LocalEatsJapan

Must know Info:

Mankin Gyoza – 萬金餃子 *Cash or Card*

4 Chome-1-7 Sonan, Minami Ward, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0312, Japan

7 minute walk from Odakyu Sagamihara Station

Hours (as of 2025/12): Every day except Wednesday 11:00am – 8:45pm

Order system: Menu (waiter call button)

BY FAR the best and most unique gyoza I’ve ever had in Japan. I would even be willing to say this is one of the best restaurants i’ve been to as well – it is that good. 

The only caveat is that it is a bit far from central Tokyo, but if you get on the train from Shinjuku station you can get here in a 45 minute train ride (the same train line you would use to get to Shimokitazawa station). 

The restaurant is big with both tables and counter seats, but it is a local favourite for people around this area and beyond, and they also have people picking up take-out constantly, so you might have to be prepared to line up, especially on the weekend. 

Once you are seated they give you time to look over the menu and there is a button on the table which you press and the staff will often times come running over. 

NOTE: You can only order once, (excluding drinks) so I would order more than you may even think you may be able to handle (they will give you a takeout box if you ask for it). 

Differing from what I guess I could call “normal gyoza” (I am sure you know what I am referring to) which are just simply pan fried, often without even the use of oil, the ones pictured (焼き餃子, yaki-gyoza) are actually slightly submerged in oil which gives them their puffy appearance. 

I think that these are made thicker to begin with as well, but in terms of size they are definitely able to be eaten in just one bite (just be careful because they are ridiculously hot when they get to your table). 

They come in sets of 8, and are as of right now only 600 yen. I think I ended up eating maybe 30, but I will leave the amount you want up to your own discretion – just know that they are extremely addictive. 

A must to order with this is of course, rice. Another good thing I like is their “sesami taste chicken salad” (yes it is spelt this way), and the egg soup. 

What I like the most however, is that they have heaps of raw, freshly chopped garlic just sitting on the table. 

Putting this garlic in the same gyoza sauce dish and dipping the gyoza in it is incredible. I’ve never up until this point thought that “I want to eat raw garlic”! But this changed that. 

It gives it such a good punch, and not just to the taste, but also to your breath which I will have to apologize about in advance…but if it’s just one meal you can manage, right? 

When you are finished with your meal, bring your numbered plate on your table down to the front counter next to the front door and you can pay there. 

If you have the time to get out here, there is nothing else like it. Even if there was, Mankin does it the absolute best. 

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Must know Info:

Chūkamenten Kiraku – 中華麺店 喜楽*Cash Only*

2 Chome-17-6 Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0043, Japan

3 Minute walk from Shibuya station 

Hours (as of 2025/12): Everyday except Wednesday 11:30am – 8:30pm

Order system: Menu (order before getting seated)

Open since 1952 and standing at one of Shibuya’s oldest ramen restaurants is Kiraku. 

Located only a few minutes walk from the station the location couldn’t be better, but it is in the middle of Shibuya’s red light district, so walking past the restaraunt will put you in the centre of a bunch of love hotels…do be warned lol. 

But this is yet another example of a hidden “gem” I suppose because how people started to discover it…well, I think it is self-explanatory. 

But I digress, this is honestly a really good bowl of ramen (though they do have a few different things like gyoza as well) with a mom and pop shop sort of vibe to it (especially with the now 2nd owner being the son of the original). 

Having the name “chuuka”, meaning Chinese, it isn’t your stereotypical ramen, but this is actually quite common in Japan. What differentiates this from a normal bowl isn’t the noodles or egg, it is that they put wontons in it. 

While this doesn’t necessarily make it a wildly different tasting bowl per-say, it does at the very least differentiate itself from other bowls, and that is why I think it is worth having. 

But it isn’t just this unique factor either, as the ramen is really good in and of itself. 

The soup is a soy-sauce base, but they have garlic chips in there which really brings out the umami in it I feel. 

