Sakaeya Curry House – Mom And Pop Shop That Serves Curry In Under A Minute!

Must know Info:

Sakaeya Curry Hourse – カレーの店サカエヤ *Cash Only*

110-0015 Tokyo, Taito City, Higashiueno, 1 Chome−6−3 Sakaeya

2 minute walk from Ohin-Okachimachi Station/8 minute walk from Okachimachi Station

Hours (as of 2025/12): Everyday except Sunday from 11:30am-3pm, 5-8pm

Order system: Call Out System

What drew me into here was not that it is praised for having the most amazing Japanese curry out there, but rather underneath the name “待ち時間0分” or zero minute wait time being written.
Naturally, this piqued my interest, and so I went in to see a husband and wife standing behind the counter serving up curry at lighting speed.

You see it a-lot in Japan, but their service is so fast sometimes that the whole US coined term “fast-food” doesn’t even come close and this was one of those examples, but taken to the extreme.

Of course “0 minute wait time” is exaggerated, it was really only like 1-2 minutes for my curry to come out (and I ordered 2 lol).

There is rice in a huge cooker, and curry in a big pot next to it. For the meat they grill it up the moment they hear your order or if you get pork-katsu then they will fry it.

With how fast it came out, it wasn’t the most beautiful presentation I’ve seen, but I figured this would be the case.

I was a little skeptical however, about the taste of the food: “If it’s this fast there is no way it can be good!” But I was proven wrong!

The curry was actually really good! It was a bit more of a soup curry as you can see from the pictures, and had a good little kick to it which the sweeter-leaning Japanese curry often lacks.

The rice was normal, no complaints.

I had one bowl with chicken, which were pan-grilled cut up chicken thighs, and they actually paired quite well with the dish.

For the other one, the pork-katsu was actually quite nicely breaded and not too tough. I think katsu is the best topping on curry, so I have nothing else to say.

They had disposable chopsticks on the table, and 2 different kinds of Japanese tsukemono (pickled vegetables) with the black ones being a little saltier and the red ones sweet, kind of like a relish type of taste (this is a must in my opinion especially with a soup with spice).

The restaurant only has counter seats (kind of bar style) and there are not too many so I wouldn’t say to go in with more than 2 people.

When you finish, leave your bowl on the counter and pay your money over the same one – either the husband or wife will collect your money.

Sakaeya is not a top level restaurant, let alone a top level curry restaurant. But even with that being said, the taste is more than sufficient, and their selling point is the speed at which the food is served to you.

The husband and wife working here have obviously been doing it for years, and when you go to eat there it shows. I think this is a perfect example of Japanese craft and work-ethic you will want to see.