Rice bowls in Akihabara that cost just 500 yen [Beef bowl, Sambo, Seafood bowl]

Consumption tax will increase to 10% from October!
Reduced tax rates are so complicated I don't really understand them!
But I want to have lunch on the cheap!!

So this time, we've put together a list of restaurants where you can eat one-coin rice bowls for less than 500 yen including tax!

Akihabara's one-coin rice bowl

Yoshinoya Akihabara Chuo Street Store

This is a famous beef bowl chain restaurant whose incantation "regular beef bowl with lots of soup, no onions, and lots of fat" became popular on the internet a while back.

There are other rice bowl dishes here that can be eaten for just 500 yen, such as a regular-sized beef bowl for 352 yen (excluding tax) and a regular-sized new pork bowl for 325 yen (excluding tax)!

There is also a Yoshinoya Akihabara store near Yodobashi, so it's a good idea to visit that as well.

Matsuya Akihabara store

This 24-hour beef bowl chain restaurant is located a two-minute walk from the Showa-dori exit along Showa-dori towards Ueno.
It was just reopened on September 10th of this year.

Here, the prices for eat-in and take-out are the same, and the menu prices are displayed including tax.
A regular-sized premium beef bowl costs 380 yen, and a kimchi and beef bowl costs 500 yen.

Sukiya Akiba Tashirodori Branch

A 24-hour beef bowl chain restaurant near UDX.
They have a creative beef bowl menu that is different from Yoshinoya and Matsuya, and like Matsuya, they have the same tax-inclusive prices for eat-in and take-out.

It just so happened that they were doing a collaboration with Attack on Titan.

These people are probably prepared for the price hike of beef bowls due to the consumption tax increase that will take effect on October 1st. Their expressions are different.

Sambo, a beef bowl specialty restaurant - a long-established beef restaurant in Akihabara

A legendary beef restaurant in Akihabara.
Previously, there were strict, unspoken rules within the store that were almost like a religion, such as not allowing people to talk on their cell phones inside the store, or even fiddling with their phones, but these rules have now been relaxed a lot (probably).

Here you can eat a regular-sized beef bowl for 500 yen (tax included).
By the way, for a while there was a sign on the store shutter that said "We are closed due to unforeseen circumstances," and rumors were circulating on social media that Sambo had closed down, but in reality it seemed like they were just closing down on that day due to unforeseen circumstances (confusing).

As a result, there was a risk of misunderstanding, so we have included the date.

Wakasa-ya Akihabara store

A seafood bowl restaurant located along Chuo Street.
They also have stores in Ueno and Kabukicho, and their menu offers a variety of seafood bowls.

For just 500 yen, you can choose from five different bowls of salmon, spear squid, sweet shrimp, grilled belly belly, and marinated tuna, all combined with negitoro.
You can also choose your own fresh fish toppings and combine them to your liking to create your own original seafood bowl, although it will cost more!

There are also daily specials!

So, I've put together a list of 500 yen rice bowls you can eat in Akihabara!
Due to the tax increase, some stores may be considering changing their menu prices in the future, so it's best to check the official website of each store for any changes to menu prices!

A closed rice bowl restaurant in Akihabara

Akihabara Okamuraya

Located right across from Akihabara UDX, this chain restaurant specializes in beef rice bowls. Unlike regular gyudon, this is a new type of rice bowl dish where you can enjoy beef slowly simmered in a large pot.

The meat rice is 490 yen (tax included), but according to the restaurant's official website, the meat plate (without rice in the bowl) is 390 yen (tax included).

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*Addition of closed stores as of October 5, 2021