7-11 / Lawson / FamilyMart Employee Recommended Quick Meals TOP 5 & Desserts TOP 3
On January 1, 2022, Japan's TBS television station aired "Job Tune ~ New Year's SP ~," featuring the results of evaluations from employees of 7-11, Lawson, and FamilyMart convenience stores against professional chefs. Employees brought their most confident quick meals and desserts to the show, demonstrating that convenience stores can offer delicious food.
The order of food presentation in this article follows the sequence chosen by the employees of the three convenience stores.
Quick meals are a collection of Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine.
The ratings are based on comments from professional chefs in the program. Some evaluations may be exaggerated, using terms like "the best," "exquisite," "supreme," and "largest." Viewers can take these comments with a grain of salt.
7-11 Convenience Store Employee Recommendations#
Quick Meals TOP 5#
1st Place! 7 Premium Golden Margherita Pizza (セブンプレミアムゴールド 金のマルゲリータ) [Pass!]#
Price: 537 yen
Description: A popular product from 7-11's highest brand "7 Premium"! It can be said to perfectly replicate authentic Neapolitan pizza. The dough is fermented for 24 hours, 12 times longer than regular dough, creating many tiny bubbles that give a crispy and chewy texture when baked. Tomatoes, cheese, and olive oil are imported directly from Italy, faithfully reproducing the authentic Neapolitan flavor.
Votes: 6 Pass; 1 Fail
Comments:
- An excellent pizza. The balance of flavor, aroma, and acidity is very authentic and fantastic.
- Eating it again after cooling, you'll understand true deliciousness. This dish wouldn't feel out of place in a Western restaurant.
- Crispy dough with plenty of cheese, high quality.
2nd Place! Fragrant Mixed Sauce Fried Noodles (香ばし麺の五目あんかけ焼そば) [Pass!]#
Price: 572 yen
Description: A signature noodle product with annual sales exceeding 10 million servings! It has been continuously improved since its launch, with a major update in late 2021. The Chinese filling is stir-fried with cabbage and other toppings, incorporating the deliciousness of cabbage. Adding seafood broth to pork and chicken broth enhances the flavor. The noodles, baked at high temperatures in one go, make the overall dish more fragrant.
Votes: 5 Pass; 2 Fail
Comments:
- Delicious fried noodles rely on the thorough mixing of toppings and noodles, but many fried noodles are just poured on top, which is disappointing. Keeping the noodles and toppings separate preserves the texture of the noodles, and the essence of the vegetables and deliciousness appears in the sauce. I think this is much better than many Chinese restaurants.
- The quality of the noodles is so high that it feels bad; the concentration and entanglement of the toppings would make everyone happy if they could eat it at home.
- This is really delicious. It's a simple menu that can be easily enjoyed; as long as it's tasty, there's nothing to complain about.
3rd Place! Crunchy Beef Croquette (サックサク衣の牛肉コロッケ) [Unanimously Pass!]#
Price: 95 yen
Description: A popular snack from 7-11, selling 75 million each year. The biggest selling point is the crispy outer layer! It uses 100% Hokkaido wheat "Hokkaido Minami" as the breading. The potatoes are roughly mashed Hokkaido potatoes mixed with butter-fried beef, seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and sugar. This is a classic croquette that leaves a lasting impression.
Votes: 7 Pass; 0 Fail
Comments:
- Really very delicious; the croquette is tasty. The onions, ingredients, and chili powder are perfectly sautéed.
- The crispy outer layer is impressive.
- Although it's very tasty, it's somewhat ordinary; it's just an everywhere croquette. Reasonably priced, it can fill you up when you're hungry.
4th Place! Specialty Hand-Rolled Rice Ball with Charcoal-Grilled Salmon (こだわり手巻おにぎり 炭火焼き紅鮭切り身) [Unanimously Pass!]#
Price: 213 yen
Description: Thick pieces of Alaskan salmon are sprinkled with grilled salt and marinated for two nights, concentrating the flavor. The baking method is also very meticulous, first slowly heating the inside with an infrared electric grill, then grilling with charcoal to enhance the aroma. The rice uses top-quality rice from various regions, including Niigata Prefecture's Koshihikari, and the seaweed is carefully selected high-quality nori from Ariake.
Votes: 7 Pass; 0 Fail
Comments:
- Among classic salmon rice balls, this might be the best. The temperature control is good, and the internal processing is also well done. I can even taste the charcoal flavor; it's nearly flawless.
