Yoshoku 101: Discover Japan’s Beloved Western-Style Cuisine

Overview

Yoshoku is a unique culinary style that developed when Japan ended its 300-year isolation 150 years ago and began incorporating Western food culture, adapting it to Japanese tastes. While inspired by European cuisine, these dishes have been modified to suit Japanese preferences, creating a distinctive food culture not found in Western restaurants.

Yoshoku restaurants are typically casual establishments that don’t require reservations. They offer excellent value, with lunch typically costing 1,000-2,000 yen and dinner around 4,000-5,000 yen, significantly more affordable than specialized Italian or French restaurants.

The Casual Comfort of Yoshoku Restaurants

“Yoshoku restaurants offer affordable, everyday cuisine for the general public. With the exception of a handful of high-end establishments with historical significance, most are casual restaurants where you can enter without a reservation or concern about dress code. Popular menu items include hamburger steak, omurice, ebi fry, beef stew, and Napolitan spaghetti. Except for beef stew, the king of yoshoku dishes, most items cost between 1,000 and 1,500 yen when served as a set meal. These sets typically include rice, a small bowl of fresh vegetables, and a small soup. This makes yoshoku more affordable than conveyor belt sushi and comparable in price to ramen, while still providing a filling meal. Yoshoku dishes often appeal to young children with their familiar flavors, making them ideal for family dining. While soup typically comes with yoshoku set meals, many customers order the more substantial and flavorful corn potage or cream potage separately, which is why we’ve included them in our list bellow.”

Popular Menu Items

1.Hamburger Steak – A juicy minced meat patty topped with special demi-glace sauce

2.Omurice – Ketchup-flavored rice wrapped in a fluffy omelet, a signature yoshoku dish

3.Gratin – Macaroni and vegetables baked in white sauce topped with melted cheese

4.Ebi Fry – Large prawns coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried to a crispy perfection

5.Croquette – A crispy deep-fried patty of mashed potatoes and minced vegetable

6.Menchi Katsu – A juicy Western-style cutlet made from minced meat and onions

7.Omelet – A fluffy egg dish often filled with various ingredients

8.Hayashi Rice – Rice topped with a rich red sauce made from beef and onions

9.Beef Stew – Tender beef and vegetables slow-cooked in red wine and other ingredients

10.Napolitan – A uniquely Japanese spaghetti dish seasoned with ketchup

11.Crab Croquette – A luxurious version of croquette filled with crab meat

12.Tonkatsu – Breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet with a crispy exterior and juicy interior

13.Bifuteki – A thick-cut beef steak prepared with Japanese flavors

14.Katsuretsu – The beef version of tonkatsu, a breaded and deep-fried beef cutlet

15.Corn Potage – A rich and creamy soup that highlights the natural sweetness of corn

16.Potage Soup – A smooth, velvety cream soup made from pureed vegetables

Dining Style and Etiquette

Set menus are popular for both lunch and dinner. A typical set includes a main dish, salad, rice, soup, and dessert (coffee or ice cream).

For example, Yoshikami, a famous yoshoku restaurant in Asakusa, offers lunch sets for 2,100 yen and dinner sets for 3,700 yen.

How to Order

Many yoshoku restaurants may not have English-speaking staff or English menus. In such cases:

1. Point to photos in the menu
2. Order set meals for lunch or dinner (recommended)
3. Ask for recommendations by saying “Osusume wa nan desu ka?”