I was wandering around Ikebukuro on a Friday night. The izakayas I wanted to go to were all full and couldn't get in. So, I ended up at this yakiniku restaurant that had some empty seats. After ordering our drinks, we had the following dishes: - Appetizer: A mix of bean sprouts, watercress, and carrots. Personally, I don't think an appetizer is necessary at a yakiniku restaurant. - Beef Harami: We ordered 2 servings. The slices were about 3cm wide and 30cm long. We grilled them and cut them with scissors. It might be fun to try eating a whole piece on your own! - Beef Hormone: We ordered 1 serving. It was a 5cm square piece of striped tripe, which we also cut with scissors. - Grilled Vegetables: I forgot to take a picture, but they were pumpkin, onion, and eringi mushrooms. - Octopus Kimchi: It was quite spicy with lots of chili. - Garlic Foil Grilled: We actually ordered a Namul assortment, but for some reason, we got garlic foil grilled instead. The receipt also showed garlic foil grilled, so I think the staff made a mistake when entering the order on the handheld device.

After leaving the hopeful star behind, I searched for the next restaurant, but on Friday in Ikebukuro, every place was packed. No matter how many places I tried to enter, they were all full. Finally, I managed to get into a place that wasn't an izakaya. We each chose our favorite drinks, I went with Hoppy and we toasted. The appetizer was served, but is this really an izakaya? The taste wasn't bad, so I would be happy with free panchan, but if it's a place that's not supposed to be an izakaya and it's not free, I don't need it. The Tsubo Harami for 638 yen for two servings was unexpectedly a two-person limit, which was actually a good thing. The meat looked delicious just being in the pot, it's a mystery. The quality of the meat was good, and as expected, yakiniku is best enjoyed with multiple people. The Tsubo Hormone for 858 yen had no limit, so I ordered one serving. It was a large and delicious Shimacho, but at 858 yen per slice, it felt expensive. The grilled vegetable set for 638 yen included pumpkin, onion, shiitake mushrooms, and eringi mushrooms, a safe choice. The Octopus Kimchi for 528 yen didn't leave a lasting impression. The garlic in foil for 418 yen was ordered as a Namul assortment, but since I love garlic, I didn't mind. As it was a yakiniku restaurant, there were only group customers, so I decided to change locations and enjoy a leisurely drink.

The young people reserved this restaurant. They offer thick-cut beef, pork offal barbecue, and a wide range of izakaya menu items. With a 90-minute all-you-can-drink option for 1000 yen, they ordered thick-cut tongue and harami. The meat is mostly seasoned with salt, so sauce is not really necessary. You can enjoy it by adding the green onion salt sauce provided on the table. The quality of the meat seems good considering the price. It's simply delicious. The specialty thick-cut beef tongue is juicy and satisfying. However, most of the staff are Chinese and have difficulty communicating in Japanese. Surprisingly, there are no paper aprons or plastic bags for storing clothes or belongings at a barbecue restaurant... Maybe it's unavoidable at this price. They spent around 5500 yen for two people to drink and eat. The cost performance is good. Will they go again...? It's a borderline decision.

King's Course 2,480 yen *Photo shows 3 servings Draft beer 390 yen Oolong tea 290 yen etc The price is cheap and the cost performance is very good, but when we ordered the course, all the meat was served at once, which made it impossible to fit on the table. I wish they would consider the order a little more and serve it according to the time and pace of eating. With this kind of service, I won't be visiting again, even though the price is cheap.

This restaurant has decent quality meat for its price, but it was surprisingly cheap! I ordered the "thick-cut beef tongue set meal" for 700 yen, but I was worried about the portion size so I added some skirt steak. In the end, it came to 1,118 yen, making it just average in terms of price. The overall portion size was actually quite good. Additionally, they offer a lunchtime "all-you-can-eat" option for 980 yen, which is a good deal for those who want to eat a lot. Many people around me were taking advantage of this offer. It's impressive!

