At Matsuya, where I rarely eat gyumeshi, I heard that the sauce for their gyumeshi had changed. So, I decided to give it a try after a long time. In this blog, I’d like to share my experience.
At Matsuya, I usually go for hamburger steak set meals, curry, and other non-gyumeshi menu items. Personally, I see Matsuya more as a "Western-style diner" rather than a "gyumeshi restaurant." Moreover, I have always preferred Yoshinoya for beef bowls, so I rarely had the chance to eat gyumeshi at Matsuya.
It seems like the sauce for Matsuya’s gyumeshi has changed!
I may have given a long introduction, but Matsuya regularly offers store-exclusive menu items, and I found out that one of them was the "gyumeshi with new sauce" (as of February 19, 2025). Since I hadn't eaten Matsuya's gyumeshi for quite some time, I decided to take this opportunity to give it a try. Fortunately, one of the locations I could visit was offering this limited-time menu item.
No information about the "new sauce" on the screen or in the store?
If I’m going to try it, I’d rather do it at a good deal. So, I visited during lunchtime and used mobile ordering. Luckily, from February 14 to the end of the month in 2025, there was a mobile order campaign, making Matsuya points triple—what a great bonus!
Since this was the gyumeshi with a new sauce, I expected some kind of special notice on the ordering screen, but there was nothing different. Maybe it’s because it’s a store-exclusive menu item. I also looked around the store for any advertisements, but I couldn’t find any.
Looking around, I saw several people eating gyumeshi. I couldn’t help but wonder—are they eating it knowing the sauce has changed, or are they completely unaware? Now, that’s something I’d love to ask them! (Haha)
Time to dig in! As expected, the serving speed is incredible.
And just like that, my gyumeshi arrived almost instantly. As expected, Matsuya’s serving speed is truly impressive—I barely had time to take a sip of water before it was placed in front of me! (Haha)
By the way, the kimchi in the top right corner of the photo was something I got with a coupon from my previous visit. It looked like I could turn my meal into a "kimchi gyumeshi" partway through for a different flavor twist.
I took my first bite of gyumeshi as it was. Since it had been a while, my impressions were mostly based on instinct, but I felt like the soy sauce flavor was stronger than before. The taste was richer, or perhaps just slightly bolder. I remember thinking in the past that the seasoning could have been a bit stronger, but this time, I didn’t feel that way at all.
The balance between the sauce and the rice was just right, making for an overall satisfying meal. Since the flavor of gyumeshi largely depends on the sauce, this change left a positive impression on me.
Finally, I transformed it into a kimchi gyumeshi!
In the second half of my meal, I added some pickled ginger and shichimi spice, then mixed in the kimchi to create my own "kimchi gyumeshi." I enjoyed it along with the vegetables, making for a delicious combination.
Even without counting the free kimchi from the coupon, the fact that this meal—complete with vegetables and miso soup—only costs 530 yen (tax included) really makes it a budget-friendly option.
I’m curious to see if this new sauce will be rolled out nationwide at Matsuya or if it will remain a store-exclusive item. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing how it will be received!