5 Famous Food in Nagoya – What To Eat In Nagoya, Japan

If you are a foodie like me and absolutely love Japanese cuisine, you’d be interested to learn about a unique type of local Japanese cuisine in Nagoya.

Along with finding interesting things to do in Nagoya, I recommend focusing on the local Nagoya cuisine called Nagoya Meshi.

Nagoya Meshi isn’t a single dish, but rather, a collection of local foods only found in the region around Nagoya.

In this post, I would like to introduce to you the top 5 food in Nagoya you should try when visiting, including the best restaurants in Nagoya to try them.

Also, I used an eSIM during my Japan trip, and it was a total game-changer. I didn’t have to waste time buying local SIMs — I just activated it before my flight and stayed online the whole time.

I have been living in Japan for 5 years and have made it my mission to find the best local food in Nagoya everywhere I go; I simply love trying the very diverse Japanese cuisine.

5 unmissable foods when you visit Nagoya, Japan

1. Tebasaki

If you are looking for a nice place to have a couple of drinks and some snacks after dinner (or instead of dinner), you should visit a Japanese Izakaya, a Japanese bar.

Based on the opinion of the people of Nagoya, nothing goes as well with beer as Tebasaki – Nagoya-style chicken wings.

The wings are made with different spices and deep fried to crispy perfection.

There are actually two Izakaya which are very popular and famous for their delicious Tebasaki in Nagoya. There is a debate going on in Nagoya on which is better, so it really all depends on your personal taste.

Where to eat Tabasaki in Nagoya

One is called Sekai no Yamachan, the other is called Furaibo. Both establishments serve delicious dishes and a wide variety of drinks at a relatively reasonable price. They have a similar atmosphere and clientele.

If you are looking for Nagoya chicken wings with a very strong peppery taste, go for Yamachan. If you are looking for a more well-balanced wing, Furaibo should be the place to go.

Both restaurants have multiple shops throughout Nagoya city, so you will surely find one close to you easily!

2. Ogura Toast

So, what do you think the people from Nagoya eat for breakfast? Your first impulse might be to say rice. Don’t Japanese people all famously eat rice for breakfast? Well, in this case, you are wrong.

The people in Nagoya love eating bread for breakfast, specifically toast, which they call Shokupan.

But the Nagoya locals don’t just put ham or cheese on their toast, they make something called Ogura Toast.

The toast is first spread with butter or margarine, then toasted. After toasting the bread gold-brown, they then top it with a thick, sweet paste made from red Azuki beans.

These sweet Azuki beans are also called Ogura, which is where the name Ogura Toast comes from. It might be hard to imagine putting beans on your bread, but it is quite a sweet paste – much like jam – and I find it delicious.

Ogura Toast goes very well with a cup of coffee in the morning. You can get it in Nagoya at most coffee shops.

Where to eat Ogura Toast in Nagoya

I recommend checking out Komeda’s Coffee, a local institution.

Komeda’s Coffee is one of the most popular coffee shops in Nagoya and you can find one literally around every other corner. Aside from delicious thickly-sliced Ogura Toast, they also have great coffee (for Japanese standards) as well as other foods such as sandwiches and lunch plates. If you are looking for something non-sweet to eat, I recommend their pizza toast.

3. Miso Nikomi Udon

There is a stereotype in Japan that the people in Nagoya put Miso on everything.

Like most stereotypes, there is a grain of truth to it. Of course, they don’t put Miso on every dish they eat, but they do love their local Miso. Because of this, they have several well-known dishes using Miso as the main ingredient.

So, what is Miso exactly? Miso is made from soybeans. These beans are fermented for a couple of months to become a brownish paste.

You might have tried Miso before in the form of Miso soup at any Japanese restaurant in Japan or abroad. Miso has a salty taste and is one of the main ingredients used in Japanese cooking together with salt, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce.

There are hundreds of variations of Miso across the country, and the Miso people from Nagoya love is called Hatcho Miso.

This Miso is much darker, it’s reddish-brown in colour, and it has a much stronger and more unique taste than other Miso.

