It is a cheap and convenient izakaya that is perfect for both the first and second party! There are extremely cheap dishes available, starting at 300 yen, making it very affordable! The drinks are also inexpensive, and it is conveniently located near the station. It receives high ratings not for the taste, but for being cheap and convenient.

I was walking to Burger King, but before I knew it, I was already inside the restaurant. The lunch special is only 550 yen, which is quite cheap. I ordered and it came out in just a few minutes, which was surprising as I expected it to take longer. The taste is decently good. If you're looking for really delicious Chinese food, this is not the place to go. Also, the oolong tea is free but self-service. The restaurant has a slightly dirty feel, so if you're looking for a clean and tasty place, I wouldn't recommend it. But if you want quick, cheap, and decently tasty Chinese food, then I would recommend it.

[Ikebukuro Exploration Adventure Part 14] Today marks the 6th day of our adventure in Ikebukuro! We are still exploring only a small part of the area. How long will it take to fully uncover everything? Our first stop today was at a place we stumbled upon called "Ikebukuro Oozakaya." A friend mentioned that a YouTuber they like, Umekacchan, had visited this place. So, we decided to check it out! The interior was spacious, resembling a steakhouse or beer hall. At 5:20 PM, there was only one family of four in the restaurant. It seems like doing business in Ikebukuro can be tough, even just a bit away from the station. We ordered some drinks and dishes, including The Malt, Hoppy Set (Black) x2, Hoppy (Medium) x4, Appetizer x2, Mapo Tofu, Black Pepper Stir-Fried Pork Liver, and Green Onion Char Siu. Cheers to another day of hard work! The Hoppy was delicious, and the appetizer of slightly spicy cucumber pickles was refreshing. The Mapo Tofu had a rich flavor with a hint of spiciness, perfect for pouring over rice. The Black Pepper Stir-Fried Pork Liver was a surprising portion for its price, and the sauce was flavorful with a nice pepper kick. The Green Onion Char Siu had a subtle spiciness with a hint of consomme flavor, but the char siu itself was overshadowed by the dish's overall taste. Overall, the Chinese dishes were tasty, and we left satisfied. Can't wait to try their 99 yen skewers next time! Thank you for the delicious meal. See you next time! [Ratings] Overall: 3.6 Taste: 4 Service: 3.5 Atmosphere: 2.5 Value: 5 Drinks: 3

On my day off, I decided to have a solo lunch at this restaurant where I had previously tried the delicious black pepper chicken stir-fry. Located in a gourmet area between Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Geijutsu Gekijo and Rikkyo Street, this place specializes in Chinese cuisine, particularly stir-fried dishes, all for just 500 yen. The lunch menu changes weekly and offers six options, all focusing on stir-fried dishes without any ramen or gyoza. I was torn between the pork and cabbage black pepper stir-fry and the shrimp and egg stir-fry, but ended up choosing the latter. Despite the restaurant being about 80% full on a Saturday afternoon, the food was served quickly. Watching the chefs in the open kitchen stir-frying dishes, my meal was ready in no time. The shrimp and egg stir-fry was generous with eggs, with chives and shrimp adding a nice touch, and the seasoning was just right, not overly salty. For 500 yen, you also get unlimited self-serve oolong tea, which was perfect on a hot day. A delicious, affordable, and quick lunch option. Thank you for the meal.

The lunch price is 500 yen, which is a great value because the university is nearby. This time, I tried the "Mapo Tofu Ankake Yakisoba." The noodles weren't very warm for some reason, but overall it was quite good. The mapo tofu was delicious. It's also nice that you can drink unlimited oolong tea.

The food was delicious, so I came for lunch every day ❤️ Today, I had spicy stir-fried hormone and cabbage. The seasoning was excellent, but the hormone was a bit lacking. Considering the quality for 500 yen, it's understandable. I will try a different menu next time! Great cost performance, so I will definitely go again.

