The Italian-Inspired Plate You Won't See At US Denny's But Can Find In Japan

Japanese versions of American chain restaurant menus are oftentimes surprising — but also quite delicious and innovative. The most popular chain in Japan is an American one (McDonald's), but there's another beloved choice that looks pretty amazing, as well: Once a humble donut stand, Denny's has since gone international, first branching out abroad in the 1960s and entering the Japanese market in 1974. And the Denny's menu in Japan is a trip — it's rather fancy looking and contains, as Denny's does, so many different kinds of food.

One of these is a (quite beautiful-looking) Italian-inspired pasta dish with a Japanese flair called Spaghetti with Hokkaido Butter Cod Roe Sauce. This dish is made up of a cod roe and butter sauce with a little bit of cream, a mixture of cod roe and squid, and seaweed on top. The cod roe pasta, also known as tarako or mentaiko pasta throughout Japan, is said to have a fishy taste, without being too spicy or creamy. "It's very delicious," exclaims one YouTube food reviewer, who encourages everyone to try this tasty pasta dish when visiting Japan.

Back in the United States, the only pasta you'll find on a Denny's menu is spaghetti and meatballs, which was once known as "Brooklyn Spaghetti and Meatballs" from 2012 to 2022. It disappeared from the Denny's menu after being discontinued, but people missed it — there was even an online petition to bring it back. In 2025, Denny's announced that the dish was back on the menu, and as of March 2026, it's available at U.S. Denny's locations.

That's right, there are even more Italian-inspired pasta dishes available at Denny's Japan — and they must be popular because you can even buy frozen meal versions of some of them at Japanese convenience stores. They also have spaghetti with meat sauce at Denny's Japan that is said to taste (and this is a compliment) like high school cafeteria pasta dishes (but with much better quality pasta). It's tangy, buttery, and nostalgic, and said to be very worth it. The sauce is pretty intense, too — one Redditor describes it as "the meatiest pasta I have ever had." There's even a version of the dish that adds eggplant.

Other options include Spaghetti with Basil Pesto & Avocado, Prosciutto & Porcini Peperoncino, as well as a Crab & Shrimp Peperoncino, which is maybe the fanciest pasta of the bunch, made with sweet crab meat and herbs. There are even a few breakfast pastas on the menu. Denny's Japan serves Carbonara with high-quality Spanish Iberico Bacon, as well as a version of the dish with "soft cheese." Both of these dishes come with an egg on top. Japan really does know what's up — if only Denny's in the United States could follow suit.