Today, I had some errands to run in Ikebukuro and decided to have a late lunch in between. While walking around without a specific destination, I came across a sign advertising a reasonably priced yakiniku lunch menu. Feeling happy, I decided to go inside. The restaurant I visited was called Nikumonoya Chokuei Shokuniku Ichiba Tonchan Yakiniku Daio. The counter had a grill and exhaust hood, perfect for solo yakiniku dining. I was quickly provided with a wet towel and tongs. The grill was lit up and ready for me to use. I ordered the Harami set for 600 yen. Originally, it was supposed to come with Harami and Kashiwa (beef cheek) but they were out of Kashiwa, so I only got Harami. The set included the main dish, rice, soup, salad, and oolong tea. The oval stainless steel plate had about 6 slices of Harami. The meat was seasoned on the surface. I grilled the meat on the plate and then dipped it in the sauce provided on the table, which had a sweet and savory flavor that enhanced the taste of the meat. The rice was served in a large portion, which was nice. The soup had a generous amount of seaweed but was slightly lukewarm. The salad, mainly consisting of watercress, was tasty with a Chinese dressing. I finished the meal quickly and washed it down with a glass of oolong tea. It was just the right amount to satisfy my hunger. The bill came out to 600 yen, which was very reasonable considering the location in Ikebukuro. It's great to find such a grateful restaurant like this. Oh, it was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

At the second bar for day drinking, I was seated at the counter and ordered the wagyu beef shoulder loin set meal for 900 yen and the all-you-can-drink option for 600 yen. First, a hi-ball, bean sprout salad, and rice arrived. Next, thinly sliced, chewy shoulder loin was served, which I grilled and ate. The meat was tough in its sliced state, but the flavor was good. I ordered another round of drinks - a vodka sour and a sweet potato on the rocks. I got drunk cheaply and was in a good mood. Let's go to the next place!

All-you-can-eat for 980 yen + all-you-can-drink without beer for 600 yen with a 60-minute time limit and last order at 45 minutes. I ordered tomato sour, heart, liver, chicken gizzard, white meat, chicken skin, highball, heart, chicken gizzard, chicken meat, umeshu sour, grapefruit juice, and heart. The heart was good, soft and easy to eat. The liver was not so great, with a lingering blood smell. I tried chicken gizzard for the first time, and it was okay but the bright red color reminded me of blood. The white meat had low fat content, so it felt safe but less tasty. The chicken skin was a bit burnt, maybe due to high heat. The chicken gizzard was long and had a crunchy texture when cooked, but I got tired of it halfway through. The chicken meat was shoulder meat, which I liked. The portions were large and the cuts were big. Overall, I enjoyed the heart and chicken meat the most. I arrived on a Saturday at 11:30 AM, and there were no other customers initially. A few people came in while I was eating. The staff were both Chinese. The sauces were spicy miso and green onion salt. I was surprised by the 980 yen all-you-can-eat in Ikebukuro and decided to try it, but it was just okay. Maybe it's not crowded for a reason. If I come back, I would probably stick to heart, chicken meat, rice, and soup only.

The quality of the meat is not great, but considering the price, it's understandable. The price is less than 3000 yen for all-you-can-drink course. I ordered additional thick-cut tongue and beef intestine. There is a wide variety of drinks available, so I think it's good for people who want to drink while eating yakiniku rather than focusing on delicious meat.

Finally found it! The best cost-effective yakiniku lunch in Ikebukuro! I happened to stumble upon this restaurant while wandering around Ikebukuro. It's quite a rare find since it doesn't show up when searching for cost-effective options. Most 1000 yen all-you-can-eat meat places don't offer great quality meat, but this one is different. The freshness is comparable to that of the famous Kanda Meat Center. There are signs inside the restaurant mentioning "morning-picked liver," so they might be serving that fresh meat as part of the all-you-can-eat menu. The 6 types of meat available for all-you-can-eat, with the option to add all-you-can-drink for an extra charge, is just amazing! The restaurant even has a second floor. When I visited around 2 p.m. on a weekday, there were only two other customers on the first floor. The perfect distance between tables allowed me to enjoy the meat in peace.

I visited the restaurant on a Friday before 7 pm. There was no wait and the service was quick. The taste and portion size were both good, and the overall cost performance was great. The atmosphere was nice and the staff were friendly. It was a good experience and I might visit again in the future.

