Yoshinoya is known for serving lunch and dinner in a quick-service style, offering their signature Gyudon beef bowls, teriyaki chicken, and other Japanese-inspired comfort food.
Yoshinoya is a Japanese multinational quick service chain and is considered to be the 2nd largest chain of Gyudon beef bowl restaurants in the world. It was founded in Tokyo in 1899 by Eikichi Matsuda, who opened the first location in the Nihonbashi fish market. They eventually moved to another location and in 1952, the very first 24/7 Yoshinoya opened. Yoshi in Japanese means "Luck," while No means "Field," and Ya means "House." However, the word Yoshinoya is generally considered to mean good luck. In 1968, the first Yoshinoya franchise was opened in Shinsaibashi.
The restaurant expanded into the United States in 1975, establishing a number of locations. Today, they are found in more than 2000 locations primarily found in East Asia, South East Asia, and the US. Plans to expand to other regions of the world are in the works.
The restaurant's signature dish is the Gyudon beef bowl but they do offer other items on the menu, such as teriyaki chicken, steamed veggies, and dumplings, as well as desserts, drinks, and boba or milk tea in some locations. With a mission to serve fresh flavors using quality ingredients, Yoshinoya continues to serve food inspired by the company's Japanese heritage.
What Makes Yoshinoya Different?
Though Yoshinoya is a quick-service restaurant, they are committed to serving great quality food using great quality ingredients. They are proud to say there's not one microwave oven in any of their locations, because all of the food is made fresh in their kitchens. The bowls are made by real cooks and served to customers fresh, hot, and delicious.
Yoshinoya also makes sure each location uses the freshest, high-quality ingredients, cooked using methods and approaches from the company's Japanese heritage.
They have a fixed menu with signature dishes but are always testing and developing innovative items to add to their menu. In some locations, they offer veggie bowls, chili shrimp, teriyaki salmon, and shrimp tempura, while other locations stick to the signature menu.
Because there are more than 2000 locations in the world, not all Yoshinoya menus are the same. However, the signature dishes remain the same with some variations depending on the region and location of the restaurant.
In the US, the menu is slightly different from that in South East Asia, in the sense that the bowls are completely customizable. You can choose your protein, the base, your side, and the size for each order. This is how you order your food at Yoshinoya in the US:
- Choose Your Bowl
- Choose Your Protein
- Choose Your Mix
- Appetizers
- Desserts
Choose Your Bowl means you need to choose what size of bowl you want. They have the Regular, Large, Combo, and Combo XL. The difference is in the calories, as well as the size of the dish, pieces of food, and side dish. The smallest one, which is the Regular, consists of 540 to 1240 calories, while the biggest one, the Combo Xl has a total of 2390 calories.
The next step is to Choose Your Protein. Here are the options:
- Original Beef, which is thin, and juicy, beef ribbons and onions, simmered slowly in a soy broth that's sweet and savory
- Teriyaki Chicken, which is fresh, grilled chicken, topped with Yoshinoya's signature teriyaki sauce
- Tempura Orange Chicken, which is white meat chicken breaded in Tempura and topped with the signature orange sauce
- Teriyaki Grilled Ribeye, which is a juicy, tender, USDA ribeye steak grilled and glazed with teriyaki sauce.
- Habanero Chicken, which is a fresh, grilled, and glazed white meat chicken with a spicy and sweet habanero pineapple sauce
The third step is to Choose Your Mix. Get to choose 1 base and 1 veggie:
Base and Veggie options include:
- Udon Noodles
- White Rice
- Brown Rice
- Vegetables
You can also order Appetizers, which include spring rolls, dumplings, and clam chowder. Desserts include New York-style cheesecake, flan, and chocolate chip cookies.
Drinks are Pepsi products, Tropicana juices, iced tea, and the new addition of a Boba menu.
There is no veggie or vegan menu at Yoshinoya, however, you can order the Veggie Bowl. Choose brown rice, which is whole-grain and fiber-rich, and skip the protein option. Head directly to the Choose Your Mix and order a full bowl of steamed vegetables, which contain broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and green cabbage. You can then top the bowl with your choice of vegan-friendly sauce.
In some locations, a kid's menu is available while it's not in other locations. For the available kid's menu, there are three options:
- The Kid's Tempura Orange Chicken
- The Kid's Original Gyudon Beef
- The Kid's Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
You can also order the base to be in white rice, noodles, or brown rice.
Does Yoshinoya Offer Delivery?
Yes, Yoshinoya offers delivery. Go to the official website, enter your address and the nearest Yoshinoya location near you, add your order, pay, and have your order delivered to your address or you can also arrange to pick up your order in the restaurant. In the US, the following third-party delivery apps offer Yoshinoya delivery: Grubhub, Ubereats, Postmates, and DoorDash.
What are the Opening Hours of Yoshinoya?
Typical opening hours are 10 am and closing hours are 10 pm but this depends on the location. For restaurants located inside shopping malls, they follow the operating house of the mall. Some locations open early at 730am and close at 1030pm.