Best of MUSUBI: Top 5 Nagoya Foods

Posted on 04/19/2024 Last updated on 04/19/2024

CONTENTS

Former Nagoya resident Victoria Onuma shares her picks for five of the best foods to try in Japan’s central city, and where you can taste them!

I lived in Nagoya for 2 years prior to moving to Saitama, and I had already been there many times growing up to visit my grandma. Nagoya is often overlooked as a place to visit; it has even ranked in 1st place as the most unpopular city to visit many times! It is the proverbial middle child between the more famous Tokyo and Osaka. But one area where Nagoya matches if not surpasses them is the cuisine. One of the things I miss most about living in Nagoya is the food. Famous for its red miso and hearty dishes, Nagoya is home to some of the tastiest foods in all Japan.

Here are some of my favorite local foods I like to eat whenever I visit Nagoya, and where you can find them:

Miso-katsu at Yabaton & Miso-nikomi udon at Yamamotoya

Nagoya is most famous for its red miso dishes. My favorites are miso-katsu and
miso-nikomi udon. Misokatsu is tonkatsu but doused in miso sauce. Yabaton is the most famous miso-katsu restaurant in Nagoya. They were established in 1947 and have remained loved by the people of Nagoya ever since. They have about 8 locations in Nagoya, and if you’re going to get some miso-katsu in its hometown, you can’t go wrong with them.

Miso-nikomi udon is udon simmered in a thick miso-based soup, often served bubbling in an earthenware pot. The texture of the udon is much firmer than usual and the soup is also much stronger tasting than udon you would eat in Tokyo. For tasting that, I recommend the Yamamotoya restaurant.

Hitsumabushi at Atsuta Horaiken

A little on a pricier side at almost 4000 yen per bowl, Hitsumabushi is a must-try when you’re in Nagoya. Hitsumabushi is charcoal-grilled eel that is dipped into a soy-sauce based sauce, served in a rice bowl. The outside of the unagi (eel) is crispy while the inside is fluffy.

There are four steps you must follow when you eat hitsumabushi for the first time. First, you put a quarter of the rice and eel into a smaller serving bowl and eat it on it’s own. Second, you can sprinkle toppings such as green onion, nori and wasabi onto the rice and eel. For the third quarter, you put the toppings on and then pour some dashi soup into the bowl making it into an ochazuke (rice with liquid poured on it). For the last remaining quarter, you can enjoy it however you liked it the most. Personally, I like to finish ochazuke style.

My favorite place to eat hitsumabushi is Houraiken. They have two locations; one is in Matsuzakaya department store and the other is by Meiji-jingu (a big shrine you should visit!). The one in Matsuzakaya is more modern with western tables and chairs, while the other one is more traditional, as they have low tables and you sit on the ground on a cushion.

Soufflé Pancakes at Elk

Nagoya is also famous for their “morning” foods. Which is breakfast, or when they give you complimentary food like toast with a side of anko or egg if you order a drink. My favorite place to visit is Elk. Although they do not have the traditional “morning” sets, they have soufflé pancakes and 3D latte art.

The soufflé pancakes are made to order, so it usually takes around 20-30 minutes for the food to arrive. The presentation is impeccable and certainly picture-worthy compared to all the other foods that are famous in Nagoya (since they’re all brown)!

Taiyaki at Osu shopping street

Lastly we have Osu-kannon shopping street. It is an old style shopping street that is famous for tabearuki, which means eating while walking (often seen as a faux pas elsewhere, but not here!)

There are many food vendors you can enjoy, such as takoyaki, okonomiyaki, taiwanese chicken, bubble tea and taiyaki. My favorite treat to get when I’m in the area is the chocolate croissant taiyaki. They also have an assortment of regular taiyaki and seasonal flavors as well.

Although Nagoya may not be the biggest city with the most exciting sightseeing or nightlife compared to other major cities in Japan, it is certainly worth it to visiting to check out the local restaurants, cute cafes, and some great food!

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Living in Japan and want to enjoy the delicious cuisine of Nagoya? There’s still time to apply and be an ALT in Japan’s central city! Read on for more details!

Photo Credits:

Top Photo: 天晴小號 on PhotoAC

Additional photos were provided by Victoria Onuma, used with permission.