The Husband and I, while we like good food, do not consider ourselves very “foodie” type people. We don’t eat out at fancy restaurants regularly and that even goes for our vacations. We like yummy, but not wallet busting, restaurants. For that reason, Go Go Curry is a staple any time we go to Japan. We found Go Go Curry on a trip years ago – We saw trucks driving around with giant signs that had a gorilla on them. Fast forward a few days later and we ran across a sign for a restaurant and gave it a try. We got a giant pile of really good curry for a cheap price.
The restaurants are all over Tokyo but the one above is probably the most famous as it sits on the main thorough fare of Akihabara. Most anime fans know Go Go Curry from Steins;Gate which features the restaurant heavily in the show and game. The story line is essentially a time travel and thee futility of trying to change the past to get an outcome in the present. Steins;Gate is a visual novel – a game with somewhat limited interactivity sort of like a “choose your own adventure” game. There are several sequels and a follow up show that eventually get you, the viewer, around to a happy ending. It starts out horribly bleak, but stick with it if you want to play or watch.
On to the food at Go Go Curry!!!
The curry sauce used is very dark, very hearty, and is not spicy at all. The range of portion options is great, from single cutlet of pork or chicken to a giant combo plate with every option, you can find a plate that fits your hunger level. Every plate comes with rice, sauce, and cabbage but you can pile on extra meats and veggies.
We usually get a “Major” curry to split which includes the base rice, cabbage, and sauce but also includes two cutlets (one pork and one chicken), an egg, and a shrimp. We always add an extra side of shrimp and extra sauce. The plate is enough to feed two six foot tall+, thin people who have been walking and riding around Tokyo all day.
Paying and ordering at Go Go Curry
The restaurant is cash only! You will need around 1500 yen for two people with out beer. Every location has a little ordering kiosk at the front. The location in Akihabara has a touch screen that switches to English so ordering is pretty easy. Even if there isn’t a touch screen, all the locations have pictures of the food on their machine. Don’t take too long to order or the machines will time out, so decide what you want, put your money in, and hit the buttons for your food and drinks. The machine will spit out a little ticket for each item and the staff will direct you take a seat. These locations are pretty busy so you may not be able to immediately sit with your companions.
The food comes out pretty fast and the seat turn around matches the pace. Like Yoshinoya, these are get in, eat, then get out restaurants. We try to get our food “to go” so we can chitchat more during the meal and have a bigger selection of drinks. Like most restaurants, there is water on the counter if soda or beer aren’t your thing. If you do get your food to go, make sure you ask for cutlery! They are expecting you to go home with your meal where you should have those things, not a hotel or park.
All in all, Go Go Curry is one of my favorite quick restaurants to visit in the Tokyo area. They offer lots of good food at a reasonable price and are easy to find. Look for the gorilla!