Saizeriya is a popular Japanese chain restaurant serving 洋食 yōshoku, a style of Western-influenced cooking, with Italian inspiration. It's known for its ample and affordable menu, featuring many tasty dishes. For example, the Milano-style ドリア doria, a type of gratin made with rice, costs just 300 JPY (including tax), and the Margherita pizza costs only 400 JPY. The prices are hard to beat for the quality.

Twitter user 土方雅之 Masashi Hijikata (@hijk0909) recently had a memorable experience at Saizeriya with his family. After his daughter was accepted into her first-choice university, Hijikata wanted to celebrate by treating his family to a fancy restaurant. However, his daughter insisted on going to Saizeriya.

Hijikata followed his daughter's request and they celebrated at Saizeriya, ordering a variety of dishes and even dessert. The total bill came to only 8,000 JPY (about $58 USD at today's rate) for the four of them.

Reproduced with permission from 土方雅之 Masashi Hijikata (@hijk0909)

After enjoying the food and seeing the low price, Hijikata joked, "I'll take you to a nicer restaurant next time."

However, his daughter was far from amused. Upset at what she considered an insult to her favorite restaurant, she told him:

"Apologize to Saizeriya."

As adults, we often have the opportunity to dine at fancy restaurants that we couldn't afford as students. So, when a special occasion comes along, it's natural for us to want to treat our loved ones to a special meal. However, Hijikata's experience at Saizeriya shows that sometimes it's the simple things in life that bring us the most joy.

Despite his desire to splurge, his daughter's preference for the affordable and fun atmosphere at Saizeriya ultimately made for the perfect celebration. It turns out that Hijikata had actually been a fan of Saizeriya in his student days, and his daughter's insistence on going to the restaurant helped him rediscover its charms.

Hijikata's Tweet elicited numerous comments from Saizeriya fans, such as:

  • "The joy of ordering the food you love with the people you love at the restaurant you love. Your daughter understands that, and that's wonderful."
  • "I think it's a nice story that shows that the amount of money you spend isn't necessarily proportional to how good the restaurant is. It varies from individual to individual. I think it's great that your daughter went to the restaurant she wanted to go to and had a good time with her family."
  • "I could easily imagine the heartwarming scene of a wholesome family dinner at Saizeriya. What a lovely family."
  • "Having a full-course meal at a fancy restaurant is valuable because it gives you an extraordinary feeling. But the peace of mind you'll get dining at a beloved restaurant like Saizeriya is something that no fancy restaurant can provide."

Saizeriya's popularity isn't waning any time soon. If you're visiting Japan or have one where you live, you may want to give it a try and find out why the restaurant chain has earned so many loyal fans.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.