Dining at Denny’s Japan isn’t exactly an authentic Japanese dining experience but it is a cheap and cheerful chain restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Packed with families at the weekends and business meetings in the week (plus senior citizens every day), Denny’s in Japan is a Western style diner experience with a MASSIVE menu and low, low prices.
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We aren’t saying Denny’s in Japan is fine dining cuisine but we are saying it is a great place for a Western style breakfast or an escape from noodles and traditional Japanese cuisine.
In 2024, Denny’s Japan is celebrating its 50th anniversary after the first Denny’s Japan opened in Yokohama in 1974.
From the Denny’s menu to their incredible set menu deals, here is our ultimate guide to Denny’s in Japan.
This article was originally published on 6 March 2024.
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How many Denny’s are there in Japan?
There are over 300 Denny’s Japan restaurants as of early 2024 – compare this to over 1,520 Denny’s in the USA.
To be exact, as of March 2024, there are 318 Denny’s restaurants in Japan listed in the official Dennys.jp restaurant locator page.
Interestingly, Denny’s restaurants in Japan are generally found in the central areas and cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe and Yokohama (the city where Denny’s Japan first opened). There are no Denny’s in Hokkaido, nor in big cities like Hiroshima, Kanazawa or Fukuoka.
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Who owns Denny’s in Japan?
Amazingly, Denny’s Japan franchise is owned by Seven & i Holdings, who also operate the 22,000 7-Eleven convenience stores in Japan (as of 2024).
So not only do they know how to make a mean egg sandwich in 7-Eleven, they also know how to cook up a delicious western style breakfast or hamburger steak in Denny’s.
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What food does Denny’s Japan serve? – Denny’s Japan menu
The menu at Denny’s is huge – seriously, it covers several pages and is a whopper!
Handily, all branches of Denny’s carry menus with basic English translations so ordering is a simple process.
Some stores allow you to order via a table tablet whilst some branches require you to give your order to a member of staff.
The Denny’s breakfast menu is usually served between 6am and 11am, whilst the lunch menu runs from 10.30am to 5pm.
In addition, there is a kid’s menu and a recommended food menu.
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Denny’s Japan breakfast menu
We were very partial to the breakfast menu at Denny’s Japan as you get to choose a main breakfast dish, plus a choice of side – it also includes access to the drink buffet and all you can drink tea, coffee and soft drinks.
The main breakfast dishes at Denny’s consist of your choice of eggs (scrambled, sunny side up, basted or over easy) with sausage and bacon (more like ham to be fair) plus salad – alternatively you can make your breakfast main a caesar salad.
The choice of Denny’s breakfast sides is great – choose from pancakes with maple syrup, toast or mini french toast, a grilled cheese sandwich or rice + miso soup.
The Denny’s Japan breakfast set including unlimited drinks costs just 682 Yen (around £3.50 or $4.50 USD) as of early 2024.
Individual items can also be bought like a grilled cheese sandwich or egg on toast for 253 Yen but the breakfast set is better value.
Other breakfast items at Denny’s include salmon, spaghetti (for when you want your pasta faster) or hamburger steaks.
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Denny’s Japan lunch menu
Similar to breakfast, there are set lunch menus and deals (special offers) at Denny’s Japan.
For instance, a pasta or rice dish of your choice with a side selection (like fries, soup or salad) with unlimited drinks costs 1,342 Yen as of March 2024.
Pasta dishes to choose from include spaghetti with cod-roe and Hokkaido butter sauce or bacon and eggplant tomato sauce, rice casserole with shrimp or European style beef curry.
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Denny’s Hamburger Steaks
One of the most popular chain restaurant dishes in Japan, hamburger steak meals at Denny’s prove very popular.
The best-selling hamburger steaks at Denny’s come with a demi-glaze sauce and / or grated daikon radish sauce, plus a side dish and all you can drink soft drinks.
The hamburger steak meal menu at lunch at Denny’s Japan costs 1,441 Yen.
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Denny’s Japan daily specials / rice bowls
Every weekday, Denny’s does a different daily lunch special for just 990 Yen.
The daily special varies from chicken with garlic sauce & meaty penne gratin on a Monday to hamburger steak with grated daikon radish sauce and basil & penne gratin on a Tuesday.
Rice bowl specials like teriyaki chicken rice bowl served with mini ramen are also available daily and the overarching Denny’s menu is called the Grand Menu.
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Denny’s Japan menu in English
You can find the Denny’s Japan English site and Denny’s Japan Menu in English here with all the Denny’s prices >
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The Denny’s Japan experience
There is much to enjoy about dining in Denny’s – from the brisk service to incredible value set meals, you can see why locals come back to Denny’s time and time again.
We were amazed how many social groups seemed to meet at Denny’s and how lots of old people meet here for coffee, making great use of the all you can drink tea and coffee (so much so there is a maximum seating time allowed rule in many Denny’s).
Most Denny’s seem to be run by authoritative yet friendly older ladies who manage the all you can drink sections with an iron fist.
We found visiting Denny’s for breakfast a fun experience – the food was always pretty tasty and good value for the money and whilst not a culinary odyssey, it is fine for a quick bite and somewhere to sit down after a busy day of sightseeing.
Be aware it is easy to get a seat on weekdays but be prepared to queue on the weekends as Denny’s in Japan is a family favourite.
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Denny’s Kids Club / Dennys Day
Denyaz (or Denny’s) are the Denny’s kids characters consisting of three cartoon cats, Guuu, Ruu and Meh who cook up a storm in the kitchen.
Such is their popularity, February 22nd every year in Japan is Denyas Day!
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Denny’s Gachapon
Such is the cult of and popularity of Denny’s in Japan, you can even buy Denny’s gachapon toys. Their range of gachapon toys are widely available across many gachapon stores in Japan.
There have been several series of Denny’s Gachapon toys which include kawaii capsule toys like mini cornbread and soup, a dainty devil’s brownie sundae and also a small-scale hamburger steak – you can even get the Denny’s signboard in gachapon form.
And it isn’t just Denny’s getting into gachapons – most Japanese chain restaurants have some form of gachapon toy collection such as Kura Sushi, Saizeriya, Coco Ichibanya, Gindaco and Mos Burger.
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Denny’s Japan desserts
A final word on the Denny’s Japan menu – they are known for delicious desserts and in 2024, Denny’s launched a decadent Amaou Strawberry and Pistachio Tree Sundae costing 2,409 Yen (about £13 / $16 USD) to coincide with Japan’s strawberry day.
Amaou strawberries are very luxurious strawberries that are grown in the south (Fukuoka Prefecture) and this bad boy has 10 such strawberries – but not all their desserts are so costly.
Standard desserts include New-York-Style Cheesecake for 440 Yen, Caramel Honey Pancakes for 440 Yen or the Devil’s Brownie Sundae for 693 Yen.
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Denny’s Japan opening hours
Denny’s in Japan have long opening hours.
In the bigger Japanese cities like Tokyo or Osaka, many branches are open 24/7, but some are only open from breakfast around 7am until late evenings (around 11pm).
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Other things to know
- Denny’s Japan does takeout and home delivery – so you can enjoy it in your hotel room if the restaurant is too full to seat you.
- There is a Denny’s Japan app where you can collect points and get discounts but you need to have a Japanese phone number.
- For Denny’s Japan 50th anniversary in 2024, there are lots of special offers including a 50 Yen kid’s menu.
- Denny’s often do lots of cartoon character collaborations – for instance in 2024, you can win Sumikko Gurashi character prizes in every restaurant. More information here >
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