Some people climb Mt. Fuji for the view, but I went to Japan for the fast food. Armed with an empty stomach and the help of my friend BayashiTV, I taste-tested some of the most popular fast food items from some of Japan’s (and the world’s) biggest chains, including Starbucks, McDonald’s, and even Subway.
The most popular fast food items in Japan
Some items were 10/10 masterpieces. Others tasted like a science experiment gone wrong. In this post, I’m breaking down everything we tried and giving each item a rating out of ten. Let’s dive in.
1. Starbucks Reserve Roastery
This place feels like what would happen if Willy Wonka got into specialty coffee. It’s one of the largest Starbucks in the world, with food items and drinks you won’t find anywhere else.
Espresso Tonic
Tonic water, espresso, and a slice of orange combine to create this unique drink. With a layered appearance, it wins points for creativity. However, Bayashi and I weren’t huge fans, finding it a little bitter.
⭐️Official Rating: 2/10
Cinema Cappuccino
This drink smells warm and sweet and is supposedly inspired by the movie theater experience. It features a buttered popcorn flavor with real caramel popcorn on top. Extremely sweet, it reminded me of a melted frappuccino, but I kind of loved it.
⭐️Official Rating: 9/10
Raspberry Chocolate Croissant
Crisp and golden on the outside with a beautiful raspberry topping, this pastry unfortunately looked prettier than it tasted. Finding the flavor a little lackluster, we agreed that we wouldn’t order this one again.
⭐️Official Rating: 7/10
Prosciutto Sandwich
To finish, we added a savory option to the mix with a simple prosciutto sandwich. In my opinion, it looked and tasted like something I would find in Italy. However, the bread was dry and brought down the entire sandwich, which was really disappointing.
⭐️Official Rating: 4.7/10
2. Subway
Our next stop was Subway, but don’t be confused. Subways in Japan go way beyond just ham and cheese sandwiches. In fact, these fast food items were some of the most unexpected of the entire trip.
Hot Dog
Yes, you really can get a hot dog at Subway! Not only was this discovery a surprise, but so was the actual dog itself. Topped with ketchup and mustard, it’s at the top of my list of favorite hot dog experiences. I went back for a second bite!
⭐️Official Rating: 8.7/10
Shrimp Sandwich
Next, we tasted a shrimp sandwich, made with shrimp on bread with veggies and a wasabi soy sauce. The shrimp didn’t appear to be very high-quality, but the flavor wasn’t bad. I’m not sure we’d order it again, but it’s not a bad way to satisfy your hunger in a pinch.
⭐️Official Rating: 6/10
Pizza Sandwich
I’ll admit that I was not excited to try this one. However, it shockingly turned out to be the MVP of the whole Subway lineup. Served sandwich style with a hot dog-looking chicken link, this sandwich contained creamy guac, spicy chicken, and melty cheese. Each bite offered a little bit of everything. I wanted to hate it, but couldn’t help but enjoy it.
⭐️Official Rating: 9/10
Cream Soda Float
Bright green and bubbly with plenty of creamy vanilla ice cream, this beverage reminded me of my childhood. It was very sweet, reminiscent of cotton candy, but I enjoyed it.
⭐️Official Rating: 7.7/10
3. 7-Eleven
Convenience stores in Japan are unlike any others in the world. You can find everything from imitation crab to unique snacks, giant bags of rice, and even high-quality sushi. Needless to say, I was pretty excited for this stop. So, we headed in and picked up a couple of the most popular items.
Sushi Hand Roll and Nigiri
The special packaging of each item allows you to unwrap the snacks, assembling them completely without the need to ever actually touch the ingredients until you’re ready to eat. Both items were delicious. However, I might be a little biased because I’ve always loved nigiri. The crispy seaweed and creamy mayo tuna center did not disappoint.
⭐️Official Rating: 8/10
Pre-Packaged Iced Latte
An easy grab-and-go option, this coffee is sold with a cup of ice and a separate cup of coffee. To drink, you open both, pour the coffee over the ice, and have a perfectly portioned cold coffee that’s ready to drink.
