Is Go!Go!Curry in Akihabara worth eating at? A Straight Answer from an Akihabara Tour Guide

Guide · Akihabara

I ate here on 1 August 2026 at 20:19 and photographed the whole menu board. Prices below are what the machine was charging that night.

Yes — if you want a filling, genuinely regional meal for under ¥1,200 and don't mind a counter seat. It's Kanazawa curry: a near-black, thick roux on a metal plate with a pork cutlet and raw cabbage. I run anime tours here and send guests to this exact shop when they want something real and fast, not another konbini onigiri.

What is Kanazawa curry?

A regional style from Ishikawa Prefecture — dark, thick roux on a stainless plate, topped with a breaded pork cutlet and shredded raw cabbage, eaten with a fork. Nothing like Indian or Thai curry: it descends from British-navy curry via the Meiji era, then went darker and heavier in Kanazawa specifically. Not spicy by default.

How much does it cost?

¥750 for a plain curry, ¥1,000–¥1,350 for the pork cutlet version most people order. I photographed the ticket machine on 1 August 2026, so this table is a real snapshot, not a scraped 2019 blog price.

Toppings ¥100–¥450. Drinks ¥250–¥450.

What should you order the first time?

The pork katsu curry, size M, ¥1,050 — the shop's own wall menu marks it as the top seller. If you don't eat pork, chicken katsu is the same price. Sizes scale in rice weight, not sauce, so order M if you're unsure; the L is a real meal on its own.

How do you order without speaking Japanese?

Pay the ticket machine first, then press your dish — it won't let you choose anything until it's paid. Every dish has an English label under the Japanese name. Hand the printed ticket to the counter staff. This trips people up because most Western fast food does it the other way around.

What's the catch?

No vegetarian or vegan options — the roux itself is meat-based. Counter seating only, about ten stools, no room for luggage. Cash only at this branch, so bring ¥1,000 notes. It's loud, fast, and people are in and out in fifteen minutes — not a place to linger if there's a queue.

When should you go?

Open 09:55–21:55 daily. Go before 11:30 or after 20:00 to dodge the worst of the line — though I was there at 20:19 on a Saturday and every stool was full. Any date with a 5 in it (5th, 15th, 25th) is "Go Go Day," and you get a free topping voucher for your next visit.

The :55 isn't random — the chain is named for Hideki Matsui's number 55, and most branches set their hours to end in :55 because of it.

Where exactly is it?

1-16-1 Kanda Sakuma-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Ohashi Building 1F — about 2 minutes from JR Akihabara's Showa-dori exit, the quiet side away from the maid cafés. It's signed "秋葉原1号店" (Akihabara Store No. 1), meaning first in this area, not first in the chain — there's more than one Go!Go!Curry nearby, so check you're heading to this address.

Open in Google Maps → · Official store page →

Is it worth going out of your way for?

If you're already in Akihabara, yes. If you're across town, there are other branches — the value here is a five-minute walk from the anime shops for less than a station sandwich.

In one table

Frequently asked questions

Is Go!Go!Curry spicy? No, not by default. There's a spicy option on the wall menu, but by Thai or Indian standards it's mild.

Can I eat there without speaking Japanese? Yes. Pay the machine, take the ticket, hand it over, sit down — no Japanese required.

Is it halal or vegetarian friendly? No. The roux is meat-based and every topping is meat or seafood.

How is this different from CoCo Ichibanya? CoCo Ichibanya lets you customise spice and portion across a long menu with a lighter sauce. Go!Go!Curry is one house style, darker and thicker, on metal.

Can we eat here on a tour? Yes, and we sometimes do — it's fast, which matters between stops. Tell me in advance if anyone doesn't eat meat and I'll pick somewhere else.

Sources and honesty note

Prices and menu items are transcribed from photos I took inside the shop on 1 August 2026. Address, hours and phone number come from Go!Go!Curry's own store page. The chain's founding, the Matsui connection and the Shinjuku first store come from the company's corporate site and a published founder interview. I could not confirm which year the Nikkei Trendy "triple crown" banner refers to, or whether this specific branch has gone cashless since its listing was last updated — both are flagged rather than guessed at.

No affiliate links here. I eat here because it's near where I work.

About the author. I am Yuuki, an anime tour guide based in Akihabara. I run small-group tours in English most weeks, and I have watched over 1,500 anime series, which is either a qualification or a warning depending on your point of view.

See the Akihabara anime tour →

Sources: Japan National Tourism Organization, Delicious Japan — Hokuriku / Tokai, which describes Kanazawa curry as thick, heavy curry over rice, slightly sweet, garnished with shredded cabbage; Go!Go!Curry, Akihabara Store No. 1 — official store page.