is a phenomenal chain. Super cheap, great drink bar, big tables with free wifi. You weren’t wrong about the wine either.
Haven't visited most of the fast food chains, but from my short trip to Japan in January, I definitely prefer seikomart to the big 3 conbinis. They had a much larger selection of fresh foods and their hot case was a bit more diverse, including fried cheese curds
I miss Sukiya. I went with some friends once, and after everyone else had ordered, I said I wanted the mega beef bowl. The waitress' eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head and everyone just looked at me. 😅 Apparently people don't order that often...
Prospective American Tourists: Don't be scared off by these rankings; Mr. Donut is easily S tier, and one of the things I miss most about Japan. Seriously, try a strawberry or kinako pon de ring, it'll change your life.
Man oh man, I'm Australian too and I love Mister Donut :O Mos Burger too! I never felt like they were too small. I'd usually order 2 burgers anyway in Australia, and that was fine with Mos Burger too.
Love Ootoya and Yumean. They would be up with Yayoiken in my list. But First Kitchen above Burger King is sacrilege. Agree with Mister Donut ranking. It's like powdered cardboard.
Hey Japanalysis, I have some feedback for your meme videos if you're interested: Personally, it feels like there's a need for a sound to symbolise separation between topics/memes as they tend to blend into one another when there's no pause in between. I was not announcing it prior because I had no potential solution, until I heard the mouse click sound from 3:13 - this could work as a separation with a half second pause. It's not that important but it could be a quality of life improvement in my opinion. If you agree, try expanding on this idea and see what works best. Thank you for hearing me out! Love.
Shakey's in the Philippines doesn't have a pizza buffet just like in Japan, but in the Philippines personally I think Shakey's has one of the best thin crust pizzas in the PH! Also their other pizza flavors are amazing and the pizza doesn't look like what you showed on the video, so that was surprising to me. Anyways amazing job again and I aaaaaaaalllllwayyysssss enjoy your videos!
I loved the McDonald's egg cheeseburgers. They were so simple but very enjoyable. KFC was ok. The chicken tastes the same as in the US but they're missing a lot of the side dishes that we're used to and for whatever reason, their biscuits have holes in them. I find Sushiro and Kura equal because they are similar but each offer something special. I really miss being able to walk 5 minutes from my hotel to get good, affordable sushi.
Lotteria is a meme to me, like even the higher-tier burgers on the menu are shoddy compared to other places. It’s like how Red Rooster is in Australia.
Mr Donut in DuBois, PA back in the 70s and 80s was awesome. Great donuts, but Dunkin bought them out and close it. Pissed my dad and I off big time. Was shocked when I saw my first one in Japan in a video, and always wondered how they compared.
MOS burger isn't really a fast food since they cook it after ordering. I just found it was a huge difference compared to say BK which were precooked and felt it was just a bit cold in the mouth. As for it being a small portion, yes it's true but they do have a double patty option for most of their beef burgers.
I think Freshness Burger is the best fast food burger in Japan. And I've had them all. Great fried chicken sandwich too! McDonaldo is probably 2nd on the strength of their breakfast selection and prices. Japanese Mcd is like 40% cheaper than in the US. I honestly think that all the American-style pizza chains in Japan (Pizza Hut, Dominoes, Shakeys, Pizza-La, etc) are terribad. There are a lot of really great pizza places out there that are among the best in the world though, but they are all more towards the Italian style and not the American style of the spectrum though. I think Matsuya is probably the best out of the three Gyudon chains, but I go to Sukiya more, just because there are more of them around. I think that this list missed out on a lot of the non-gyudon donburi category, stuff like Tenya and Nakau, etc.
People who grow up in America probably find most food outside of the US as "tasteless" due to lack of salt or not sweet enough. I've been to the US a few times and have always had a problem with the food being overly salty and sweet, which would also explain why Americans have high diabetes and hypertension rates too
Actually, Japanese food is much sweeter than American-except the desserts. Japanese cook with so much sugar and their salad dressings tend to be sweet too.
Actually, America loves Japanese food. Our fast food is just way lower quality, and they use salt to compensate. Most of us just go way overboard with sweets and portion sizes.
@@samlin8089 You gotta, if they are in f tier it either means you're going to get an unforgettably bad experience or a surprisingly good one. In both cases you have fun
Regarding convenience stores: When I was in Japan for a holiday I tried a bunch from the three major chains and I agree 7/11 was the overall best but I found I really liked the sweets section of the Lawson in Kyoto. FamilyMart however left a bad taste in my mouth as I sonehow managed to incite a screaming match between customers and staff due to asking for postage stamps. Never gonna forget that one.
