What you should eat in Nagoya, Japan? There are signature food with a history like Hitsumabushi, and food that matches well with alcohol, also unique culture called “morning”!
What is Famous Nagoya Food?
We say, foods in Nagoya has strong taste coming from their salty and sweet sauce.
Salty and Sweet Sauce
I personally like to eat Nagoya food with rice, or they are good matching with alcohol too!
- Miso Katsu (Pork cutlet with miso sauce)
- Tebasaki (Fried Chicken wings)
Signature Food
- Hitsumabushi
- Nagoya Cochin (Brand Chicken)
Unique Culture
You’d love this culture if you’d like to eat something for breakfast not only a cup of coffee.
- Morning
Miso katsu – Pork Cutlet with Miso Sauce
Katsu is cutlet in Japanese. Miso is a paste of beans, many of you might have heard of “miso soup”.
So Misokatsu is usually a pork cutlet simmered with miso paste. It tastes a bit strong so that it matches with rice perfectly! Also it’s good with shredded cabbage.
Restaurant to eat Miso Katsu
Yabaton
Yabaton is very famous restaurant in Nagoya. The cute pig sculpture welcomes you in front of restaurant.
The one of popular foods from menu at Yabaton is “Waraji Tonkatsu“, which you can have 2 cutlets – one is normal cutlet with miso sauce on it, another one is simmered with miso source.
They have a lot of restaurants around Nagoya, and also different cities in Japan.
Yabaton – Official site (English)
Hitsumabushi – Eel
If you like eel, i’d recommend you to try “Hitsumabushi” which is famous food in Nagoya area. Slices of very soft eel are on rice, and salty-sweet sauce on it.
Usually it comes with Dashi soup. You eat half of them as it is, and then you put Dashi soup on your Hitsumabushi and eat it.
Best Restaurant for Hitsumabushi in Nagoya
Atsuta-Horai-ken
This is the best restaurant for Hitsumabushi in Nagoya, which found in 1873.
It says that you can not have a reservation unless you order a course-menu on their website. So we didn’t get a reservation and just walked-in, it took 1h for us to get seated. However, it’s worth to wait!! Very soft eel with nice smell.
To be honest with you, i usually don’t eat eels in any ways (grilled, sushi, anything).. but i loved this Hitsumabushi at Atsuta Horai ken!
Atsuta Houraiken – Official site (English)
Other Restaurants
- Maruya Honten
- Inou Hitsumabushi
Tebasaki – Fried Chicken Wings
Tebasaki is a wing of chicken. They fries and seasons it in Nagoya. It’s a little sweet, and covered with sesame.
People in Nagoya buy some Tebasakis on the way home for dinner.
The Best Restaurant for Tebasaki
- Fuuraibou – Famous place for Tebasaki, unfortunately i have never been to yet.
- Sekai no Yama chan – Spicy fried chicken wings
Morning (breakfast)
Nagoya has their own unique culture called “morning” which is “coffee + (small) breakfast” in Nagoya. You can get small breakfast for free if you order a cup of coffee at some cafes which has “morning” culture.
The Best Restaurant for “Morning” in Nagoya
Komeda Coffee
Komeda coffee is found in Nagoya, and they are known for “morning”. If you order a cup of coffee, they will give you a choice of breakfast set for free.
Now they have many shops across the country, so you can find it in other cities. But I went to the one in Nagoya to see the culture in local people there.
Also Komeda coffee is famous for dessert, you might want to check it out.
Nagoya cochin – Brand Chicken
Nagoya cochin is one of the best chickens in Japan! It is very rich taste, and very yellow too.
There are many restaurants where you can eat chicken (nagoya cochin) meal around Nagoya. I would recommend you to try “Oyako don”.
Oya = parent(s) = chicken, Ko = child = egg, Don = bowl.
My husband who is from USA likes it!
Restaurant for Nagoya Cochin
- Torigin Honten
- Torikai Sohonke
Hope you find something to eat in Nagoya on your trip, starting with “morning” culture, having a Hitsumabushi for lunch, and enjoying misokatsu and tebasaki for dinner, maybe? 😉