After entering the store and taking a seat, I found out it was a one drink minimum policy. Although it wasn't written anywhere, I ordered oolong tea since I was already seated. The hormone was fresh and quite delicious. However, the change was wrong because the staff seemed to be chatting with a foreign friend who came in later.

The restaurant is located right near Ikebukuro C6 exit. It seems to be relatively new, with drinks being slightly cheaper due to a promotional price. The menu prices are already quite affordable. The recommended beef harami sashimi (550 yen) and cheese tsukune are particularly delicious for their price. The staff is very friendly, and it's a great place to enjoy drinks that are both cheap and tasty. Despite the low prices, the quality is not compromised, making it a satisfying dining experience. It's a place that solo diners would find welcoming. I would definitely want to visit again.

I used to frequent two places around here, but they have both closed down, which is sad. So, I decided to try a new place. Even though I can't eat spicy food or offal, I still decided to give it a try. The skewers are cheap, maybe that's why the pig's head turned into a green onion skewer, but I like green onions so it's okay. It didn't smell bad or taste tough. They grilled the green onions too much though. The meatballs were falling apart and crumbly, not very appetizing. The wagyu beef skewer had wagyu beef in it, but it was cheap. However, it wasn't tough or smelly. The sauce was dark. Personally, I found it too sweet, so I think salt would be better. The oden is quite spicy, so I can't order it when I come alone. Too bad. The potato salad was a normal, soft potato salad. I was surprised by the good quality of the wine glass that came with the wine, which was unexpectedly good for 390 yen and a generous portion. I was happy to find that Carlo Rossi, a low-priced wine that I like, was available. The picture may not show a lot of wine, but that's because the glass is big and I probably already drank about half of it (getting drunk). For a limited time, they have beer for 290 yen, whiskey highball for 190 yen, and lemon sour for 190 yen, and you can have all-you-can-drink for 2 hours for only 1500 yen, which is a great deal.

I stumbled upon a bar between Choinomi Hidaka-ya (closed) and Yakiniku En at the west entrance of Ikebukuro. It seemed to offer all-you-can-drink, so I decided to check it out. They had Premium Malt's beer (aromatic type), but I preferred to have a highball with special lemon, as suggested by my friend. We ended up going in. The first floor had only a counter, where we sat. The second floor had table seating and a clean restroom. The single item all-you-can-drink was 1500 yen per person (2-hour limit), with a 100 yen cover charge per person. The recommended dish was the red offal stew for 390 yen, which was quite spicy but had a normal taste. We also tried the skewers, starting from 130 yen for 2 pieces, which had a homemade feel and were satisfying. After beer, we had highballs. My friend had a Jim Beam highball, while I had one with special lemon, served in the usual container. We ordered various skewers, such as Harami (90 yen), Upper Tongue (110 yen), Heart (90 yen), Cheek (90 yen), and Tsukune (110 yen) with cartilage. The quality of the dishes varied greatly in terms of value for money. We also had Korean seaweed for 290 yen (3 bags for 100 yen) and cartilage fried chicken for 290 yen, which was a bit small in portion. The staff, all from the continent, were friendly. One of them from the neighboring Yakiniku En seemed bored and was grilling something. The restaurant was almost empty until we left. Will there be a next time? How will it be?

Wagyu shoulder loin and mixed offal. The Wagyu shoulder loin had a slight plastic smell.

The all-you-can-eat lunch with heart, skirt, and chicken was delicious. Definitely worth it.

The 30-minute all-you-can-drink for 300 yen is amazing! The carbonated drinks are served from a dispenser and taste great, and the meat is also reasonably priced. This place is a paradise for drinkers! The meat here is delicious and half the price compared to a certain chain restaurant.

All-you-can-eat for 980 yen, all-you-can-drink with beer for 900 yen, it's just really cheap. Great value for money.

The prices have gone up significantly... I used to love coming here for a good deal on drinks in Ikebukuro, especially because I love Tonchan Daio, but today when I visited, the hormone dishes that used to be around 300 yen were now all priced at 580 yen (although the menu had expanded). The sauce that I loved for the meat had also changed... I understand that there may be various circumstances, but I am extremely disappointed.