Japan historically has a reputation for being an expensive country to visit. But the reality is that Japan is actually a very easy country to visit on a budget: you just have to know where to look for the best deals! (I plan to write a whole post outlining what we spend on our trips, but people are often surprised at how little we spend when we’re in Japan.)

So what if I told you that you could feed a family of four a two-course, sit-down meal in the heart of Tokyo for under £20? In total, not per person. Enter Saizeriya Japan! The most affordable Italian restaurant we’ve ever visited.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. What Is Saizeriya?
2. Dining on a Budget
3. Family-Friendly Atmosphere
4. Round Up And Further Reading

Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!

What Is Saizeriya?

Saizeriya is a popular Japanese chain of restaurants that serves affordable Italian food: but this is Japanese-style Italian food, so don’t expect the pizza to be the same as the ones we found in Naples! The Saizeriya chain isn’t a new one: it was founded in 1973 and is known as ‘Saize’ by locals.

The restaurant seems popular with younger people, as when we visited, it was packed full of high schoolers (no doubt taking advantage of the affordable prices) and families with young children similar to our own.

There are over a thousand Saizeriya restaurants in Japan, so they’re pretty easy to find: we saw dozens when we were in Tokyo! And one night when the boys were hungry and craving familiar food, we decided to give it a go!

If you have fussy kids, or you’re going to be in Japan for a while and your kids get sick of the sight of rice (which is what happened to us!) then Saizeriya is a great choice for kids like mine that love pizza and pasta.

Saizeriya has a comprehensive menu that covers a wide range of Italian and Japanese dishes. You can order things like pasta, pizza, salad, rice gratin, hamburger steaks, and delicious desserts.

Dining on a Budget

One of the standout features of Saizeriya is it’s incredible (exceptional) good value. The menu is huge, and almost all of the dishes are priced between 400-600 yen (that’s £2-3) plus you can choose drink options that offer free refills to save even more.

Now you shouldn’t be expecting fine dining for that kind of money (if you are then you’ll be disappointed) but the dishes were pretty tasty, especially for kids looking to eat something hearty, comforting and familiar. We all ordered something different, and we all really enjoyed our meals.

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So what did we order?

• 2 portions of garlic bread and a tomato and mozzerella salad to share as our starter
• A meat feast pizza
• A hamburger steak plates: these were both served with hash browns and fried eggs. One of these was served with cheese, the other wasn’t.
• A cheesy rice gratin dish
• 3 unlimited soft drinks
• 1 unlimited beer

This was a lot of food, and we thought that the portion sizes were really good: so much so that we decided not to order desserts. It’s worth noting that Saizeriya DOES have a kids menu that smaller children can choose from (it says it’s suitable for children aged 4-12) BUT both my boys have big appetites, so the oldest ordered from the adult menu.

Then when we were presented with the bill, we just couldn’t believe it. The total came to 3,580 yen, which is £17.60 (or for my American readers $23.43). And because there is no tipping culture in Japan, this was the total amount we had to pay. I’ve posted the bill below in case you can’t quite believe it, because we couldn’t either!

Family-Friendly Atmosphere

Saizeriyas ambience felt casual and welcoming. We were seated in a cosy banquet-style area, and there seemed to be lots of different seating configurations and spacious seating environments for all types of groups.

Although our boys are too old to need them, we noticed that there were plenty of high chairs in the restaurant, making it a good choice if you’re travelling with babies or toddlers.

It’s also worth noting that the way you pay here is a little different to other Japanese restaurants we’ve visited. Once you’re given the receipt you take it to the tills, scan it, and pay yourself without any need to speak to the staff (so great if you’re struggling with the language barrier too). From start to finish, our family experience here was a good one.

Round Up And Further Reading

I know that this restaurant gets really mixed reviews, which is why I thought I would throw my hat in the ring and say if you’re looking for kid-friendly, budget dining, then Saizeriya is a great choice! Did we eat at much better restaurants in Japan? Yes, we did. Did we also pay much more for much worse? Also yes!

So what do you think? Would you visit Saizeriya when you next go to Japan? Or have you been and what did you think of the food?

If you’re hoping to visit Japan on a budget then I have some other budget-friendly travel tips and ideas for you to read listed below:

🗼 10 Amazing Free and Budget Friendly Things To Do In Tokyo
🎢 Our 10 Tried and Tested Tips For Visiting Universal Studios Japan on a Budget

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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!