Gyudon Chains in Japan: How SUKIYA, Yoshinoya, and Matsuya Differ | Beef Bowl Prices and Sizes, Ordering by Meal Ticket Machine or Tablet, Late-Night Surcharge, Breakfast, Payment, Foreign-Language Menus, Allergies

Overview

Gyudon (牛丼, beef bowl) is a dish of thinly sliced beef and onions simmered in a sweet and savory sauce, served on top of rice. Japan has several chains that serve gyudon, and among them, SUKIYA (すき家), Yoshinoya (吉野家), and Matsuya (松屋) have restaurants across the country. This article explains what travelers should know when eating at these three chains, based on each company's official website (checked on October 24, 2026).

• As of September 2026, SUKIYA has 2,016 restaurants, Yoshinoya has 1,291, and Matsuya has 1,209. The figures for Yoshinoya and Matsuya are the number of restaurants in Japan. The figure for SUKIYA is the "all restaurants" figure in materials from its operating company, and these materials do not say whether it includes restaurants outside Japan.
• The price of a 並盛 (regular) gyudon when eating in is ¥480 (tax included) at SUKIYA, ¥498 (tax included) at Yoshinoya, and ¥480 (tax included) at Matsuya.
• Matsuya sells gyudon under the name 牛めし (gyumeshi). When you order gyumeshi to eat in, it comes with miso soup. Takeout orders do not come with it.
• At SUKIYA and Matsuya, a late-night surcharge is added to orders placed from 22:00 to 5:00 the next morning. For details, see "Late-night surcharge" in the "Opening hours" section of this article.

The storefront photos were taken by the site operator outside SUKIYA, Yoshinoya, and Matsuya restaurants. The names of the restaurants where they were taken are not given. People's faces have been blurred.

Comparison

Differences between the three chains

All prices include consumption tax. They may differ by restaurant.

Prices

SUKIYA's gyudon

• 中盛 is a size with more beef than 並盛 (as explained on SUKIYA's English page). 中盛 and 大盛 cost the same.
• According to SUKIYA's official website, takeout prices are the same as eat-in prices.

The photo shows a SUKIYA gyudon. It was taken by the site operator.

Yoshinoya's gyudon

• アタマの大盛 has the same amount of rice as 並盛, with only the beef on top increased (as explained on Yoshinoya's English menu).
• At Yoshinoya, takeout prices are lower than eat-in prices. For example, a 並盛 for takeout is ¥489 (tax included). According to the official website, the price excluding consumption tax is the same for both; only the price including consumption tax differs.

Matsuya's gyumeshi

• The gyumeshi page on Matsuya's official website lists one price for each size, as shown in the table above, and does not list a separate price for takeout.
• When you order gyumeshi to eat in, it comes with miso soup. Takeout orders do not come with miso soup.

Step by step

Matsuya: order at a meal ticket machine or on a tablet

Matsuya's official FAQ explains that the way to order differs depending on a restaurant's equipment, and describes the following four types.

1. Restaurants with a meal ticket machine and a screen above the counter that shows numbers: Buy a meal ticket at the meal ticket machine and wait at your seat. When your food is ready, your meal ticket number appears on the screen. Take your meal ticket and go to the counter to pick up your food. When you finish eating, return your dishes to the dish return area.
2. Restaurants with a meal ticket machine but no screen that shows numbers: Buy a meal ticket at the meal ticket machine. Take the meal ticket that is printed out and sit down.
3. Restaurants with a tablet near the entrance: Order on the tablet. Then take the payment receipt that is printed out and pay at a self-checkout (a register where customers operate the payment themselves).
4. Restaurants with a tablet on each table: Order on the tablet at your table. When you finish eating, take your order slip to the self-checkout and pay.

• Separately from its menus, Matsuya's official website has a guide that explains how to use the meal ticket machine (2022 edition; Japanese, English, Chinese [Simplified], and Korean). The guide says you can change the display language at the bottom of the machine's screen. It does not list which languages you can choose.
• The official FAQ says that at restaurants without a dish return area, you can leave your dishes at your seat.

Yoshinoya: varies by restaurant

• Yoshinoya's official website does not explain a way of ordering that applies to all of its restaurants.
• Yoshinoya has a type of restaurant called "Cooking & Comfort." According to the official website, at this type of restaurant, you order on a tablet, then pick up your food yourself when it is ready and carry it to your seat. You pay after you finish eating and clear your table. Which restaurants are this type is shown on each restaurant's page in the official store locator.
• From the English, Chinese, and Korean pages of Yoshinoya's official website, you can view menus in English, Chinese (Simplified), and Korean (October 2026 edition).