- Especially delicious, though a bit pricey. The rice and seaweed are delicious, and the saltiness of the salmon is also good; simple yet very tasty.
5th Place! Egg Sandwich (ななたま使用 たまごサンド) [Pass!]#
Price: 248 yen
Description: 7-11 uses its independently developed eggs "Nanatama" (characterized by low fishy taste and rich flavor) from feed. It includes healthy, rich eggs with peppers and herbs, and to enjoy the original taste of the eggs, the seasoning is simply made with mayonnaise, salt, sugar, and white pepper. The bread is baked at low temperatures for 12 hours, making it moist!
Votes: 6 Pass; 1 Fail
Comments:
- The balance between the meat's texture and the egg yolk is very good.
- Every detail is very delicious; the bread has a good chew and tastes great.
Desserts TOP 3#
1st Place! Fluffy (ふわれあ，honestly I don't know how to translate this) [Fail]#
Price: 248.4 yen
Description: The main cheese used is the soft, tangy, and quickly melting French Brittany cream cheese "Lugal." Then milk and lemon juice are added, along with airy fresh cream, creating a soft and light texture. The tartness of three types of berry sauces, including blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry, is also striking, making it a dessert you can enjoy until the end.
Votes: 1 Pass; 6 Fail
Comments:
- Where's the fluffiness? There are berries inside, but it doesn't smell like berries; this is a fail.
- Super delicious. Soft sweet cheese with tart berry sauce; this is a great accent.
2nd Place! 7 Premium Shirokuma Condensed Milk Shaved Ice (セブンプレミアム練乳の味わい白くま) [Unanimously Pass!]#
Price: 311 yen
Description: A dessert from Kyushu featuring shaved ice topped with condensed milk and fruits, showcasing 7-11's quality. The condensed milk is the highlight! To fully enjoy the taste of milk from start to finish, the condensed milk is injected in three layers. Combined with four types of fruits, including strawberries and pine nuts, this ice cream has been updated and iterated over 18 years and is loved by many.
Votes: 7 Pass; 0 Fail
Comments:
- Perfect! A great dessert; the three-stage use of condensed milk greatly contributes to the deliciousness, seemingly simple yet thoughtfully crafted.
- Condensed milk ice covered with condensed milk! Even after melting, the flavor doesn't fade, allowing you to enjoy the bottom of the bowl.
3rd Place! Italian Chestnut Mont Blanc Maritozzo (イタリア栗のモンブラン マリトッツォ) [Fail]#
Price: 321 yen (similar domestic version 6.9 yuan)
Description: This is a delicious dessert combining the much-discussed Maritozzo from 2021 with Mont Blanc. It uses fragrant and delicious Italian chestnuts, intentionally including the chestnut skin to enhance the chestnut flavor. The bottom is rich chestnut paste, the middle is soft chestnut cream, and the top is chestnut cream with butter. The bread is a moist cream cake that has been fully fermented.
Votes: 3 Pass; 4 Fail
Comments:
- Delicious. The chestnut at the bottom is designed to be rounded on both sides, allowing you to first taste the chestnut while enjoying the light cream.
- General customers might not repurchase if they buy a chestnut cake and don't get much chestnut, like me.
- First of all, the bread isn't good; it lacks oiliness and is overall hard. Because the bread isn't tasty, the three layers of chestnut cream are wasted.
- There is a lot of cream inside, giving a sense of weight.
Lawson Convenience Store Employee Recommendations#
Quick Meals TOP 5#
1st Place! RED Fried Chicken (からあげクン レッド) [Unanimously Pass!]#
Price: 216 yen
Description:
For 35 years, this has been a representative national popular product of Lawson, even surpassing regular fried chicken in sales. The chicken is cut into small pieces from Japanese domestic chicken breast, not minced, allowing consumers to taste the original flavor of the meat. The spicy seasoning is prominent, mixed with 11 spices like chili and cumin, rich in aroma, fully bringing out the deliciousness and sweetness. The skin is made with Japanese domestic wheat and corn starch, allowing for a crispy texture even when thin.
Votes: 7 Pass; 0 Fail
Comments:
- I've loved this flavor since middle school; it's not too spicy.
- A representative Japanese national dish, tender chicken that becomes crispy over time.
- A consistently delicious product. The mild meat combined with spiciness is never enough.
