It has never been easier to find high-quality foreign food in Japan's biggest cities. Places like Tokyo have always been culinary hotspots featuring all the globe has to offer in one place, but there were always weak spots. Think American barbecue or Mexican dishes, two big examples that were once a go-to cuisine complaint from non-Japanese residents.
Yet today options have increased and improved. Multiple stand-out BBQ offerings can be found in the Kanto region. New York-style pizza has gained in popularity via slice-oriented shops popping up in major cities across the country. The quality of tacos and burritos, meanwhile, have gone up significantly, with a place like Tacos 3hermanos serving as a standout. And of course there's a store like Philly Tokyo, delivering mouth-watering cheesesteaks to city, filling a Liberty-Bell-shaped hole in Tokyo's sandwich map.
The IRL success and online attention garnered by that Philly cheesesteak spot quite possibly helped birth Seven-Eleven Japan's new "Philly Cheesesteak." Standing out amidst the other packaged sandwich offerings found at the store, this stab at an American classic offers a basic interpretation of the food. You need to microwave it yourself to get the most out of the combination of beef, onion and cheese, but hey that's what a just-over ¥400 version of this creation requires.
As a junky snack, this konbini cheesesteak hits the spot. Good luck tasting any onion, but when you warm this foodstuff up the cheese melts into a nice gooey consistency that matches well with the meat. The bread is serviceable albeit adding very little to the overall taste, working as a vessel for steak and cheese. In the past, Seven-Eleven's version of the Philadelphia heavyweight might have been the only option available in Japan, which would be a bummer. But now with celebrated restaurants cooking it up, an offering like this works as a nice way to hit that craving when you can't make it to Nihonbashi.
