The city of Nagoya, in Aichi Prefecture, boasts a truly unique food culture! Even the Japanese themselves head here with the sole purpose to savor its many delicious local dishes like miso cutlet, chicken wings and hitsumabushi (grilled eel with rice). Here is a list of 10 recommended restaurants you shouldn't miss during your stay in Nagoya.
1. [Hitsumabushi] Maruya Honten JR Nagoya Station Branch (Nagoya / Japanese cuisine)
Maruya Honten JR Nagoya Station Branch, located just a minute away from the south exit of Nagoya Station, is known as a renowned restaurant for Hitsumabushi in Nagoya. They have a history spanning over 160 years, and their unique sauce is based on a carefully aged soy sauce. They use selected ingredients, and their eel, in particular, is expertly grilled to achieve a crispy exterior and a tender interior.
Furthermore, Hitsumabushi offers three different ways to savor its flavors: you can enjoy it as is, add condiments, or have it as ochazuke. This variety allows you to experience a diverse range of tastes. When you travel to Nagoya, be sure to savor this exceptional dish that showcases the skills of the chef.
Maruya Honten JR Nagoya Station Branch
Open:
11:00 am - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:00)Closed:
NoneAverage price:
[Dinner] 5,000 JPYAccess:
Inside JR Nagoya Station. Take the south exit of the Shinkansen and turn left at the silver clock; it's on Umaimon-dori Street. Right next to the Aonami Line ticket gate.Address:
1-1-4,Meieki,Nakamura-ku,Nagoya-shi,Aichi MapMore Details 2. [Hitsumabushi] Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho Dai Nagoya Building Branch (Nagoya / Japanese cuisine)
Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho Dai Nagoya Building Branch serves unagi (eel) grilled on binchotan charcoal. This grilling technique maximizes the flavor and aroma of the eel, and makes the outside crispy and the inside fluffy. Grilled by a skillful chef, this restaurant's [Hitsumabushi] (3,400 JPY plus tax) comes highly recommended. The special sauce it's combined with makes this plate a true delight! Plus, there is a rich menu of sake, shochu and wines that go well with the food served here. Do pair your specialty dishes with an alcoholic drink!
Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho Dai Nagoya Building Branch
Open:
Lunch 11:00 am - 3:30 pm (L.O. 3:00 pm), Dinner 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:00 pm)Closed:
Closed on the first and last days of the year, and follows the facility schedule.Average price:
[Lunch] 3,000 JPY / [Dinner] 5,000 JPYAccess:
1- 5 minutes walk from Nagoya Station on any lineAddress:
3F, 3-28-12, Nakmura-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi MapMore Details Reservation
3. [Hitsumabushi] Shibafuku-ya (Kokusai Center / Japanese cuisine)
Hitsumabushi is a Nagoya staple consisting of grilled eel dressed with a sweet sauce, cut in small pieces and placed over white rice. For the [Hitsumabushi] (4,500 JPY plus tax) you can savor at Shibafuku-ya, they carefully select the finest and biggest eel of a high-grade species called "blue eel"! Here's how you're supposed to eat it: have the first bowl as is, the second one with herbs and spices, the third one as ochazuke (soaked in tea) and the last one in whichever version you appreciated the most!
Unagi-ka Shibafuku-ya
Open:
[Monday, Wednesday - Sunday, National Holidays, Day before National Holidays] Lunch 11:30 am - 2:30 pm (L.O. 2:00 pm) / Dinner 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm (L.O. 8:00 pm)Closed:
TuesdayAverage price:
[Dinner] 5,000 JPY / [Lunch] 3,500 JPYAccess:
6-minute walk from exit No.2 of Kokusai Center Station on Nagoya Municipal Subway Sakuradori LineAddress:
1-23-10 Nagono, Nishi-ku, Nagoya city, Aichi MapMore Details Reservation 4. [Oyakodon] Tori Shimizu (Nagoya / Oyakodon)
Oyakodon is a rice bowl topped with sweet flavored chicken meat chunks bound together with eggwash. The popular Tori Shimizu has been constantly drawing a huge number of customers ever since the opening day. You should definitely try their [Nagoya Kochin Oyakodon] (1,430 JPY), made with sweet and savory Nagoya Kochin chicken and a special spicy miso sauce. You'll also find a large variety of sake and ciders that match divinely with oyakodon. Enjoy your meal in the tranquil atmosphere of this wooden-themed Japanese-style restaurant!
Nagoya Kochin Oyakodon Tori Shimizu
Open:
11:00 am - 11:00 pm(L.O.10:00 pm)Closed:
NoneAverage price:
[Dinner] 1,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,000 JPYAccess:
1- 5 minutes walk from Nagoya Station on any lineAddress:
B1, 3-28-12 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi MapMore Details Reservation
5. [Ankake Spaghetti] Spaghetti House Chef Meieki Nishi Branch (Nagoya / Pizza - Pasta)
Ankake Spaghetti is a Nagoya specialty wherein boiled spaghetti are dressed with a sauteed tomato-based sauce. Spaghetti House Chef Meieki Nishi Branch uses a special sweet and salty sauce cooked over 4 days. Don't miss their [Indian Vienna Sausage] (850 JPY) dressed with a slow-cooked curry sauce, and the [Deluxe Chef] (950 JPY) topped with ketchup, fried prawns and hotdogs!