⭐️Official Rating: 7/10
4. Mister Donut
This iconic shop is one of the most famous places to get donuts and pastries in all of Japan. As a result, my hopes were high. I couldn’t help but wonder, “Does it live up to the hype?” We picked up a few of their most popular donuts to find out!
Old Fashioned Donut
A classic breakfast treat, this donut provides a tasty, slightly sweet flavor that you look for in an old-fashioned donut. However, we found it to be a little basic and boring. It definitely wasn’t our favorite out of the bunch.
⭐️Official Rating: 6/10
Pon de Ring A.K.A. mochi donut
One of the most inventive donuts I’ve ever encountered, the mochi donut is made with tapioca flour instead of regular all-purpose flour. As a result, it has a super soft and chewy consistency, just like biting into a regular piece of mochi. I really enjoyed this one, and that’s saying a lot, given that I don’t have a huge sweet tooth.
⭐️Official Rating: 9.2/10
Strawberry Churro Donut
This donut looks like a classic U-shaped churro with a pink strawberry coating. My first impression was that it smells a little artificial. It did taste like a strawberry but had a buttery quality reminiscent of strawberry yogurt. It was okay, but I wouldn’t order it again.
⭐️Official Rating: 5/10
Chocolate Black Heart Donut
Shaped like a heart, this donut has a rich, creamy, hazelnut center with a piece of a chocolate bar inside. Unique in taste and texture, it had a lot of flavor and was surprisingly tasty. It might have been my favorite, but the mochi donut was hard to forget.
⭐️Official Rating: 8.6/10
5. Burger King Japan
While I mostly associate Burger King with, well, burgers, the Japanese restaurant has quite a large variety of items to offer. Most you can’t even find in the United States!
Great White Burger
First up, the great white burger had a really smoky flavor with lots of mayonnaise and cheese. It might be one of the best fast food burgers I’ve ever had.
⭐️Official Rating: 9.6/10
Hot Dog
Next up, we taste-tested another hot dog. Drizzled in a zig-zag motion with mustard and ketchup, it’s definitely one of the prettiest hot dogs I’ve ever had, and one bite proved that it’s also one of the tastiest. Burger King’s hot dog blew Subway’s out of the water.
⭐️Official Rating: 8/10
Chili Cheese Fries
My friend, Bayashi, and I split these and found them to be extremely tasty. Spicy, cheesy, and crispy with lots of chili, these fries were very, very close to a perfect 10/10 for me, making Burger King my favorite stop of the day.
⭐️Official Rating: 9.73/10
Cheesy Chicken Nuggets
I’ve never seen anything quite like these cheese-infused chicken nuggets, and I was extremely excited to give them a try. Unfortunately, they didn’t quite live up to the hype. While the outside was nice and golden and crisp, the inside tasted a little…weird. The only way I can think to describe it is like a nacho cheese chicken nugget. I wouldn’t go so far as to say these nuggets were bad, but I wouldn’t order them again.
⭐️Official Rating: 3/10
American Chicken Wings
To finish our Burger King experience, we opted for American-style chicken wings, which, as far as I know, you can’t find in American Burger King restaurants. I thought the flavor of these wings was fantastic, but they weren’t exactly life-changing.
⭐️Official Rating: 8.65/10
6. KFC Japan
I found Japanese KFC’s online ordering system impressive. Once you order, the food is separated into little cubbies where you can just walk up, find your number, grab your food, and go. This location offered fast food items unlike any other I’ve seen.
Shrimp Pie
I was impressed by our first item before I even dug into the bag, finding the mayonnaise taped to the outside. How clever is that? The pie itself comes in long strips and is extremely flaky on the outside. With a strong shrimp flavor and what I’m assuming is an artificial pink center, it honestly wasn’t my favorite.
⭐️Official Rating: 5.3/10
Cheese Pie
The cheese pie had a very flaky, golden exterior that kind of reminded me of a hand pie. However, when we split it open, the food was not all that appealing. The cheese did not melt well, and the pie kind of looked and tasted like a giant Cheez-It. If you’re a fan of the classic crackers, you might really like it!
