Find out what you should order from the menu at this super popular family restaurant chain.

For the past few years, our team of Japanese-language reporters has been visiting the nation’s top chains, setting themselves a challenge to find out what customers can get for 1,000 yen (US$6.62).

This time, they’ve pulled up a chair at Denny’s, where each member of the team ordered their top recommendations, creating a moniker for their selections and sharing the reasons why they chose them.

Let’s start the proceedings with…

▼ Yuichiro Wasai’s “Double Morning Set of Japanese and Western Food”

  • Light Morning Rice and Miso Soup Set with Drink Bar: 539 yen
  • Grilled Cheese Sandwich: 308 yen
  • Yoghurt: 143 yen

Total: 990 yen

“If you want to eat both Japanese and Western food like you’re at a hotel buffet, this set fulfills that wish while staying within the 1,000 yen budget. The trick is to order the Japanese set meal with the sandwich on the side, and then, with the yoghurt and all-you-can drink option, you’ll feel like you’re at a fancy hotel.”

▼ Masanuki Sunakoma’s “Straightforward Lunch Plate”

  • Daily Lunch Plate (Wednesday) Curry Hamburg & Bacon Corn: 990 yen

Total: 990 yen

“There’s no Denny’s near my place, so getting to a branch early for breakfast like Yuichiro isn’t realistic. Therefore, the daily lunch plate is my recommended choice. When I visited on Wednesday the daily special was a curry hamburg steak, and it’s a great meal for 990 yen, especially with the included all-you-can-drink drink bar option.”

▼ Takashi Harada’s “Elegant Beer Time Set”

  • Premium Malts Beer: 660 yen
  • Mini Croquettes x 2: 154 yen each

Total: 968 yen

“It’d been a long time since I last visited Denny’s so the prices on the menu were a bit of a shock as there were so few options under 1,000 yen. I initially considered ordering a set with a salad or dessert, but my heart wasn’t in it so I gave in to my desire for a beer, and I was able to sneak in a couple of croquettes with it — great for a senbero drinking session.”

▼ Ahiruneko’s “Little Luxury Set While Working”

  • Mini Chocolate Sundae: 539 yen
  • Drink Bar: 451 yen

Total: 990 yen

“All Denny’s branches have power outlets and free Wi-Fi and they tend to be less crowded than cafés, so it’s the perfect place to get a bit of work done. Plus, you can treat yourself to a Mini Chocolate Sundae and the drink bar to help lift your mood while working.”

▼ Takamichi Furusawa’s “Enjoy an Afternoon with Sweets Set”

  • Caramel Honey Pancakes (3 pieces): 638 yen
  • Drink Set (limited to Tokyo’s Nibancho store): 297 yen
  • Takeout Drink: 43 yen

Total: 978 yen

“I had a peek at the menu online before going to Denny’s, and I was surprised to see that the prices were generally higher than other family restaurants. Pasta dishes are around 1,000 yen, so one dish quickly hits the limit of the budget, and I wanted to enjoy as many Denny’s items as possible so I created a relatively affordable sweets and drink set for an enjoyable afternoon. Out of everything on the sweets menu, the pancakes stood out and they ended up being incredibly delicious. Fluffy and hot, with vanilla ice cream gently melting away on top, they’re a fantastic choice, and if you pay 43 yen at the register you can get a drink to take out with you when you leave.”

▼ Mr Sato’s “Overpriced School Cafeteria Set”

  • Daily Lunch Plate (Wednesday) Curry Hamburg & Bacon Corn: 990 yen

Total: 990 yen

“There were so few options under 1,000 yen on the menu that it truly shocked me. So I went with the daily lunch plate, which Masanuki also opted for, but to me it reminded me of a school cafeteria dish, and an expensive one at that. The taste wasn’t bad, but it was a stark reminder of how expensive things are becoming in Japan.”

▼ P.K. Sanjun’s “Honestly, This is a Set that Can Only Be Taken on in the Morning”

  • Basted Eggs Morning (Mini French Toast): 715 yen
  • Extra Toast: 232 yen

Total: 957 yen

“Frankly, a 1,000 yen budget at Denny’s is really tough to stick to as recent price hikes are seriously insane. To me, only the breakfast options remain competitively priced so I gave up on ordering a lunch or dinner meal, opting for breakfast instead.”

▼ Seiji Nakazawa’s “Denny’s Curry for 440 Yen Set”

  • Rice: 275 yen
  • Curry Sauce x3: 55 yen each
  • Caramel Honey Pancakes (2 pieces): 528 yen

Total: 968 yen

“I reckon the best value for money at Denny’s is the curry. This isn’t actually a curry dish that’s listed on the menu as it’s my secret hack: order three of the curry sauces with a plate of rice and you’ve got yourself a ‘Denny’s Curry’! It tastes like normal curry and it gives you enough money left over to order caramel honey pancakes or fries without going over budget. You can even replace one of the curry sauces with garlic sauce for a slightly spicy European flavour. Try it!”

▼ Yoshio’s “Top Secret Set Learned From an American”

  • French Fries: 495 yen
  • Cod Roe Mayonnaise Sauce: 55 yen
  • Glass of White House Wine: 429 yen

Total: 979 yen

“My relative in America secretly taught me this hack when they came to Japan. The cod roe mayonnaise sauce on fries is seriously delicious — it’s so good it ought to replace ketchup. The American who taught me this hack is also a huge fan of Japanese cod roe pasta so I reckon this Denny’s meal could become a viral hit with tourists. It goes great with a side of wine so please give it a try!”

▼ Go Hatori’s “The Poor Days Set”

  • Large Rice: 330 yen
  • Fried Chicken: 638 yen

Total: 968 yen

“When I was young, around the age of 18, my friend and I had no money but lots of time. We often went out at night to Denny’s, ordered the very minimum, and talked until dawn. I usually ordered Chicken Jambalaya as it was relatively cheap but now it’s over budget, at 1,089 yen, so I wasn’t able to try it. How times have changed. Instead, I ordered a large rice plus a side of fried chicken, which is a filling meal.”

▼ Mariko Ohanabatake’s “Original Jambalaya American Satisfaction Set”

  • Jambalaya: 594 yen
  • Half Cobb Salad: 396 yen

Total: 990 yen

“This 1,000 yen challenge was so tough it made me want to cry. Prices have really gone up compared to what they were before, but thankfully I could still order Denny’s original jambalaya. It’s a popular menu item that disappears and reappears every now and then, so you should grab it while you can. It’s spicier than expected, and pairing it with a vegetable-rich cobb salad is a nice nod to America, the original home of Denny’s.”

So there you have it — a wide variety of options to choose from at Denny’s. The choices under 1,000 yen have narrowed significantly, but with some careful planning, and hacks shared by our reporters, you can still get a pretty good meal at the chain. Which set took your fancy? Let us know in the comments section below, and be sure to share any hacks with us, like this one that foreign visitors have been enjoying at Saizeriya.

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