Viking Sakon offers a set meal for 600 yen! Let's give it a try! Sakon is known for its affordable prices, but it may be difficult to fully enjoy the grilled meat or fish. The meat was okay, and you could also try other side dishes, udon, etc. I used to go there with my daughter or grandchildren as a fun outing, but I haven't been there lately. Even before the pandemic, there were too many foreign tourists, making it hard to enjoy the experience. So, I stopped going. But now, after a long time, I decided to go back. I was worried about the crowds, but the place was empty and a bit lonely. The 600 yen set meal plus tax is a great deal, especially on weekends and holidays when it includes a drink bar. The meat at Sakon is decent, as expected. The dessert was a simple orange slice. Overall, it's a good value for the price, with plenty of cabbage to eat and a drink bar included. I can't say I would go back for a second visit, but it was a satisfactory experience.

I knew it was cheap, but I finally went to the restaurant where lunch is always 1000 yen! It was crowded with foreign groups, and we only had one hour. The place was spacious but got really busy as groups came and went. The main attraction was the all-you-can-eat meat for 1000 yen. Also, if you search for coupons online, you can get free unlimited drinks. I probably won't go back for a while, but just wanted to share my experience!

I visited the Sakon main store. Although there is also a Sakon Suehiro store nearby, I decided to visit the main store by myself. I entered as soon as they opened at 11:30. The interior of the store is very spacious with about 8 small rooms, and I was guided to one of the small rooms. Even though I was alone, I didn't feel out of place at all. After a while, a large group of customers came in, but it didn't bother me much. Maybe because the store is spacious. They had some meat with injected fat, but I didn't try that and instead had other types of meat. When I grilled and ate the Harami, it was... tough. Very tough and hard to chew. Well, considering the affordable lunch price, it's good for filling up your stomach. I wished it was a bit more tender, but I ended up grilling and eating a lot.

When I want to eat as much meat as I can, I always go to Sakon. There are always sightseeing buses passing by when I walk by. Inside, there are many Chinese tourists. They offer various types of meat such as top skirt, top rib, and lean meat, as well as a variety of horumon (offal). They also have a wide selection of side dishes like sushi, fried chicken, and ramen. It's really delicious to take the meat, dip it in gochujang, wrap it in lettuce, and eat it. It doesn't feel like all-you-can-eat because it's so tasty. When I have the chance, I bring my own sauce. When I leave, I always feel stuffed and dizzy from eating too much.

If you head south on Route 26 and go a little past Izumiya Izumisano store, you will find Yakiniku Sakon Honeten. The parking lot is spacious. The interior of the restaurant is also spacious, but the tables are lined up in a row without any partitions, so it may feel a bit chaotic. For lunch, on weekdays, you can enjoy all-you-can-eat yakiniku, sushi, salad, and side dishes for 1,200 yen + tax per person, which is quite reasonable. The meat here seems to be thicker compared to other Sakon locations, and it doesn't have any unpleasant smell. The quality of the meat is commendable considering the price. The only downside is that the beef tongue has a slight smell. When you order sushi, they bring it in a sushi bucket, which is a bit surprising. Also, at the main store, you can have maguro nigiri for lunch on weekdays. This is important to note because other Sakon locations only offer bintcho maguro for lunch. This restaurant is more about filling up on food rather than focusing on the quality of the meat.

It's been a while since I last visited the main store. My daughter finished her part-time job at 2:30 PM, so we arrived after that time and missed the lunch service at all the other places. Here, lunch prices are available until 4:00 PM. After 4:00 PM, it's the dinner price which is 1980 yen. We rushed to enter before 3:00 PM. Despite it being an odd time, the parking lot was full of cars! Inside, there was a group of about 100 young guys making a lot of noise. We had beef, pork, chicken, offal, sushi, ramen, coffee, ice cream, and salad. We ate quickly and finished. It's even cheaper to visit on weekdays.

I went to the main store after a long time. I thought the quality of the meat has improved compared to before. The prices are a bit high, but it's worth it when you have kids. There are many menu options for sushi like ikura and maguro, which my kids love. I might visit again. The menu includes over 10 types of meat, salad, dessert, yakisoba, curry, karaage, potato, ramen, udon, soup (they even had clam chowder), drinks, and more. The kids were very happy.

On August 13, 2010, I revisited the restaurant due to scheduling reasons. There were two groups of foreign tourists (from China or Korea?) arriving by bus. It seems like this restaurant is popular among tourists. On July 25, 2010, I visited for the first time in 30 years. The all-you-can-eat yakiniku was priced at 1,449 yen, with a drink bar for an additional 189 yen, totaling 1,638 yen for a holiday lunch. It is quite affordable. The entrance is adorned with many pictures of the president of the Sakon Group, giving off a retro and local vibe. As it is the main branch (first store), the interior is quite old. The variety of beef for yakiniku is abundant, but the display, with its old equipment, does not make the meat look appetizing. The food is not bad, but not particularly great either. They also offer sushi, curry, vegetables, and desserts. There is a new branch nearby, so it seems like they are dividing their customer base. The main branch here is known for its low prices and is popular among children from baseball teams and school clubs. It may be contributing to the children by offering affordable meals. I remember that meat used to be more expensive in the past, so it was a good memory. Nowadays, I don't particularly love yakiniku, though.

"All-you-can-eat yakiniku restaurant popular among Chinese customers."