Taikourou Jiyugaokaten

At Tai Kou Rou they've been making gyoza (potstickers) since 1949 and they sure know what they're doing. First, these are not your average gyoza, they are larger (at Tai Kou Rou they refer to them as "Jumbo gyoza"). The surface of each gyoza that has come in direct contact with the fry pan is golden... and crispy while the rest of the gyoza skin is chewy and juicy. When you bite into one of these babies be prepared for the juicy broth (as if you were eating a steamed shoronpo dumpling) inside. Incredible flavor! I've had good gyoza but few can top Tai Kou Rou. Tai Kou Rou even has an online order form for their gyoyza. In addition to the gyoza, we also had the stir fried vegetables and the fried rice with slivered pork and bean sprouts (I wouldn't order these two dishes together a second time because the sauce used to flavor both is basically the same), egg flower soup and annin-dofu for dessert (see the photo). All of these other dishes (including the dessert) were just average (nothing special compared to some of the other Chinese places in Jiyugaoka). That's why I didn't give this place a five-star rating. But the gyoza here are really out of this world and deserve more than five stars!! Next time we go, we plan to just go for gyoza and beer, YUM!! Most of the dishes here run about 1,000 yen (a few cheaper but most more expensive). This review is for the Tai Kou Rou in Jiyugaoka, but there is another Tai Kou Rou (the main branch) located in front of Tokyo Station (on the Yaesu side) as well. If you look at the map here on TripAdvisor it's actually a little confusing because Tai Kou Tou isn't set back from the street (as shown on the map). Instead, Tai Kou Rou sits right next to the street (the TripAvisor map is just one building off). So, click on the link for this establishment that I provided (even though the site is in Japanese) and scroll down to the Google map at the bottom of the site. It's correct. There are photos at the site as well that give you an idea of the interior. Hours: 11:30 - 15:00 then 17:00 - 23:00 (they don't accept orders after 22:30). They are open every day except Wednesday.

Visited August 2011