While being completely honest, the egg and cha-shu could have been both a little less cooked for my liking, they were packed with flavour as can be seen with how dark the egg on the outside is – a tell tale sign that it has been brining for a long time. 

Though I don’t have it pictured, I also had the fried rice (cha-han) which is something you really can’t go wrong with and it comes with an egg soup. I really like putting vinegar on my Japanese fried rice if they have it and though it sounds weird I would try it out – it surprisingly pairs really well.

Gyoza was also something that was on the menu and I saw on a lot of other tables, I however didn’t think I had the stomach capacity, though looking back I wish I gave into my gluttonous tendencies and ordered it. 

As for ordering, it is done while you are in line/when you enter the restaurant. To save yourself the stress I highly recommend looking at the menu beforehand. 

The nice thing with this however, is often times only a few minutes or seconds after you sit down the food will come – leave it to the Japanese 

When you finish, whether upstairs or downstairs, right next door to the same door you walked through is someone standing there with a little table who will either know your order or you will have to remind her of (got to love a high trust society like Japan) and you pay here.

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More about me

Different types of ordering systems in Japan explained

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Must know Info:

Vejiro Shibuya Sohonten – 肉野菜炒め ベジ郎 渋谷総本店 *Cash Only*

2 Chome-23-11 Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0043

5 Minute walk from Shibuya station 

Hours (as of 2025/12): Monday through Sunday 10am – 10:30pm

Order system: Electronic Ticket Machine

Another Shibuya gem, and despite being in such a central location, it is kind of hidden in plain sight. 

If you are looking for a cheap, voluminous, and if you were to consider solely the amount of vegetables they use, dare I say “healthy”, it is a perfect place to fill you up without feeling entirely guilty about the amount of food you just ate. 

Vejiro is a play on words, with the former referring to vegetables, and the “ro” taking inspiration from a famous, cult-following type ramen called “Jiro-kei” which is known for having probably the most ridiculous portion sizes in any type of dish in Japan, particularly recognizable for the amount of steamed bean sprouts (moyashi) that is piled up on top of the bowl. 

Utilizing these vegetables, they decided to just turn it into a monstrosity of a vegetable stir-fry sort of thing, consisting of your choice of meat and it is all topped with “back fat” (essentially pork fat that they have put into a strainer and shake it over top of the dish) which might not sound appetizing but it is delicious and can a lot of time make or break a dish. 

You have the choice of chicken karaage or pork (I think karaage goes better personally), 300-600 grams of vegetables with no additional charge, and flavors like miso, soy sauce, ponzu etc. 

I highly recommend rice with it as it pairs extremely well (if you can handle the volume of it lol). 

You will also notice that I have a raw egg here (and yes it is perfectly safe to eat) but I just got used to eating them in Japan and honestly, there’s just something about it that makes me want to add it as a topping to whatever I am eating there if it’s offered. 

This could just be the 6 grams of protein and health benefits my body so desperately craves after eating some of this food however… But hey, you only live once right! 

There are 14 seats, including 3 or 4 tables with only 2 seats each and the rest placed at the counter. 

Upon entering the restaurant they have a digital ticket machine where you will insert your money into and then give your food tickets to the staff after being seated. 

As most local places are in Japan, it is very reasonably priced for the amount of food you are getting. 

I liked this place not only because I was on the verge of getting scurvy and was able to find some vegetables…But mainly because they took an already established food and turned it into something of their own. 

Time and time again, whatever the genre, new or old, Japan always tries to perfect it – making me want to go back time and time again to this place which I never thought I would say to myself about a place serving a vegetable stir-fry, but it was just that good.

Lastly, it opens at 10am and closes at 10pm, so if you are going drinking or partying in Shibuya, this is a good pre-meal or, if you are going really hardcore, post!

Thanks for reading – if you’d like to support and follow along: 

More about me

Different types of ordering systems in Japan explained

Purchasing an onigiri to keep me fuelled throughout my journey 🍙