A meal of the common people of thinly sliced beef and onions stewed in soy sauce and sugar and placed on top of rice in a bowl. Fast food unique to Japan. You can add various toppings when ordering.
What is Gyudon and can I eat it?
Materials of Gyudon
Rice, beef, onions, soy sauce※, and sugar,etc.
| Low-gluten | ||||
| with Beef |
| Fast food |
Gyudon is the ultimate fast food
In Japan, there is a dish called “donburi” where the ingredients are served by sprinkling warm ingredients on hot rice.
“Gyudon” is a beef pot stewed in soy sauce, sugar, and mirin with onions, etc., and put on rice to make it easier to eat. It was 200 years ago that Japanese people started to eat beef.
Gyudon is served in a short time after ordering. Despite being a hot dish, it will be served within a minute if the restaurant is not crowded.
The basic Gyudon is explained above, but there are many topping menus, and you can top it with your favorite things such as cheese, green onions, raw eggs, and kimchi.
You can also choose the size of the meal, such as small, standard, large, and extra large. You can also order miso soup, pork soup, vegetable salad, and pickles as a side menu.
Try to eat Gyudon!
How much ?
$3～
Where can I eat Gyudon?
We recommend eating at a Gyudon chain restaurants.
There are 4,500 restaurants in the four major chain restaurants alone, located in and around the railway station, along the main road. Many restaurants are open 24 hours a day.
The menu is different depending on the restaurants, but a Gyudon is available at all restaurants. In addition, the method of ordering and payment differs depending on the restaurants as follows.
Gyudon is sometimes sold as a lunch box at convenience stores, but it is not recommended because it needs to be heated in the microwave.
Sukiya
- You can sit in any vacant seat. You order at your seat. When you leave the shop after eating, take the slip and pay at the exit. You can pay by credit card, electronic money, and QR code.
- The number of restaurants is the largest at about 1,900.
Yoshinoya
- You can sit in any vacant seat. You order at your seat. When you leave the restaurants after eating, take the slip and pay at the exit. You can pay by electronic money and QR code, but credit cards is not accpeptable.
- The number of restaurants is about 1,200, which is the second largest.
Matsuya
- When you enter the restaurants, buy a meal ticket at an automatic vending machine, sit in an empty seat, and give the meal ticket to the staff. Electronic money and QR code payment are possible at some stores, but it is safer to prepare cash.
- The menu other than beef bowl is substantial.
Nakau
- When you enter the restaurant, buy a meal ticket at an automatic vending machine, sit in an empty seat, and give the meal ticket to the staff. Gyudon is called “Japanese-style Gyudon”. You can buy meal tickets by credit card, electronic money, and QR code approval.
- Other menu like “Oyakodon” and “Udon” is also delicious.
Precautions when eating Gyudon
Not Gluten-free, but Gluten is almost zero
The only raw material for the gyudon that is derived from wheat is basically soy sauce.
Soy sauce is a liquid seasoning made from soybeans, wheat, and salt by fermentation.
The amount of gluten in the Gyudon is almost zero because the protein in the raw material is decomposed in the process of fermentation and no protein left.
However, according to the FDA’s GF rules, it is not gluten-free. People with celiac disease should decide for themselves whether to eat. Anyone else on a gluten-free diet can eat it.
Contains onions
Onions that are high in fructans (a type of oligosaccharides) are used. It’s not a high-FODMAPs diet, just because it’s not used in large quantities.
Pork is also available at the same shop
Many Gyudon restaurants also serve pork bowls. Please note that there is also pork soup on the side menu.
No vegetarian menu
There is no vegetarian menu at the Gyudon restaurant.
Japanese writer’s comment for Gyudon
If you want to experience Japanese fast food, try Gyudon at least once. Delicious, easy, and fast are the catchphrases of the Yoshinoya.
It costs about $ 3-4 for Gyudon alone, and about $ 7 for with toppings and side menus. Then the time from ordering to serving is terribly fast. Sometimes it takes less than 30 seconds.
When you go to the Gyudon restaurant, every restaurant has something like red vegetables on the table and you can eat it freely. This is called “Gari”, which is ginger with vinegar and sugar.
If you like, you can eat it over the Gyudon. It has a red color because it uses a type of ginger called red ginger. However, that red color is a beet pigment.
If you want to enjoy the Gyudon restaurant, I recommend going to a time when it is not crowded. It’s OK if you remove 7-9 and 11-14 o’clock.
At the restaurant where you order by seat, there is an English menu with pictures, so you can order by pointing at it. The staff usually cannot speak English, so it may be better to check online beforehand before going.