Spaghetti House Chef Meiekinishi
Open:
11:00 am - 9:30 pm (L.O. 9:00 pm)Closed:
NoneAverage price:
-Access:
A 5-minute walk from the Taiko-dori exit of the JR Nagoya station. 300m west of Bic Camera.Address:
2-15-9 Noritake-cho , Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi MapMore Details Reservation
6. [Ramen] Dai Nagoya Ichibanken (Nagoya / Ramen)
Ramen is originally from China, but in Japan it's prepared in a unique way that made it one of the most representative national noodles dishes. The originator of Nagoya Tonkotsu (pork-bones soup), Dai Nagoya Ichibanken, serves a [Deluxe White Tonkotsu Ramen] (880 JPY) as its flagship dish. Do flavor it with their Haccho miso-based [Black Spicy Miso]! By adding 300 JPY, you can also have [Genkotsu (thighbone) Karaage], dressed with their secret sauce, or some juicy and meaty [Gyoza].
Aged Tonkotsu Ramen Specialty Store Dai Nagoya Ichibanken
Open:
11:00 am - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:55 pm)Closed:
NoneAverage price:
[Dinner] 1,000 JPY / [Lunch] 900 JPYAccess:
1- 5 minutes walk from Nagoya Station on any lineAddress:
B1, 3-28-12 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi MapMore Details Reservation
7. [Kushikatsu Miso Oden] Yamatora (Nagoya / Japanese cuisine)
Head to Yamatora if you want to savor Nayoga's special miso oden with kushikatsu (fried skewers). Featuring a wagyu sinewy meat-flavored broth, their [Omakase 4-kind Assortment] (800 JPY plus tax), including daikon and egg, allows you to savor a total of 6 ingredients, so it's highly recommended! Made with just the tender parts of pork meat, their kushikatsu taste delicious with the red miso and tonkatsu sauce. Skewers start from 180 JPY (plus tax) each. You won't resist the umami (Japanese savory taste) of the meat combined with the light texture of the breadcrumbs!
Yamatora
Open:
[Weekends and Holidays]11:00 am - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:30 pm) Last order for lunch is 2:50 pm.Closed:
NoneAverage price:
[Dinner] 3,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,000 JPYAccess:
1- 5 minutes walk from Nagoya Station on any lineAddress:
3F, 3-28-12 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi MapMore Details Reservation 8. [Chicken Wings] Torishin HANARE Meieki branch (Nagoya / Izakaya)
Chicken wings, deep-fried in the so-called karaage style, dressed with a special sauce and seasoned with white sesame or salt and pepper are another local specialty from Nagoya. The signature dish of Torishin HANARE Meieki branch, called [Chicken Wings Karaage] (580 JPY plus tax), brilliantly combines the fragrant skin of the meat with a unique salty and sweet sauce. They also serve other chicken-based dishes like [Yakitori] (from 149 JPY plus tax), and [Miso Nabe] (1,480 JPY plus tax), so if you like chicken this is the place for you!
Locally Produced Chicken and Sake x Complete Private Rooms Torishin HANARE Meieki branch
Open:
[Monday - Thursday, Sunday, National Holidays] 4:00 pm - 0:00 am[Friday, Saturday, Day before National Holidays] 4:00 pm - 1:00 am
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 3,000 JPY
Access: A 1-minute walk from [Nagoya Station] of JR Lines. Turn right after Exit No.3 and walk for 100m. It is on the 2nd floor of "Meieki Gourmet Plaza"
Address: 2F, Gourmet Plaza, 3-15-8 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi
9. [Oden] Bucchi (Shinsakae-machi / Oden)
Oden is a type of stew consisting of ingredients like daikon, egg and hanpen (fish cake), cooked in a kombu and katsuobushi (dried tuna flakes) flavored broth. The one you can savor at Bucchi, called [Miso Oden], is cooked in a sweet sauce made with Nagoya's special Haccho miso. The strong flavor of miso soaks through the ingredients to the innermost part! The most recommended menu item is the [Miso Oden Half-boiled Egg] (240 JPY plus tax), of which it is possible to order only 1 per person. The egg yolk tastes amazing with miso!
Kushikatsu Miso Oden Bucchi
Open:
[Weekdays] 5:30 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. for Food 10:00 pm, Drink 10:30 pm)[Saturday] 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm (L.O. for Food 9:00 pm, Drink 9:30 pm)
Closed: Sunday and National Holidays
Average price: [Dinner] 3,500 JPY
Access: 5 minutes walk from Shinsakae-machi Station on Nagoya Municipal Subway Higashiyama Line
Address: B1F, 1-4-32, Shinsakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi
10. [Seafood] Kanda SAKUMA (Nagoya / Japanese cuisine)
Kaisendon is a typical Japanese dish that allows you to savor fresh raw fish and seashells. At Kanda SAKUMA, order the [Omakase Sashimi 3-kind Assortment] (1,480 JPY plus tax) or the [Deluxe Kaisendon Set], and you'll get to stuff your cheeks with natural seafood directly delivered from the fishing ports of Aichi and various other parts of Japan! Plus, on the menu there are 80 different types of sake that go great with seafood! It's a famed restaurant where you can eat your food while admiring the nightscape of Nagoya.
Japanese Food Restaurant and Bar, Kanda SAKUMA
Open: Lunch 11:00 am - 2:30 pm (L.O. 2:00 pm) / Dinner 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. for Food 10:00 pm, L.O. for Drink 10:30 pm)
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 6,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,300 JPY
Access: 1- 5 minutes walk from Nagoya Station on any line
Address: 3F, 3-28-12 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi
This was our list of 10 recommended restaurants to savor all the delicious things Nagoya has to offer: hitsumabushi, chicken wings, Japanese ramen and seafood! Pick your favorites for your meals during your sightseeing in Nagoya!
Disclaimer: All information is accurate at time of publication.