2nd Place! Center Grill! Neapolitan Pasta (センターグリルお墨付き！ナポリタン) [Fail]#
Price: 450 yen
Description:
This dish faithfully reproduces the classic pasta from the old-school Western restaurant "Center Grill," known as the origin of tomato sauce. The noodles are the life of Italian pasta; after boiling, they are drained and left for over three hours, making the noodles sticky! The mild sweet and sour tomato sauce is thoroughly mixed with the noodles, releasing an aroma. It reproduces authentic pasta with thick-cut ham and vegetables.
Votes: 2 Pass; 5 Fail
Comments:
- I know many people find it delicious; I excluded external noise and calmly considered it; I think this pasta can score full marks for a convenience store. I've never had better convenience store pasta.
- I really like Center Grill's pasta, but this one completely fails to meet my expectations.
3rd Place! GOLD Mature Cod Roe Rice Ball (金しゃりおにぎり 熟成生たらこ) [Unanimously Pass!]#
Price: 198 yen
Description: Using fresh cod roe caught in the frigid Bering Sea, the skin is marinated in kelp juice and other seasonings for 72 hours, enhancing the flavor of the cod roe and making the seasoning familiar and rich. A generous amount of cod roe is placed on Japanese domestic rice, wrapped in fragrant seaweed from Ariake, making it Lawson's supreme masterpiece.
Votes: 7 Pass; 0 Fail
Comments:
- No fishy taste; overall quality is excellent. The rice, seaweed, and cod roe blend perfectly; delicious!
- The grains are sweet, and the moist cod roe tastes just like mom's; it's impeccable.
4th Place! Maruha Nichiro Co-branded Pork Intestine Fried Rice (マルハニチロ ナガラ食品監修ホルモン炒飯) [Pass!]#
Price: 298 yen
Description:
Since 1975, Nagara's "Hormone (offal) hot pot" has been loved for 46 years, and this is the fried rice version. It uses carefully selected Japanese domestic pork intestines. Like the hormone hot pot, it is made with garlic, mirin, and other seasonings to create a spicy soy sauce flavor. The highlight is that it is fried with hormone broth, filling the fried rice with the deliciousness of the hormone.
Votes: 4 Pass; 3 Fail
Comments:
- This fried rice is very rich and cannot be found elsewhere; it can be a side dish, and men are very happy. It also has a crispy texture, combined with the deliciousness of the hormone (offal) and the flavor of miso; it's very tasty.
- I ate the hormone (offal) early... Overall, it feels like the highlight is the hormone rather than the fried rice.
5th Place! Seafood Fried Chicken Rice Bowl (海鮮かき揚げ丼) [Fail]#
Price: 500 yen
Description: To provide ready-to-eat deliciousness, this popular seafood fried rice bowl is cooked in-store. It includes shrimp, squid, onions, chrysanthemum leaves, carrots, and other fillings, fried while stirring for a light texture. The sauce is made with soy sauce from Fukushima's long-established "Uchii Brewery," creating a smooth sweet sauce (smooth, this adjective...).
Votes: 2 Pass; 5 Fail
Comments:
- The oil in the store is reused, and different foods are fried in the same pot, which affects the flavor.
Desserts TOP 3#
1st Place! Uchi Café Fresh Chocolate Cake (Uchi Café 生ガトーショコラ) [Fail]#
Price: 220 yen
Description: Selling 1 million units in just four days, this is a new signature product of Lawson desserts. The most meticulous part is the chocolate material, which is a blend of cocoa beans from Ghana, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic, creating a flavor that fuses together. Adding flour, fresh cream, etc., while soaking and baking, creates a soft texture. The center of the dough is filled with creamy milk that complements the chocolate.
Votes: 2 Pass; 5 Fail
Comments:
- I don't know what you want; do you want to put fresh cream in? There's a lot of chocolate, a lot of flour, and the dough is hard.
- Not bad, but I hope you can strive to make something better.
- This is really disappointing. The texture isn't good, and for this size, the price isn't great. It probably sells because... of the name.
2nd Place! Uchi Café Specialty Hazelnut Chocolate Uchi Café Spécialité 澄 (すみ) ふわマリトッツォ (Hazelnut Chocolate Filled) [Pass!]#
Price: 260 yen
Description: The highlight is Hokkaido cream, combined with condensed milk and mascarpone cheese cream! The texture is light and refreshing. Hazelnut chocolate is placed between the dough and cream, preventing it from being too rich. The dough is made from a blend of two types of Japanese domestic wheat, melting in your mouth when eaten with the cream, creating a soft texture.