I went to Japan in April and saw Mister Donut in Akihabara. I love donuts but when I went to Mister Donut I was unbelievably disappointed. Your evaluation could not be more accurate
@@dalmationblack I'm not sure about the different types of donuts but they really just tasted like bread with frosting on them. And not very good frosting either
What this taught me is that if I ever go to Japan I can go to Shakey’s if I just want random conversations with Japanese people. Could be kinda fun to see them practice their English on me
There's a new competitor in the Italian family-restaurant game: Salvatore. It's a bit more expensive, but is really good and has a lunch buffet! Would recommend.
The first time I had Coco Ichibanya I had already had some amazing curry in Hokkaido at an onsen (I think it was Hoheikyo) about a week before. Even still Coco was so good I didn't even know it was a chain. I thought it was an amazing local Curry restaurant in Kyoto lol 😂😂
Yesss, Yayoiken a solid S tier. The kitchen staff at the one I used to go to religiously was basically a group of Obaa-Chans making perfect food with love
Shakey's here in the PH is still sorta hit and miss, depending on the branch and time of day. But it's really good value when it's your birth month - a fine excuse to gobble up tonnes of mojos, thin crust pizzas and fried chicken.
Torikizoku, Coco Ichibanya, Gin-dako, and Hama-Zushi are the GOATS in each of their categories. These places were like my second home when I lived in Japan.
Filipino here. yes Shakey's is pretty good here and I know a few westerners (who have stayed long enough here) that said that they prefer Shakey's pizza over places like Pizza Hut and Domino's here. Good thing I saw your video, because the last time I was in Japan, we almost ate at a Shakey's and good thing my wife wasn't in the mood for it so we went somewhere else.
I went to a gusto in Kawaguchiko, that have that super amazing bread that just kind of dematerializes like cotton candy in your mouth. They also delivered my food with a robot that faced the wrong direction. It was fun. Also I'd say those convenience store sandwiches are some of the best things I've ever eaten.
Bikkuri donki and mr donut got fucked over imo. I love coco's but i 100% prefer bikkuri donki. As for mr donut, you already mentioned that you prefer donuts sweeter, however as a person that grew up in Japan and Korea, I find that donuts in western countries are just far too sweet. I would also like to say, Shakey's pizza is alright as long as you avoid the shitty "dessert" pizzas and you get the pizzas as soon as they come out. The problem with the pizzas is that they're all so fucking thin and go cold in less than 10 minutes, the last time I visited shakey's, I tried to only get pizzas as they came out, and ordered pepperoni pizza when I could and they weren't too bad right out the oven.
I’m Irish and absolutely loved Mister Donut. Pillowy soft, not too sweet. I always got like 3 at a time. I would also identify as a coffee sob and I actually quite liked their coffee. Just a nice well rounded but rich diner filter coffee. Perfect combination with the donuts.
I agree with the list, except for Mister Donut (you guys broke my heart) which being born and raised in the States I prefer Mister Donuts over Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts any day, especially when it comes to their Angel Cream.
I personally really love the Yoshinoya beef bowls here in California and I wonder how much different it would be in Japan so I'm definitely curious to try it out along with Matsuya and Sukiya if I ever go to Japan.
As a Japanese I miss the hot food from petrol stops…. I knew It sure wasn’t the best food, but it just kept me going on my mission:down under outback. The road trip of my life.
i actually love saizeriya (the drink bar is a big factor to this). their "foccacia" is so yum! i took my friends there for the first time this february and one of them, who is quarter japanese and has wealthy family in japan, was shocked by the prices and was like "my family is never gonna believe this" 🤣🤣🤣
Both my parents loved Saizeriya as well. French, so they drink wine and "Saize" always provide. Food is fine... And they even have escargots! And that cheap parmesan you can dump at will 😆 Coming from France where once you go to a restaurant and order wine you expect to pay quite a lot, Saize is paradise.
Lol, not Japanese but I'd definitely put Mr. Donut way higher, even though I haven't lived in a place with a Mr. Donut (I live in the US) for a while. It's definitely the American palate, too much sugar throws our sense of sweet out of whack. Also lol'd at your ranking for Shakey's pizza. Never been there but I actually kind of like the weird Asian pizza toppings. I do think in general America perfected pizza (though most Italian pizza toppings are just as good, not the french fry one though), but just because the Asian ones like corn and mayo are kinda weird doesn't make them not fairly tasty to me.