One of the many dishes using Hatcho Miso in Nagoya is Miso Nikomi Udon. Thick and white noodles made from flour and water are served in a broth made from Miso and Dashi fish stock.

The dish is served in an earthenware pot still bubbling hot, topped with a raw egg. It is the perfect winter food and a favourite with not only the locals but also tourists visiting Nagoya.

Where to eat Miso Nikomi Udon in Nagoya

Try Miso Nikomi Udon at Yamamotoya, the inventor of Miso Nikomi Udon as we know it. They have been making Miso NIkomi Udon since 1925, so you can be sure they know what they are doing.

Yamamotoya restaurants can be found all over Nagoya, so just put in the name in your Google Maps and find a restaurant close to you.

4. Ankake Spaghetti

If you are craving some familiar food from home, how about ordering some pasta? Of course, with a local twist.

Ankake Spaghetti is made from thicker-than-usual Spaghetti and is served in a sticky, peppery vegetable-based sauce.

The dish traditionally comes with two different kinds of toppings – either vegetables or little sausages. Nowadays, restaurants offer a wealth of different toppings – from eggs, to different kinds of meats, vegetables, and of course cheese. No doubt you will find a topping you like for sure.

It is said that Ankake Spaghetti was invented when a chef in Nagoya tried to adapt Western-style meat sauce to the taste of the locals. The end product doesn’t have much of anything to do with meat sauce, but it is undeniably delicious in a simple way.

Ankake Spaghetti is especially popular with men who like to eat big servings. At many restaurants in Nagoya, you can get quite large servings of Ankake Spaghetti for a reasonable price.

So, if you are one of those people who complain about the small servings in Japan, you might want to have a proper serving of Ankake Spaghetti ad be really satisfied and full from it.

Where to eat Ankake Spaghetti in Nagoya

There are multiple popular restaurants specializing in Ankake Spaghetti in Nagoya. You can either check out one of the shops called Spaghetti House Yokoi or Spaghetti House Ciao.

Both their concepts are very similar and if you’re trying Ankake Spaghetti for the first time, they are just the right place to go.

5. Hitsumabushi

The one must-try dish in Nagoya is Hitsumabushi. You cannot visit Nagoya and not try it.

Hitsumabushi is grilled freshwater eel served on rice. It is a real delicacy and mostly eaten on special occasions because it is quite expensive, as most eel dishes are.

Your tray will include a bowl with rice and eel, some condiments like spring onions and wasabi, pickles, a broth and a bowl of soup. You will also get a wooden spoon and an empty bowl.

Like the many unique dishes in Japan, there is a special way of eating Hitsumabushi. You will want to divide your serving into four parts – use a spoon for that. Transfer the first of the four parts of rice and eel into the small empty bowl and enjoy the dish as it is – eel in sweet and sticky sauce with rice.

To the second serving, add some condiments like spring onion and Sansho – a special kind of spice – and you’ll that it fits perfectly with the taste of eel. Enjoy the changed aroma.

For the third serving, you will finally use the broth – which is usually a Dashi broth made from Bonito fish stock. Add some Wasabi to give it a kick and enjoy the Ochazuke – that’s what a dish with rice and broth is called in Japanese.

You will see it has a changed flavour as well as consistency, and it is delicious. It is actually my favourite part of Hitsumabushi.

Now that you have tried the three different variations, your fourth and last serving is for you to enjoy however you like it best out of your previous experimentations.

This dish lets you enjoy three different flavours in one, which is what makes it so special.

By the way, the pickles and soup are for in between bites, whenever you want.

Where to eat Hitsumabushi in Nagoya

One of the most famous restaurants serving Hitsumabushi in Nagoya is Houraiken. This restaurant is very popular and commands long lines during lunch and dinner time.

These 5 dishes are just a sample of the best food Nagoya has to offer. I hope they made you just a little bit curious about Nagoya’s cuisine and Nagoya in general.

Whether you are on a Nagoya day trip or spending a couple of nights here, if you are a foodie, don’t skip Nagoya on your trip around Japan. It might just be the best food you have during your time in Japan.