Hello everyone out there in blog world, it is me again with an update on the food scene. Recently I was in Ikebukuro for training and my friend suggested we go to Wendy’s for dinner. Now, for the record, I absolutely hated Wendy’s back in America. The food was just ok, the prices were way too high, and the burgers … square? It just wasn’t my cup of tea so to say. The only decent thing about it was the funny commercials, and as we all know, those all went downhill with the passing of Dave Thomas.
Regardless, I was peer pressured into giving it a try. I have visited various other American-based fast food restaurants in Japan, and I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised by all of them. The Japanese just seem to have an attention to quality and detail that sadly Americans only care about when being watched by their respective managers. I ordered the Japanese equivalent to the bacon double stack, a spicy chicken sandwich, large fries, and a soda. When I bit into the burger, aside from its square handicap, it was fresh, juicy, and delicious. I had to take another bit to make sure I was really experiencing this. Wendy’s in America always had an odd aftertaste that the Japanese Wendy’s seemed to have done away with.
I finished the burger and with the last bite I was really impressed. I never would have expected such a tasty burger from Wendy’s. Wow. Next, I tried the chicken sandwich. The “spicy” had a nice little kick to it and the sandwich was just like the burger before it; actually quite good. The fries, on the other hand, were kind of bland, but they were potatoes and they did the trick.
After finishing my meal, I was instantly converted, and now I can’t stop thinking about going back to Wendy’s for a second round of damaging my body with unhealthy food. I wish there was one in Kumagaya. Unfortunately, I will just have to wait until I find myself back in Ikebukuro again. The price was a little pricier than America, and if I recall correctly I dropped over 1,000 yen on the two sandwiches, but it was worth it. If anyone in Japan finds themselves in the vicinity of a Wendy’s in the future, and hasn’t tried it, I recommend giving it a try. Check it out!
The Wendy’s in Ikebukuro:
1-21-4 Higashi-Ikebukuro
Toshima-ku, Tokyo
(6 minutes walk from Ikebukuro Station East Exit)