SUKIYA: not explained on the official website

• SUKIYA's official website does not explain how to order at its restaurants.
• In SUKIYA's official store locator, you can narrow your search to restaurants that have a "セルフオーダー端末" (self-order terminal: a machine where you place your order yourself).
• SUKIYA's official English page has a list of restaurants that have an English menu.

Opening hours

Opening hours

• At all three chains, opening hours differ by restaurant. None of the three companies' official websites says that all of its restaurants are open 24 hours. In the official store locators of all three chains, you can narrow your search to restaurants that are open 24 hours.
• On October 24, 2026, the site operator looked at 12 SUKIYA restaurants near Shinjuku Station in SUKIYA's official store locator. For 11 of them, the restaurant's page said that the restaurant is open from 4:00 to 3:00 the next day and closes for one hour, from 3:00 to 4:00.

Late-night surcharge

Breakfast

All three chains serve a breakfast menu that combines rice, miso soup, and side dishes, only during set hours in the morning.

• At SUKIYA, the late-night surcharge is also added when you order breakfast between 4:00 and 5:00.
• The breakfast menus at Yoshinoya and Matsuya are not available for takeout.
• At Matsuya restaurants that close for a period at night, the breakfast menu is served from opening time in the morning until 11:00.
• Each restaurant's page in SUKIYA's official store locator shows whether that restaurant has the breakfast menu.

Paying

Accepted payment methods

• SUKIYA: The official website states: "Cash, credit cards, e-money, and QR code payments are accepted, except at some restaurants." It does not say which payment methods cannot be used at the excluded restaurants. The official website does not list which credit card brands (such as Visa) are accepted. Each restaurant's page in the official store locator shows the cashless payment methods accepted at that restaurant (transit IC cards, PayPay, Alipay+, WeChat Pay, etc.).
• Yoshinoya: According to the list on the official website, credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover), Apple Pay, Google Pay, transit IC cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, etc.), and QR code payments (PayPay, Alipay, WeChat Pay, etc.) are accepted. For each of these payment methods, there are restaurants where that method cannot be used.
• Matsuya: According to the official FAQ, in addition to cash, credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover, UnionPay, etc.), transit IC cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, etc.), e-money (Apple Pay, etc.), and QR code payments (PayPay, Alipay+, WeChat Pay, etc.) are accepted. Separately from this, there are also restaurants where transit IC cards cannot be used.

For transit IC cards, see Welcome Suica: How to Buy and Use It | A 28-Day IC Card for Visitors to Japan. For tipping at restaurants in Japan, see Do You Tip in Japan? | Restaurants, Taxis, Hotels, Ryokan and Guides, plus Service Charges, Otoshi and Consumption Tax.

Good to know

Allergies

All three chains publish a table of allergens for each menu item on their official websites. The rows for gyudon (gyumeshi at Matsuya) say the following.

• SUKIYA (table updated on October 14, 2026; Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean): The ingredients used are wheat, beef, soybeans, and apples. Egg, milk, peanuts, mackerel, chicken, pork, gelatin, and sesame are marked as possibly contained, because they are used on the same production line or elsewhere at the factories that make the ingredients.
• Yoshinoya (table as of October 23, 2026; Japanese, English, Chinese [Simplified], Korean): The ingredients used are wheat, beef, soybeans, apples, and gelatin. The wheat is what is contained in the soy sauce.
• Matsuya (table as of October 20, 2026; Japanese): The ingredients contain wheat, beef, and soybeans. Chicken and pork are marked to show that the factories making the ingredients also make products that contain them. The table's information includes the miso soup.

Halal and vegetarian

The official websites of the three chains have no information about halal dishes or dishes for vegetarians (checked on October 24, 2026). Gyudon is a dish made with beef.

Other information

• All three chains list red pickled ginger (beni shoga), shichimi (seven-spice chili pepper), and similar items on their official websites as condiments to add as you like.
• Matsuya's official FAQ says that hot tea is available even in summer.
• All Matsuya restaurants are non-smoking (official FAQ).
• According to Matsuya's official FAQ, inside Matsuya restaurants, you cannot take photos or videos that show other customers, staff, or the restaurant's facilities. If you photograph only your food and yourself, you can do so without asking the restaurant for permission.
• You can reserve takeout orders on the official websites of SUKIYA and Yoshinoya, and in the official app of Matsuya.
• For food you can buy at Japanese convenience stores, see How to Buy Food and Drinks at Japanese Convenience Stores | Popular Items from Each Chain, Hot Snacks, Coffee and Smoothies, Heating, Eat-In Tax, Alcohol (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson). For how to use family restaurants, see How to Use a Family Restaurant in Japan | Ordering, Drink Bar and Payment at Gusto (ガスト) and Saizeriya.