The ¥2,000 ceiling is stricter than it looks

Tokyo lunch pricing has a way of appearing affordable until you actually sit down. A figure like ¥2,000 sounds generous on paper, but the moment you factor in a drink or a small side, you're already over. The lists that hold up are the ones built around the base meal price on an official menu, nothing padded in. That discipline is harder to maintain than it sounds, and it's what makes a genuinely useful list worth keeping.