I have a lot to say about this. Forgive me lol S: Kurazushi, Coco Ichi, Family Mart A: Mos, Sushiro, Hotto Motto, Seven, Lawson, Sukiya, Gusto, Gyoza B: Torikizoku, Bikkuri, Yayoi, Lotteria, Burger King, Matsuya C: Yoshinoya, KFC, McD, Sazeriya, Mister Donut D: Fakkin, 17 Ice, Shakey’s F: Subway, Denny’s
First off, 17 ice is a vending machine not a restaurant, and it’s so mid. Like it’s okay for a quick snack but conbini ice cream is better. Next, Coco’s is god tier, and I’ll fight anyone that says otherwise. 7/11 is good, but it’s just bland. Like not in a bad way but I’m a safe way, just meh. Family Mart is worlds better in just about everything and especially on price. Lawson is just there, can’t really hate on it. McD’s IS much better here in Japan than America, but taste wise, Lotteria, Burger King, Mos all taste so much better. Burger King’s downfall is it’s price, but still good. Gusto is top tier of the “family” restaurants, and I’m insulted it was ranked below Saizeriya lol. Yayoi is okay, but it’s meh when compared to its own company branch of Hotto Motto. Sukiyaki and Matsuya are good but Sukiya by a LOT. Yoshinoya is like..LAST resort for these three. Gyoza Osho is so much bette than you guys gave it credit for, but I agree with your placing. Mister Donut is great, WHEN you have the right mindset. As an American that loves donuts, I still very much enjoy Mister Donut. Shakey’s is bad, but when you can get all you can eat pepperoni pizza, one can’t complain. Like my brother said once in a much worse context, “bad pizza is better than no pizza.” Fakkin is only not F for the meme name lol. But it was better when it was Wendy’s by itself some 18 years ago. KFC is just here, it’s not bad, it’s not mind blowing, it’s just here lol. Now for the sushi. While Sushiro and Kura are pretty much the same, Kura’s quality is so, so much better. The tuna is better, the rice is better, the seasonal items are better, just too big of a gap to lump them together. As for F tier, Subway is a pitiful shell of its American self. That being said it’s not bad tasting, it just isn’t worth it for it’s price and lack of customization which is pretty much the only reason to go to Subway. And my last..Denny’s. I’m sorry, but this was the BIGGEST disappointment of my life, eating here. As an American where going to Denny’s drunk as hell in the middle of the night to get cheap, decent pancakes, with the possibility of a fight show, this place was too posh, too expensive, and just not worth it. It may be an emotionally based ranking, but if I can’t get a Grand Slam..what’s the point. Thank you for reading of you made it through all this 😅
Going to Japan in December and I'm going to have to try your bottom-of-the-list Shakey's for the sake of experience. I've lived in Hong Kong for 30 years so I am open to the odd strange combo. Anyway, thanks for the video. It's a good crash course on Japanese fast food.
This summer I went on vacation to Japan with a friend, we went to Kura Sushi since he wanted to try out a sushi restaurant, but since I don't like sushi I just ordered other stuff from the menu and I gotta say, their french fries are insultingly good. Like they are probably in the top 10 of any french fries I've eaten in a restaurant setting. I don't know why a sushi restaurant puts so much effort into their french fries and I know it's a bit absurd to recommend the fries when most people go there to eat sushi, but if any of you reading this are thinking of visiting Japan any time soon, please give them a try.
Don't agree with most but good try mate. S rank: Coco ichiban, Yoshinoya, Yayoi ken A: Matsuya, Sukiya, Bikkuri Donki B: Gyoza Oushou, Saizeriya, McDonalds, C: Wendys, Burgerking, Mosburger, D: All combini, Dennys, Mister Donut, Shakey's, Subway, Toriki, Hottomotto, 17ice, F: ALL the sushi places (utterly terrible, I will pay more for proper sushi) I almost never go to Combini for the past few years (I know, strange right)
Went to a Shakey's about a week ago and your ranking is spot on. Their plain jane pepperoni or cheese pizzas are fine but they never put any out unless you request it and when they do it's gone in seconds. Meanwhile their "specialty" pizzas sit out on the buffet for god knows how long...
I'm very agree with you about Sukiya. Back in 16 I was in Japan for my first time and straight into Sukiya (because it was close to my apartment in Chiyoda), and Sukiya was cheap! Also there's low calories menu too, especially for anyone want to control his diet.
Strangely I actually quite like Saize in Singapore. I love the drink bar and their food is pretty good. But i would put it at low A to mid B. I 100% agree that if there are other restaurants serving better food, they automatically win.
Mr Donuts is awesome in Japan. I wish they had some place like that in SoCal. We have Dunkin Donuts and it's just soooo sweet. ANy random donut shop locally is way too sweet as well.