⭐️Official Rating: 5/10
Burger Drowning in Cheese
That was really the name of our final Burger King item! Not actually a burger, this turned out to be a chicken sandwich that is topped with lots and lots of melty cheese. Unfortunately, it didn’t bring much flavor, and we found the sandwich to be a little disappointing.
⭐️Official Rating: 5/10
Fried Chicken
We couldn’t go to KFC without ordering fried chicken! When we pulled it out of the bag, Bayashi pointed out that the skin was soft, almost soggy, and definitely not crispy. So, my hopes weren’t very high. However, the flavor turned out to be really tasty.
⭐️Official Rating: 7/10
7. Krispy Kreme Japan
Having developed a bit of a sweet tooth again, we headed to Krispy Kreme, where we tested two different donuts. The chocolate heart donut didn’t turn out to be anything special. However, the cream-filled donut wasn’t just good — it was great! Truly something special, Krispy Kreme wasn’t messing around with this one.
⭐️Official Rating: 9.5/10
8. Domino’s Japan
When you think of Domino’s, you probably think of pizza and maybe a lava cake. However, in Japan, the fast food chain gets a little experimental, and I couldn’t wait to give some of their most popular items a try.
Pizza Rice Bowl
This was exactly what you’re probably thinking. It started with a base of rice and was layered with meat, greens, and lots of cheese. It provided a super satisfying cheese pull and reminded me of Chipotle. I enjoyed the flavor but found the rice a little sticky. Overall, it won high marks for creativity.
⭐️Official Rating: 6.4/10
Volcano Pizza
One of the most unique pizzas I’ve ever seen, the appearance was impressive. However, the cheese volcano turned out to be not all that functional, making it difficult to pull the pizza slices from the pie. Bayashi and I agreed that it had way too much cheese and didn’t even really taste like pizza. We weren’t big fans.
⭐️Official Rating: 5.5/10
8. McDonald’s Japan
I’ll admit, I was most excited to visit McDonald’s, and it did not disappoint!
Shaka Shaka Chicken
They don’t sell nuggets like this in America! First, you pour a powdered cheese pouch into the bag of chicken. Then, you give it a good shake to coat it in the cheese. The final result tasted like Doritos, and it was strangely addictive. I wanted to give it a 10/10, but Bayashi disagreed.
⭐️Official Rating: 8/10
Godzilla Burger
One of the most creative burgers I’ve ever seen, the bun looked like a turtle shell or dinosaur scales. However, that’s the biggest compliment I can give this one. I was not a fan, finding that the burger tasted like a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich but made with sausage. It’s definitely not what I want in my burger.
⭐️Official Rating: 2.5/10
Samurai Mac
A fun name, this burger is served on a bun that is split down the middle, like a samurai cut it. With strong Japanese-inspired flavors, Bayashi and I both enjoyed this burger, finding that it made up for the letdown of the Godzilla burger.
⭐️Official Rating: 8/10
Spicy Garlic Nuggets
Last but not least, we finished with spicy garlic chicken McNuggets. Not exactly what I expected, these nuggets were speckled all over with black pepper. Crisp on the outside, tender in the center, and spicy, I was a fan!
⭐️Official Rating: 7.5/10
Final thoughts: A fast food wonderland
Before we finished our fast food tour, I had one last adventure in mind. Bayashi and I had passed Japanese claw machines all day long. Obviously, I had to give one a try! After 20 failed attempts and what seemed like a lost cause, we managed to win a giant stuffed fish, and the day was saved.
If there’s one thing I learned on this trip, it’s that Japan does fast food unlike anywhere else. One minute you’re eating sushi at 7-Eleven, the next you’re biting into a pizza sandwich at Subway. Some items were unbelievably tasty, while others fell a little flat.
Would I do it all over again? Absolutely. But next time, I’ll skip the Godzilla burger, opting for something else. Which fast food item would you try first?
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