On December 20, this day is the once-a-year "return to the office day". Oh, it's something we decided on our own, even though it should technically be once a month, haha. I've been ignoring the order to return from the company for over 10 years. They finally gave up on me, haha. Well, I do go back to the company every year without fail just to give my year-end greetings (bragging). After a brief report on the situation at the site, the president, executives, and us have our traditional drinking party (free drinks). However, this day is December 20th. It might be the most difficult day to get into a restaurant, right in the middle of the year-end party season. We went to a grilled meat restaurant for the first place, but we were kicked out after about an hour, haha (due to the next reservation). As we were wandering around Ikebukuro wondering where to go for the second place, we found this place, "Ikebukuro Daishokudo". Luckily, it was not crowded. I had no prior knowledge of this place. I just expected to sit down and have a drink and some food... that was the extent of my expectations. When I looked at the food menu after ordering drinks, I was shocked. ... Cheap. The prices were surprisingly low. There are menu items for 99 yen as well. Radish salad, flavored bamboo shoots, pickled vegetables, etc. are all 99 yen. Grilled chicken skewers and similar items are also available. What a surprise. The croquette is listed as an appetizer, which is strange, haha. This restaurant... is interesting. The base seems to be Chinese cuisine. They also have fried rice and soup dumplings. (At incredibly low prices) Well, it's probably because frozen foods are heavily used. The fried rice seems to be homemade though. It was a bit bland, haha. This place is perfect for "cheap drinking and eating". Don't expect too much. However, depending on how you use it, it could be a restaurant that is "worth more than the price".

It was evening time, so we decided to go for a second round at a spacious restaurant. There were many HUBs and Lion pubs around, probably because it was the time for the Japan vs Ireland rugby match. We wanted to relax, so we chose a place where we could take our time. However, even though there was a TV, they were showing Japan Net TV instead of the rugby match. When we asked the staff to change it to rugby, they said it was not possible. It's a shame because they could make more profit by showing the rugby on such a big screen. The best thing about this place is the incredibly cheap drinks (draft beer for 299 yen - Kinmugi, Malt's, Carlsberg). Perhaps because Rikkyo University is nearby, they offer student prices, which is great. However, we were seated near the restroom even though there were other empty tables available, which was a bit disappointing.

Even with a large portion, it's only 500 yen. It's a satisfying meal for just one coin at this izakaya lunch spot near the Marui store on the slant behind Ikebukuro West Exit. The place has changed hands a few times, but now it seems to be a Chinese-style establishment called "Ikebukuro Daisakaba." The lunch menu offers six options, all priced at 500 yen. The space is spacious with a high ceiling, creating a nice atmosphere. The "Chinese Donburi Lunch" (500 yen) was quite filling with a generous portion of rice. The flavor was slightly strong with a thick sauce, plenty of vegetables, and a mix of pork, shrimp, and squid. The dish was cooked quickly over high heat in a large wok, giving it a delicious taste. It's a great deal for just one coin, and the self-serve iced oolong tea is a nice touch. Overall, it was a satisfying meal.

Ikebukuro drinking spot for the second round is here, at Ikebukuro Oozakaya. It was located down from Kibou no Hoshi and towards the back. Short distance to move! The appetizers were very affordable. Beer was at a happy price. This time, we ordered century egg tofu, drooling tofu (we ended up eating a lot of tofu, haha), mapo vermicelli (spicy and delicious. We also ordered white rice), shrimp senbei (500 yen at Kibou no Hoshi, 99 yen here. A taste test. Hmm, both are delicious. But I feel like Kibou no Hoshi's was tastier. We chatted while munching away. Well, cheaper is better, right?), daikon mochi (a bit different than expected), assorted salt yakitori (I asked for less salt but it was really salty, haha. Too salty), and assorted pickles. I was also intrigued by the soy sauce ramen for 299 yen, but maybe next time. We also had beer, highball, and lemon sour here. The conversation was lively, and we ended our night here. We only did two rounds of bar hopping. (;´д｀) Ikebukuro has many affordable and fun places to eat. The flavors were a bit strong, but delicious. I wonder if younger people prefer stronger flavors? Looking around, there were a lot of young customers. Thank you for the meal☆

