Yoshinoya SM City North EDSA — Restaurant in Quezon City

Ah, Yoshinoya at SM North EDSA – where the signs scream “value for money”, but the food quietly whispers “gotcha!”. Being a fan of Japanese chains, we walked in expecting the usual Yoshinoya quality. Instead, we were served a masterclass in disappointment.

Let’s talk about the infamous Chicken Pop Up. The photo on the menu shows it towering gloriously beside a drink glass, looking like a worthy sidekick to any rice bowl. In reality? It arrived looking like it had gone through a shrink ray. Honestly, if the picture shows a samurai, what we got was a ninja—tiny, sneaky, and gone in one bite.

For ₱99, you’d expect a decent serving, right? Instead, we got chicken skin scraps and a miso soup that could barely pass for broth. This isn’t just misleading—it’s daylight robbery dressed up in a Japanese theme.

A Japanese restaurant should take pride in precision, honesty, and presentation. Sadly, this branch seems to have missed that memo entirely. Dignity? Lost in translation. Shame? Right there...

About 5 years back, Yoshinoya was my favourite place to get my favourite Katsudon. Then 3 years ago they removed Katsudon from the menu and I was very disappointed. Recently they returned Katsudon to the menu and I was elated, I went there the earliest I could so that I can have a taste of my favourite food only to find out they cheapened the process and made a mockery of Katsudon.

The meat was most certainly marinated to add flavor instead of flavored during the cooking process.

There was no sauce at all, Katsudon is supposed to be fried pork cutlet simmered in a sauce made from mirin, hondashi, soy sauce, sugar, and then topped off with egg and onion(negi). they literally just fried a piece of pork, and then put some egg and topped it with negi and is trying to pass it off as Katsudon. This is an insult to the consumer.

This restaurant used to be my favourite once. Not anymore. Never going back in...

I grew up visiting Yoshinoya because my family loved it. However, I never really appreciated it due to its dull flavors. As I grew older, the classic taste of Yoshinoya became something I started craving on a monthly basis.

Food - Their menu, serving sizes, and quality have changed since the rebranding. Even so, I still enjoy the quality of their tempura and gyudon. The gyudon meat is tender, while the tempura is fluffy with just the right amount of crunch. Their miso soup has also improved. I never liked it growing up, but now the taste has improved to my palate's liking.

Ambiance - When I visited, it was quite crowded and busy. The place felt a bit hot and noisy, making it less than ideal for a solo dining experience.

Staff - The staff was nice, but they took a while to accommodate additional requests like service water,...