The dishes are quite flavorful and varied. The Italian-style hamburger patty is juicy, the half-cooked egg with meat sauce rice and onion bread soup is slightly salty but delicious, and the garlic-baked snails have a rich texture.
Although there are many people and you need to wait, this restaurant has a lively atmosphere filled with Japanese families and students, which is quite pleasant.
The staff proactively leads to the table, and the ordering method is innovative. However, due to the high number of customers, there may be a short wait time, and the serving speed is moderate.
📍Hiroshima, Japan
Family-style restaurant 🍴Saizeriya, with 1,552 stores worldwide.
On Saturday afternoon, after visiting the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome, I followed the crowd into the covered Hiroshima Hondori Shopping Street. Hiroshima is indeed filled with many European and American tourists; the Japanese restaurants I saw along the way were packed with visitors.
I noticed this Saizeriya on B1 was quite busy, filled with Japanese families and students! I remembered seeing discussions online about this super cheap chain from Japan, with many people praising its good-quality ingredients, even though I've never eaten at the Taiwan locations 😆. So, I got the urge to try it out.
Once inside, there was a short line, but the wait was quick. No need to register; the staff would come to seat you.
The ordering method was quite special. First, you browse the paper menu at each table, featuring large pictures (in Japanese and English). Then, you scan a QR Code that takes you to the online ordering system (also available in Simplified Chinese), where you input the dish numbers from the paper menu (the last image shows the ordering system).
That day probably had an unusually large crowd 😄. After placing my order, I waited quite a while; it was almost 20 minutes before they started serving.
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Ordered items:
🇮🇹 Italian-style Hamburger Steak (¥500):
This dish is among the pricier options on the menu but still very affordable 😝.
The hamburger steak was quite juicy, and the combination of tomato and cheese sauce made it a delicious hamburger patty!
🍳 Half-boiled Egg with Meat Sauce Rice (¥350):
A popular item at Saizeriya! The risotto was topped with a slightly baked Italian meat sauce; it was a bit salty but quite tasty 😆.
🧅 Onion Bread Soup (¥300):
The soup was rich and hearty, filled with plenty of onions and cheese, and also on the saltier side. The piece of toasted bread served on top was delicious.
🧄 Garlic Baked Snails (¥400):
Served in a baking dish with six holes, I was amazed to find about 2 to 3 little snails in each hole. The sauce was very flavorful and completely covered the taste of the snails, providing a chewy texture to enjoy.
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Will I return? Yes!
None of the dishes disappointed! The prices are incredibly reasonable. It was just a bit crowded, so I had to wait some time for my food and at the self-service checkout. Next time, I'd choose to dine during off-peak hours.