At the west exit of Ikebukuro, a previously popular cheap lunch restaurant closed down, and a new izakaya opened in its place. I visited this new izakaya because they also offered a ¥500 lunch menu. The ¥500 lunch menu includes 6 Chinese-style dishes. I ordered the ginger pork lunch with extra rice (free) and waited for about 5 minutes while enjoying the free self-service iced oolong tea. The meal consisted of the main dish, rice, egg soup, bean sprout namul, and melon, which was quite a substantial meal for ¥500. The ginger pork was flavorful and generous in portion, with a slightly sweet taste that went well with the rice. The bean sprout namul was spicy and delicious. Additionally, they served melon as a dessert. While there are many one-coin lunch options in Ikebukuro, this izakaya offers great value for the price.

I wonder if this place is newly opened? Looking at the menu, it seems similar to Isago-san's. The pricing is interesting, with options like 199 yen, which is a bit more fun than the usual 100, 300, 500 yen range. The menu in general has interesting pricing, but the fried rice is 299 yen! (laughs) I always thought that, but when I tried it for the first time, it was light and surprisingly delicious. I wonder what ingredients they use? The mystery deepens, but I am someone who can enjoy almost anything when it comes to food, so I like cheap and delicious food. I also enjoyed the pork, mushroom, and egg stir-fry that I love. The drink prices are not super cheap, so for those who are hungry before payday (and don't really care about the ingredients), this is the place to go. The interior is spacious, the restroom is clean, the service is quick, and the atmosphere is normal. You can relax and unwind here. *Note: The map on Tabelog is wrong. It's located on the street behind Marui. Please be aware.

After filling up at Akikichi for the first round, I thought it would be nice to go to a bar I've been eyeing for the second round. The drinks are still cheap and the place is spacious, making it a good spot for guys to drink and have a serious session. If you're short on cash but want to drink a lot, this place might be a good option.

I was drinking at an izakaya and feeling a bit tipsy when I noticed there was another izakaya nearby. The name had changed and it was open 24 hours! I usually don't stop by there, but with the help of alcohol, I decided to go in and have just one drink. The prices were surprisingly cheap! I ordered fried horse mackerel for 90 yen, which was amazing. Some appetizers were served, and I ordered a highball to cheers with my friend. However, we both looked at each other and realized that the highball tasted strange - maybe the soda was weak or the alcohol was strong. We decided to stop drinking it. By the way, the highball was 299 yen and the appetizer was 299 yen.

The Chinese dishes were all delicious. The portions were generous and the cost performance was amazing. It seems like a great place to go with a large group of people and have a good time. I would love to go again! The fact that this amount of fried rice is only 399 yen is shocking.

The cost performance is really good, but they don't change the plates, so I thought it might be better to bring paper plates. There are many Chinese staff members, some of whom are friendly, but others seem to have no intention of providing customer service at all. I think it's fair for the price. Well, it's all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink, so it can't be helped, but I wish there were a little more effort put into it to make me want to come back.

I used it around 7:00 p.m. the day before. The restaurant was empty. Cheap and delicious! And there is a lot of food!!

The interior of the restaurant is very spacious. It was empty during the day, which was concerning. There were many appetizer options, but none were particularly delicious, so they were priced accordingly. There was a wide variety of alcohol choices. The lunch menu seemed to be quite filling.

Lunch review: I ordered egg and scallop in chili sauce and it was served in about 5 minutes. It cost 500 yen and came with free oolong tea (self-service). Perfect for a quick lunch during work. I will definitely go back.

This shop near the student street is a great place to toast with beer. Their menu is mainly Chinese with a wide variety of dishes. I tried the shrimp mayo and found it to be decent for the price. The portions are generous but the food feels light. Overall, it's a cost-effective option for a large restaurant.