Nagoya Castle, which was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu, is known as one of the best castles in Japan. Many people visit here as a classic spot for Nagoya tourism, but many locals also come here to rest. Here are 5 restaurants around the castle where guests can fully enjoy cuisine with Nagoya specialties and high-quality local ingredients. These highly recommended restaurants always come to mind when thinking about Nagoya cuisine.
Eel Cuisine - Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho Kinshachi Yokocho Branch
Guests smack their lips at the masterpiece Hitsumabushi foods in a famous tourist spot near Nagoya Castle.
On the main gate side of Nagoya Castle is this popular restaurant located in Kinshachi Yokocho. Here, guests can freely enjoy Hitsumabushi, cooked strongly with distant fires without being steamed. Enter this restaurant with its inviting fragrant eel scents, and a stylish space coordinated in a modern Japanese style spreads out before one's eyes. They have table and counter seats available, so even solo guests can fully enjoy Nagoya specialties while comfortably relaxing.
The eel is Jiyaki-style, which is grilled without steaming. It has crisp and fragrant skin and a plump and soft body, so it goes perfectly with white rice. The standard Hitsumabushi, as well as the Kinshachi Hitsumabushi, which lets one taste even more luxurious flavors, are both highly recommended. This masterpiece uses 1.2 eels sprinkled with gold leaf, and the volume is incredibly satisfying. Guests can add umaki (omelette-wrapped eel) and shirayaki (grilled, unseasoned eel) and immerse themselves in the delicious flavors of Nagoya cuisine.
Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho Kinshachi Yokocho Location
Closed: Monday
Average price: [Dinner] 5,000 JPY / [Lunch] 3,000 JPY
Access: 10-minute walk from Exit No.7 of Shiyakusho Station, Next to Nagoya Castle
Address: Yoshinao Zone at Kinshachi Yokocho, 1-2-5, San-no-maru, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Map
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Italian Cuisine - Arcoba
Enjoy cuisine that can only be had here, with an excellent balance of excitement and subtlety.
Located a 1 minute walk from Hisaya-odori Station, this Italian restaurant is in RAYARD Hisaya-odori Park. Any guest, regardless of age or gender, can comfortably enjoy a good meal in this sophisticated and stylish space. The spacious restaurant consists of two floors and features designs with different expressions on each floor. The first floor is bright and casual and can be used casually, while the second floor offers luxurious private and semi-private rooms.
Their signature menu item is the Makiyaki (steak), which uses firewood to luxuriously cook various cuts of domestic beef. The simple seasoning, consisting only of salt and pepper, lets the delicious flavors of the actual meat richly spread in one's mouth. They do not compromise in the slightest regarding their choice of ingredients. They are also very particular about only ordering things that can be obtained from local areas or from Italy itself, such as the "Makiyaki made with octopus from Himakajima,'' which uses octopus from Himakajima Island, a famous octopus production area. Enjoy the exquisite harmony that weaves these ingredients together.
Arcoba
Access: 5 minutes walk from Sakae Station
Skewers - Sosaku Kushiage Tsuda Kinshachi Yokocho Branch
Stylish masterpiece skewers that surprise guests with every bite.
This highly popular original skewer restaurant was opened in Kinshachi Yokocho, near the east gate of Nagoya Castle, by the owner, who has a lot of experience in Tokyo and Osaka Michelin-starred restaurants. Here, guests can encounter highly original, surprising flavors that use fresh seafood and carefully selected local ingredients. The restaurant interior is a refreshing and bright space that does not seem like a skewer restaurant at all. They have two counters, and the production of cooking the food before guests' eyes is one of the true highlights of this restaurant.
The Chef's Choice Course is highly recommended. With this course, guests can enjoy original skewers using seasonal fish that can even be eaten as sashimi, as well as meat and domestically made vegetables. Until the course ends, guests are served skewers 1 by 1 with excellent timing while looking at the balance between timing and ingredients. The crisply fried skewers are also surprisingly light, so one can eat several of them. The wine goes well with the skewers and is also carefully selected by the owner. Enjoy the ultimate in skewers, along with wine from all over the world.
Sosaku Kushiage Tsuda Kinshachi Yokocho Branch
Access: 5 minutes walk from Shiyakusho Station
Japanese Food - Nagoya Cochin Oyakodon Tori Shimizu
The ultimate in oyakodon, with all kinds of Nagoya Cochin. With flavors like these, the long lines aren't surprising!
Since its opening, Nagoya Cochin Oyakodon has been a very popular restaurant with an unending number of customer visits. They fully use the best ingredients. As an example, their dashi broth for cooking the meat, eggs, and rice is also made using Nagoya Cochin chicken. This highly original, unique Nagoya masterpiece can be enjoyed with chicken boiled in soy sauce and specially made spicy Hatcho Miso sauce added to the delicious meat and melty eggs. Enjoy dishes such as the Nagoya Cochin Oyakodon Chicken Nanban 3 Piece Set and the Nagoya Cochin Minced Bowl!
Nagoya Kochin Oyakodon Tori Shimizu
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 1,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,000 JPY
Access: 1- 5 minutes walk from Nagoya Station on any line
Address: B1, 3-28-12 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Map
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Pasta and Western Food - Spaghetti House Yokoi KITTE Nagoya Branch
Experience the original flavors of the Nagoya specialty, Ankake Spaghetti.
Milakan is consistently the most popular menu item and is named after the combination of milanese (meat) and country (vegetables). The high-quality original sauce, which effectively uses a pungent punch with black pepper, boasts rich, delicious flavors entangled in 2.2-mm-thick noodles. Guests can enjoy a rich variety of flavors here, including the secret popular menu item, Iron-Griddled Napolitan, and the Parfait, a specially made sweet that has a lovely taste and appearance.
Spaghetti House Yokoi KITTE Nagoya Branch
Access: 1 minute walk from Nagoya Station
