Dinner at "Shichimen-dori" (Koenji), the quintessential classic among Koenji's local Chinese restaurants. I knew it was going to be good the moment they brought out the small plates (three of them, including oden and sweet-and-sour simmered lotus root) as an appetizer... but honestly, everything was just delicious! Their signature omelet rice is classic neighborhood Chinese-style: fried rice wrapped in perfectly cooked egg, with a generous amount of ketchup—just the right amount of tang—creating a multi-layered harmony. And the sweet and sour pork, which is apparently their pride and joy, features perfectly light-fried pork and a sauce with a rich sweetness and thick consistency that’s truly satisfying, letting you savor an extraordinary groove. Combined with the restaurant’s unique neighborhood Chinese vibe, the flavors woven together in my mouth created a “Wall of Taste” worthy of Peter Spector… well, anyway, it was absolutely delicious! Oh, and to top it off, they even gave me a sticker, so I left the restaurant with a 100% smile on my face… Spasiba!

+1

Delicious and cheap! We ordered the gyoza, eggplant pork rice set and omurice. All very delicious! Can be a little hot in the restaurant, especially since there’s no door separation between the kitchen and the dining area so the smoke can fill the room very quickly when the chefs are cooking.

+3

Overall great place! It's a typical "Chinese" restaurant, where you can have the usual ramen, gyozas or yaki soba. They also serve yoshoku (westernized japanese cuisine) like omuraisu, kare raisu or katsudon We were lucky to arrive just as the last seats were available (and it was just 11:30!) and could sit inside. Otherwise, be ready to queue for at least 30 minutes. It took a bit of time to get out order ready (40-45 minutes), but it was worth the wait. We received some starters before getting our gyozas, and then finally got our main dishes (katsu don for 830 JPY and omuraisu 690 JPY), each one coming with a little soup. The omuraisu was quite popular, getting ordered by 3/4 of the customers! As cooking took some time, we downed a couple of beers (self-service in the fridge), which is why our bill was a bit over 1,500 JPY per person. A really good deal for the quality and quantity! Would definitely recommend if you're looking for an authentic experience (plan to arrive 10-15 minutes at least before opening hours to avoid queueing!)

+1

Frequented by locals for good reason - classic homemade omelette rice. Apologised to the server that we could not speak Japanese but he was prepared to google translate to take our orders, but I just showed him a picture of the omelette rice and he knew that’s what we wanted. Was very hearty and filling - a must when in Koenji. Staff were very friendly!

Incredible place!! I had the perfect lunch here… The staff were fantastic and very welcoming. A proper local spot with delicious food 🍲🙏