Tokyo Restaurants 2nd Most Expensive in World
 

According to Zagat Survey, restaurants in Tokyo are the second most expensive in the entire world in 2007 -- falling below London's prices in the last year. The average price of an evening meal in London has risen nearly 3% in the past year, topping $78 per person. Just behind the front-runner are Tokyo and Paris, where a meal will set you back $73 and $72, respectively.

Tokyo still lays claim to one dubious distinction: The average price per person at its 20 most expensive restaurants handily outpaces London's, clocking in at an eye-popping $215, vs. $177 in the British capital. Paris' 20 most expensive restaurants fall in the middle, with an average tab of $205.

Full article: World's most expensive restaurants in 2007

I hate restaurants... they're all a rip off... no matter where they are (apart from Big Wok, lol). I'm happy to live on what I can find, burn and eat from the supermarket (well not burn... I'm quite good at cooking, but never eat a rice ball from me... you'll die a horrible salty, ricey death).
Although, in Japan's defence: the Japanese put a load of effort into presentation and taste and if the food is top and the restaurant is nice with friendly staff then you don't mind. Plus Tokyo needs to rip off the tourists, like most cities do... AND, you don't HAVE to eat in one of Tokyo's restaurants.

These numbers, though maybe true, are deceiving. The range of prices at restuarants is so wide, you can easily eat out every night for months and never pay $75.00, going to a different decent place every night. Tokyo doesn't really need to "rip off tourists".

Yeah, reading that again... they don't NEED to, but most places do... I mean tourist = easy cash. Because to be honest when you're on holiday, you do over spend... or that might just be me.

Keep in mind Tokyo isn't a tourist trap. The only places that count on tourist cash is at the tourist spots, but for the most part Tokyo is like any other big city. I don't see restuarants that particularlly cater to tourists (or rip them off).

Yeah, I'm saying that Tokyo isn't just out to get tourist money, but they might as well why they're at it... but I can't really speak, I've never been to Tokyo!
I've just thought of something too... maybe Tokyo is out to rip young people off like most of the restaurants here? I dunno, like I said... never been to Tokyo =P

Well, Londunium is understandable...I mean it IS Londooon. And well, people have a pretty high standard of living in Tokyo? And aye, plus all the tourists.

And besides, you get a wide range of prices no matter which restaurant you go to tbh so ayyee.

bottom line.. if you are not wiling to spend the dollars for a good meal, mcdonalds is another world wide food chain.

raverboy

I am really sorry. But I really don't understand what you are saying. I am reading that Tokyo businesses will "rip off" tourists and young people because they can? I don't know how they do things in London, I have only been there once and but I found a wide range of prices for equal services. I found Japan to be a more "you get what you pay for" society. Because there isn't the stream of tourists that maybe London had, shops are dependant on repeat business, i.e. quality goods/meals/etc. I have had good cheap meals, and delicious expensive meals, but since restaurant post their menus and prices at the entrance, you usually know what you are in for. (Can't say as much for other forms of entertainment.)

:eek: :eek: damn. i went from london to paris, and next year i'll be in tokyo... :eek: whats with me and expensive cities. haha..

i agree with MMM, though the prices might be true. in london and paris i can take you to a hundred restaurants where you can eat a very nice full course meal (from a lot of different countries) for about $6. i don't know about tokyo, but i'm sure its the same. Personally i never spend more then $25 dollars per person on a meal unless its an aniversary (gf etc et) or if i'm with mybrothers (in that case i don't pay cos they're loaded).

someone said that the staff and restaurants are nicer in tokyo than other cities and that staff are nice???? i totally disagree with that. you can go to any country in the world. and you can find well presented food and nice tasting food and lovely staff as in tokyo.

macdonalds is a rip off. I never go there unless i have to. Usually i can always find better food for cheaper

damn did you really miss the irony in my post??

raverboy

I think it was more sarcastic than ironic, and sarcasm is hard to convey in a post.

YES i totally missed it... how was that even ironic? :confused: :confused: to me it sounded like you were being serious or sarcastic. and if it was sarcastic then like any other form of chatting with a keyboard. its hard to recognise/

Well I've always thought london more expensive. Like when I was at uni to buy lunch, which was just a sandwich, drink, and cookie or something would cost me £5 ($10) easilly. Even Mcdonalds it's nearlly $10 for a value meal (hah).

But Japan it's easiler to find cheap and cheerful food, like what gyudon at matsuya is like 290yen?

However Japan I think goes further with the higher end resturants. Like you want to eat real rare quality food you can...for example fugu sashimi that's still moving about on the plate sure.

Ha ha, that made me laugh. My french teacher goes about how good French food is...

I love Japanese food, and even though I'm in America, I can get authentic Japanese food for free! HA HA HA....<3 Like tomorrow~ xD

EDIT: And it's Osaka based food. muahahahaha.

Eh, food is food. We need it, so you better pay up! :]

the bottom line was who goes to mcdonalds and spends more than 5-7 bucks on a meal?? it even comes with a drink...and for 39cetns more, you can go for the supersized version.

raverboy

Yes, McDonald's is more expensive in Japan than America...but sometimes I just wanted a Big Mac.

have you noticed how different the quality of food is at a mcdonalds in japan versus the US?? yes, they still are greasy and oily, but i think the US mcdonalds used the cheapest oil that they can get. i forget exactly which type of oil it was that they used to fry their foods, but it only need to be changed on a daily basis rather than an hourly basis. that is what gives american mcdonalds a slightly higher fat content, which disgust me.

raverboy

Hahaha. Just because the food is expensive doesn't mean it necessarily tastes extraordinary. Part of the reason expensive restaurant prices are so high is because the waitstaff is excellent, the decorations & setting are overly fancy, or the restaurant is in a high-rent, expensive location (or all 3). I've been to a few expensive restaurants (averaging ~$70 per person) where that was the case.

WOW, london must be REALLY expensive then if ~$70 is fancy...... in england. fancy restaurants start from ~$200 (the one's i've been to anyway)

Well... I'm not saying I've been to the most expensive restaurant in the city. It was just an example; the reason certain restaurants are expensive isn't necessarily because their food is rare or exquisite or whatever. It's because they have to pay high rent, or have an expensive atmosphere, or over-working waitstaff. But what's the point of going if not for the food? I guess for the image of luxury.

My personal favorite restaurants are cheap Japanese bars in the Village or Malaysian restaurants in Chinatown.

being that i'm not a millionaire, i would never go to a place that was an average of 200 bucks per person. on these expensive nights, i'd settle for a big mac and some fries.

raverboy

i'm not a millionaire either. but this is how london is. and i agree with you, apart from the big mac. i'd personally go somewhere else. but the point is i'd never pay $200. whenever i've been to a restaurant like that. its my bro that pays, and where he lives in central london. he says that normal... sooo no complaints from me.

and also. you'd be surprised how nice the food is in expensive restaurants... it isn't always some food that you can finish with one table spoon. thats just ridiculous, i agree. but some of these expensive restaurants i've been to have some of the greatest food i've ever eaten... like the last time i went to an argentinian restaurant. i had the BEST BEST BEST BEST beef steak of my life. it had something special about it. it wasn't anything to do with spices or anything. it was just the fact that it was special argentinian meat that is soooooooo lovely.

anyway. i also agree with the fact that "generally" pricey food = pricey atmosphere.

with that in mind, ok, i'm sure that the cost of living in higher in london, but they also probably get paid more on an hourly basis. london doesn't seem like it's a place that is stricten with poverty.

raverboy

A year and a half old thread necroposted to ask a question that is answered in the OP.