Jolly Pasta vs Saizeriya – Jolly Pasta or Saizeriya? It might be a bit confusing which one’s better especially if you’ve seen them both from the outside. But I’ll share with you the food that we tried in both restaurants – to see which one you should try.
Saizeriya has always been our go-to Italian restaurant when in Japan. However, during our recent trip to Fukuoka, we saw Jolly Pasta and couldn’t help but wonder whether it is on par with our fave Saizeriya.
Eating Japanese food has always been a delight, especially when in Japan. However, when you’re staying there for a long time, sometimes, you just want to eat a different cuisine for a change in taste.
Thankfully, we learned about Saizeriya (way, way back, I don’t even remember when), and now, we have a new addition to our go-to list when visiting Japan.
But which one’s better?
Saizeriya or Jolly Pasta? Let’s dig in to know more about the 2 rival Italian restaurants.
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Saizeriya menu
Before we met Jolly Pasta (Japan), all we knew was that Saizeriya is a low-cost restaurant serving authentic Italian dishes. And you’ll be surprised at how cheap your meal can get for that great food.
So what are the dishes you’ll expect to see on the Saizeriya restaurant menu? They have pizza and pasta, of course. There are also hamburgs with different sides served on a sizzling plate. You’ll also find salads, fries, and chicken wings on the menu.
Wine is also on the list of beverages, apart from the usual juices, sodas, coffee, and teas. And then on the last part, you can find desserts like tiramisu, pudding, gelato, chocolate cake, and others.
Our favorite Saizeriya dishes
Our favorite on the menu is pizza and carbonara.
But we also always order the hamburg steak for a quick protein fix. For the pizza, don’t expect that big size, I’m not sure if it’s only about 8 inches in diameter, or something like that.
The pasta, on the other hand, is about 1 serving, so if you want to have a filling meal, you can order a pizza and a pasta – especially after all the walking you do in Japan!
We tried once the chicken wings, but it was a bit spicy, so hubby and my son didn’t like it. Nonetheless, if you fancy something flavorful and savory, it’s a must you try Saizeriya’s chicken wings!
Glancing through the menu, you might see the word “doria.” And if you’re not familiar with it, it’s a rice dish topped with sauce and meat. It’s like baked rice with toppings like tomato, cheese, and ground meat – that’s what we ordered.
Saizeriya unlimited drinks
What we noticed about most of the locals is that they love ordering unlimited drinks when dining at Saizeriya. In there, you can enjoy FREE REFILLS of drinks at the counter, and everything is self-service.
So, if you love drinks, you should purchase the unlimited drinks bundle!
Jolly Pasta menu
So we’re done with Saizeriya, and now it’s time to introduce Jolly Pasta restaurant.
Based on checking the menu, we found that there are a lot more different types of pizza and pasta in Jolly Pasta. But more than that, Jolly Pasta also has aged ham and roast beef on their menu.
Hubby even ordered the bundle of aged ham and roasted beef with high ball. However, I’m not sure if you’ll find it during your Japan travel because it’s just a promotion bundle. Since, when checking the Jolly Pasta food menu as of writing, I couldn’t find it.
So many pastas to choose from! There are tons of tomato and cream-based pastas, I bet you can’t try them all during one whole trip!
What Jolly Pasta calls aged ham, or more commonly known as prosciutto, is a great appetizer just like the roast beef. Add to that, you have a glass of lemon sour or highball, and you’ll surely get your palate ready for your main meal!
What I found different between the 2 is that Jolly Pasta seems to have more alcoholic drinks selection than Saizeriya. Although, these drinks aren’t unlimited, but if you want to try them, you can check out Jolly Pasta – if you found in the Japan prefecture you’re going to.
Below is my Jolly Pasta review – based on what we ordered during our first visit.
Black Truffle Pasta
For pasta, we ordered Black Truffle Mushroom Pasta.
Since our son has started enjoying truffle sauce, we didn’t think twice about ordering it after seeing it on the menu. The white cream sauce infused with black truffle mushroom flavor soaks the noodles with sliced bacon.
Topped with parmesan cheese, the truffle mushroom pasta is worth the price. And since the serving isn’t that big, we requested to add more pasta to the noodles so we could have it for sharing.
Quattro Formaggi
Of course, we shouldn’t forget ordering Quattro Formaggi.
One of our son’s favorite, the 4-cheese pizza is something that can’t go wrong. I mean, who doesn’t love cheese? While some might not like it, the majority of the people I know love it!
Roast Beef Pizza
Roast beef pizza, or whatever it’s called, (sorry, I forgot its name), is also another thing to try out when dining at Jolly Pasta. The generous amount of roast beef slices and arugula will keep you munching on the pizza slice, bite after bite.
So, which one’s the best Italian restaurant Japan chain? Jolly Pasta or Saizeriya?
Finding an authentic Italian restaurant (Japanese-owned) might not be the easiest. Thankfully, a some people bravely opened a different cuisine with cheap food and drinks in Japan. And thanks to them, there’s Saizeriya and Jolly Pasta.
But which do I think is better, Saizeriya or Jolly Pasta?
I’d say both are great change in food taste if you suddenly get tired of eating Japanese dishes. And both are relatively cheap eats in Japan, so if you see either one of them, go ahead and try them out! And make sure to line up early because it gets crowded especially during peak hours!
Saizeriya vs Jolly Pasta review conclusion
One of the things we want is to eat cheap food in Japan. Besides enjoying great food, we also want to avoid breaking our bank. And when we found these 2 Japan cheap eats, I couldn’t gatekeep them to myself. I have to share them with you!
Which one will you try first? Let me know in the comments section! I’d also love to hear your favorite dishes in both Italian restaurants, so please share them too!
If you’re here for the first time, I’d like to invite you to follow me on my socials – Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok so you’re updated on our recent food, hotel, and travel reviews!
