The atmosphere of Kintaro, a motsunabe (tripe hot pot dish) shop located near Hanazono Shrine, hasn’t changed since it first went into business. During the lunch hour there is a constant stream of orders in this lively shop.

Another dish as popular as their famous motsunabe is the Gyunabe (sukiyaki) set lunch. This pot is loaded with beef, tofu, Japanese leeks, and enoki mushrooms and comes with white rice, miso soup, salad, and pickles for just 550 yen! You can’t beat the cost performance of this set lunch which is very popular with the ladies.

The shop offers seven types of set lunches, all reasonably priced, such as the above-mentioned Gyunabe (sukiyaki) set lunch, the Saikoro (cube cuts) steak set lunch (550 yen), and the Tonkatsu toji (pork cutlet with egg) set lunch (650 yen). This shop is very popular because of its menu of reasonably priced dishes and its relaxed atmosphere.

During the lunch hour a long line forms outside the Sankairakushu Oyoyo tachigui (stand-and-eat) style shop that offers prepaid self-service. This place with its easy style is popular with individuals having lunch alone.

The beefsteak set (600 yen, lunch time only) is a very popular menu item. It is a hearty 150 grams of beef grilled to medium rare and cut into large slices. It comes with a delicious Japanese-style onion sauce and rice.

At no extra charge you can also get extra helpings of rice and soup. This is the perfect lunch to give you an energy boost when you are feeling tired.

Gyoza Senka Dining Lee is a popular pub with a retro feel famous for its gyoza. It is a sister shop of the Gyoza Senka Lee located in Kabukicho. Located on the second floor of the building it has a retro Showa era atmosphere.

Even though the shop is famous for its gyoza its lunch menu offers a wide selection of other dishes, too. Particularly popular is the bibimbap-style yakiniku-don that comes in a bowl so large you need two hands to lift it. The dish comes with salad, zha cai (Szechwan pickles), and soup all for only 540 yen.

The sweet and spicy meat complemented by refreshing namul is highly acclaimed. This is perfect for those who like lots of vegetables.

The lunch menu offers eight lunch sets. In addition to the Yakiniku-don, other popular sets are the spicy Mabudofu-don tofu bowl, Gyoza Teishoku, and Omuraisu (rice omelet); there are six 540 yen sets to choose from. Each has large portions making this a popular place to get a filling lunch at a reasonable price.

If you are looking for a healthy portion of vegetables for your lunch time meal, then you should definitely visit Salad Deli Margo Shinjuku Grand Tower Shop which specializes in salads.

The Salad Bento, limited to lunch time and packed with ingredients, is especially popular at this shop famous for its custom orders. This is a double-layered bowl, the top layer of salad and the lower layer of rice, having hearty portions of both.

Normally there are more than five types of Salad Bento offered and one offering excellent cost performance and highly acclaimed is the Domestic Beef Roast Beef Bowl (700 yen). Specially selected roast beef made form domestic beef slowly grilled over a low fire is perfectly matched with the mildly spicy western horseradish. The rice has been steamed with ginger in it to create an exquisitely Japanese flavor.

This is perfect for ladies seeking a healthy dish and also popular with those secretly dieting.

Written by Shino Sasaki

* Information as of January 2018. All prices include taxes. Content may vary.