Midnight Diner

1. S01E01Fried eggs and red wienersOctober 9, 2009 7.4The stern-faced master of this diner only wields his knife from midnight to 7 am. The yakuza Ryu has been a regular since he tasted the “red
2. S01E02Cat FoodOctober 16, 2009 7.0Struggling singer Miyuki orders her favorite “nekomamma”. Master recalls another regular who is a lyricist. He later writes her a song as a
3. S01E03OchazukeOctober 23, 2009 7.5Miki, Rumi and Kana meet at the diner to eat “ochazuke” (hot tea over rice) and gab about men. Master secretly calls them the “ochazuke sist
4. S01E04Potato SaladOctober 30, 2009 7.0Master starts each night by making potato and macaroni salad. A recent regular and charismatic porn star has become a fan of his potato sala
5. S01E05Butter RiceNovember 6, 2009 7.0Komichi brings food critic Toyama to the diner, who kills the mood. Goro comes for his usual butter rice which turns Toyama into a weekly pa
6. S01E06KatsudonNovember 13, 2009 7.0Boxer Kacchan always eats katsudon (pork cutlet over rice) after a win. He falls in love with another regular Akemi. A big match suddenly co
7. S01E07Egg SandwichNovember 20, 2009 7.0Hopeful star Risa meets struggling student and newspaper delivery boy Nakajima at the diner. They share an egg sandwich together. Could this
8. S01E08Sauced YakisobaNovember 27, 2009 7.0Ex-idol Rinko visits the diner. Her former fan club members get excited when they hear she ate a plate of pan-fried noodles topped with a fr
9. S01E09Grilled Aji (Horse mackerel)December 4, 2009 7.5Yachiyo, an older lady, visits the diner two days in a row. She becomes friends with Marilyn the stripper and they go out clubbing together.
10. S01E10Season's bestRamenDecember 11, 2009 7.8Gen, who usually comes with his “big bro” Ryu, is alone tonight when he orders ramen. He then stabs the leader of an opposing gang and disap

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

1. S02E01Red wieners, againOctober 13, 2011 6.2Ryu the local gangster boss, Noguchi is a detective both coming from the same high school. A colleague from their past forces the two to set
2. S02E02Highball and fried chickenOctober 20, 2011 8.0An overworked young woman name keeps falling asleep at the diner. Master makes her a special drink. Her brother and another regular customer
3. S02E03Steamed clamsOctober 27, 2011 8.0A middle aged martial arts teacher and his elderly mother seem to constantly bicker and fight, but a traffic accident reveals the depth of h
4. S02E04Season's bestJellied Fish StockNovember 3, 2011 9.0A struggling food truck owner gets unexpected help from a young lady. They grow close, but her real profession could interfere with their pl
5. S02E05Canned GoodsNovember 10, 2011 8.5A group of young film makers producing a movie about a suicide at the same site bumps into a mysterious young woman, and can't shake the fee
6. S02E06Cream StewNovember 17, 2011 8.0An author with some writers block issue decides to solicit an escort for stress relief, but the chance meeting with her might be more than h
7. S02E07Pickled CabbageNovember 24, 2011 7.0A young screenwriter has to live through a scandal after her affair with her producer is revealed.
8. S02E08Cold NoodlesDecember 1, 2011 8.0A bowl of cold noodles reminds a soon to retire detective of a fugitive that had eluded him his entire career. Could he possibly capture thi
9. S02E09Nikujaga (Meat-Potato Stew)December 8, 2011 8.0A hardworking young lady delivers a singing birthday telegram at the diner and winds up falling in love with one of the regular patrons. Cou
10. S02E10Gyoza (Dumplings)December 15, 2011 9.0Katagiri, a lonely philosopher has shared history with the master in their past lives. A chance encounter with a gyoza delivery lady renews

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

1. S03E01Season's bestMenchi-KatsuOctober 20, 2014 8.0Widowed singer Misao Kashima makes a rare visit to eat minced meat cutlets. Misao has been unable to perform on stage ever since she lost he
2. S03E02Tomatoes Wrapped in Pork BellyOctober 27, 2014 8.0Comic editor Uno brings up-and-coming award-winning artist Hashimoto to eat Master’s pork-wrapped tomatoes. He lives with a woman and writes
3. S03E03Simmered Taro and SquidNovember 3, 2014 7.0Private detectives Kei and Mamoru are drawn to the aroma of Master’s simmered taro and squid. They spend the night together after leaving th
4. S03E04Red Pickled Ginger TempuraNovember 10, 2014 7.0Regular Komichi falls for Kasumi, whose past is unknown. She asks Master to make pickled ginger tempura, a taste familiar to people from Osa
5. S03E05Vermicelli SaladNovember 17, 2014 8.0Miho and Sayuri, in charge of their elementary school reunion, order vermicelli salad. The two recall their old schoolmate who loved the dis
6. S03E06Cabbage RollsNovember 24, 2014 8.0The weather is getting cooler so Master prepares extra stuffed cabbage to the regular customers’ delight. Only the stripper Marilyn feels di
7. S03E07Freshwater Clam SoupDecember 1, 2014 8.0On Saturday mornings, Yoshio and wife Mizue come to eat clam soup. People refer to them as a close couple. Yoshio is actually Mizue’s third
8. S03E08Braised Burdock RootDecember 8, 2014 7.5”Do you have sautéed burdock?” asks stately Chizuru Ichikawa as she enters the diner. She is Gen’s former high school teacher, club adviser,
9. S03E09Liver & Chive Stir FryDecember 8, 2014 7.5Detectives Noguchi and Izumi always disagree. He wants “liver and chives”, she wants “chives and liver”. She tells Master she wants a new pa
10. S03E10New Year's Eve Soba NoodlesDecember 22, 2014 8.0It’s New Year’s Eve. The regulars all come by to ring in the new year with Master’s soba noodles. The diner is always a special place for th

Season 3 ranked & reviewed