Votes: 4 Pass; 3 Fail
Comments:
- This is the best light cream in convenience stores; even if you finish it all, you can still taste the hazelnut, and the overall texture is very good.
- They pursue deliciousness rather than cost, which is very appealing, and their bread is indeed very tasty.
- There is a lot of cream, but the texture is light, allowing you to enjoy it until the end (without feeling sick). The bread is also very soft and pairs well with the cream.
3rd Place! Uchi Café Rich Milk Waffle Cone (Uchi Café 濃厚ミルクワッフルコーン) [Fail]#
Price: 238 yen
Description: Milk! Using Jersey milk from Okayama Prefecture, it has a rich and refreshing texture. Additionally, smooth Hokkaido cream is added.
Votes: 2 Pass; 5 Fail
Comments:
- The Jersey milk from the Jozan Highlands is characterized by its light texture, but it also wants to express a rich flavor, adding fresh cream to enhance richness. The aftertaste is somewhat heavy. It should be considered whether to go for the original light texture or a rich flavor.
- Selected ingredients? Jersey milk? Happy times? All of these premises are delicious; without deliciousness, everything is in vain. It fails as soon as it enters the mouth.
FamilyMart Employee Recommendations#
Quick Meals TOP 5#
1st Place! Crispy Chicken (クリスピーチキン) [Unanimously Pass!]#
Price: 145 yen
Description: A delightful fried chicken. The refreshing chicken thigh meat paired with a crispy outer layer is its characteristic. Although the flavor is simple with soy sauce and garlic, it is also an irresistible delicacy. Launched last March, this super popular product sold over 6.6 million units in just one week, three times that of regular food. Juicy and tender chicken breast, simply seasoned with soy sauce, garlic, and rock salt. The crispy outer layer is achieved by spraying during the second coating, creating a bumpy surface.
Votes: 7 Pass; 0 Fail
Comments:
- I prefer this over delicious home-cooked chicken! The crispy texture is fantastic. It crunches when chewed.
- I think it's very tasty; the double frying locks in the juiciness of the meat.
- This meat feels light, so I personally prefer this over juicy home-cooked fried chicken.
2nd Place! Rich and Tasty Beef Stew (コクと旨みの濃厚ビーフシチュー) [Unanimously Pass!]#
Price: 398 yen
Description: A sauce simmered for three days! It concentrates the deliciousness of fragrant vegetables and beef bones, adding red wine, miso, guava, and more than seven other ingredients. The beef is selected for its deliciousness and tenderness, carefully choosing a balanced portion of fat and lean meat.
Votes: 7 Pass; 0 Fail
Comments:
- Beef stew is a challenging dish. The texture is delicate, and you can feel the fibers of the beef, with a good chew and flavor, indicating it was cooked with care. The beef flavor is also enhanced.
- For stews, the perfect sauce is crucial; the overall balance of sweetness, acidity, umami, and saltiness is very rich. I must buy it to learn how to make it.
3rd Place! Japanese Tuna Mayonnaise Sushi (直巻 和風ツナマヨネーズ) [Fail]#
Price: 118 yen
Description: In the Japanese dashi used for cooking rice and mixing tuna mayonnaise, kelp dashi is added to create a flavor that can feel the deliciousness and sweetness of the dashi. Using four types of dashi, including kelp, shiitake mushrooms, mackerel flakes, and bonito flakes, you can fully appreciate the deliciousness of the dashi. The tuna blends with the rice, seasoned with dashi soy sauce, paired with rich mayonnaise for a rich and juicy texture. The shaping method is also meticulous, adjusted in three steps to present a hand-rolled texture. It has been a long-selling product loved for 18 years since its launch.
Votes: 2 Pass; 5 Fail
Comments:
- It's cheap, has a good soupiness, and the filling is tasty, popular among young people.
- Before saying whether it's delicious or not, I must say that visual appeal is very important! I can't forgive food that doesn't consider appearance at all. Overall, it looks smooth and plump. If cooked with tuna, the fat will shine on the rice; if using mayonnaise, it's best to mix the mayonnaise with the tuna and add a little. Overall, there's room for improvement.
4th Place! Dandan Noodles (もちもち麺と濃厚だれの汁なし担々麺) [Fail]#
Price: 248 yen
Description: The dandan sauce has a meaty aroma and a rich sesame flavor, with the texture of bamboo shoots, glutinous rice, and flat noodles being addictive. A small packet of "spicy seasoning" is included, allowing you to adjust the flavor and spiciness to your liking. To avenge last year's "Fail," it has improved significantly this year! Sugar was reduced to control sweetness, and to address previous comments about heaviness, acidity was increased for a refreshing taste. "Sesame powder" was added to the sesame and fried sesame already included, enhancing texture and flavor.
Votes: 3 Pass; 4 Fail
Comments:
- Compared to last year, I'm glad to find that after a year of research, the sweetness and heavy texture have improved, making it easier to eat.
- Noodle dishes without sauce can be really hard to enjoy. To make everything perfect, the flavor lacks impact and becomes tiresome. I can feel your efforts to improve, but I think the taste needs a bit more variation.
- It's delicious. It's not too spicy, so I think upper-grade elementary school students can eat it without issue. Since it's frozen, it's convenient to store and can be used quickly on busy days.
5th Place! Black Pork Bun (極旨 黒豚まん) [Pass!]#
Price: 198 yen
Description: Using FamilyMart's exclusive wheat flour, the dough has a soft texture. The ingredients are black pork from Kagoshima Prefecture and onions from Awaji Island, with only pork and onions! Therefore, the ingredients must be very carefully selected; the pork is 100% Kagoshima black pork, which has a prominent flavor and low fat content, and the onions are sweet and mild from Awaji Island. Typically fermented only once, we perform a second fermentation to enhance flavor and aroma! Even the bun skin is delicious.
Votes: 6 Pass; 1 Fail
Comments:
- Very delicious, with a chewy texture and great flavor, perfectly blending the skin and filling, achieving high completion.
- This is the best bun I've bought outside. The dedication to the two fermentations of the dough suddenly shows, resulting in true flavor. The deliciousness of the meat, sweetness, juiciness, and the sweetness of the onions are well balanced; the flavor is excellent.
Desserts TOP 3#
1st Place! Fluffy Cake Omelette Cheese (ふわふわケーキ オムレット チーズ) [Pass!]#
Price: 248 yen
Description: Rich and smooth cheese cream and soft cheese cream are wrapped in carefully made fluffy omelette dough, topped with almond slices. This popular product sold 2 million units in the series within 10 days of its launch last year. The soft dough is mixed with domestic rice flour, creating a harmonious texture. Danish cream cheese features moderate saltiness and refreshing acidity, combined with rich cream cheese and soft cheese gum, plus almond slices to enhance the flavor.
Votes: 5 Pass; 2 Fail
Comments:
- The moment it enters the mouth, you feel the unique softness, marveling at the developer's ideas and accumulated techniques, achieving the pinnacle of convenience store cuisine.
- As the name suggests, using soft omelette rice flour and meringue is the biggest highlight of this product; it's very delicious.
2nd Place! Rich Chocolate Eclair (濃厚ショコラエクレール) [Pass!]#
Price: 178 yen
Description: Rich chocolate ice cream made from FamilyMart's original chocolate, which is rich in cocoa aroma. This is a chocolate dessert that challenges the previous year's failed chocolate eclair! A confident creation! It fully brings out the gorgeous aroma of FamilyMart's original chocolate "Ecuadorian specialty." The eclair is topped with slightly bitter local chocolate, maximizing the aroma and flavor of the Ecuadorian chocolate inside.
Votes: 5 Pass; 0 Fail
Comments:
- The chocolate cream inside has floral notes, which is very good. Overall, this price is very worth it.
3rd Place! Baked Pudding (窯出しとろけるプリン) [Unanimously Pass!]#
Price: 149 yen
Description: A fusion of rich and delicious eggs and Hokkaido cream, creating a melting pudding. "Delicious eggs" are self-bred eggs from FamilyMart. Since its launch in 2006, it has sold over 100 million units, making it a classic product. The eggs and fresh original eggs, paired with rich Hokkaido cream, create a gentle milky flavor and smooth texture. The baking method is also meticulous, slowly steamed for a very smooth texture.
Votes: 7 Pass; 0 Fail
Comments:
- Perfectly smooth texture, sweetness, hardness, and baking degree are impeccable. Usually made with milk, but this uses cream. Initially, I thought the cost would be high, but later learned it was achieved through dilution with water for a low price.
- Presenting this flavor and texture at this price is simply an art piece of convenience store pudding.