Nagoya Restaurants

Kitahachi

Kitahachi has a lot to be proud of. After more than 65 years serving Nagoya diners, the restaurant still impresses customers with the sheer variety of its sushi menu including the famous Nagoya cochin chicken sushi. Other popular dishes include grilled conger eel, shabu shabu, uo suki (seafood and vegetables cooked in a hot pot) and fried chicken. English-language menus available. Major credit cards accepted. Kitahachi features both traditional tatami mat seating style and chairs and tables.

Sekai No Yama-chan and Furaibou Chicken Wings

Nagoya’s specialty food and a must-try dish is tebasaki (Japanese-style, deep-fried chicken wingtips). Wings are soy-and-sugar-dipped, salted, peppered then double-fried. The result is that the wing is crispy on the outside and slightly juicy on the inside. Locals claim that the wings taste a lot better accompanied by beer. The most well-known restaurants that specialize in Nogoya’s tebasaki are Sekai No Yama-chan and Furaibou. Sekai No Yama-chan’s wings are said to be a bit spicier and they serve them with the ends intact. Sekai No Yama-chan has more than 30 locations in Nagoya alone including many in the Kanayama area. Furaibou has many shops downtown Nagoya such as in Sakae District.

Kamei Marunouchi

Kamei Marunochi is a relaxing bar and restaurant featuring a warm-feeling wooden interior. The kitchen serves traditional Japanese food which goes down very well with sake and other local alcoholic drinks. Kamei Marunochi’s menu is quite impressive with choices ranging from deep-fried Nagoya chicken legs to udon (Japanese wheat noodles), duck and grilled Mikawa Bay conger eel. Major cards accepted. English-language menu and English-speaking wait staff.

Aichi Nagoya Japanese Restaurant Aikyo

This restaurant is another long-established Nagoya business and has garnered many loyal customers throughout its 30-plus years. Must-try items on the menu include Japanese conger eel, a variety of sushi, matsutake mushrooms and marbled beef steaks. Aikyo is rich in old-world charm and features both traditional tatami seating and modern-style chairs and tables. English-speaking staff. Prices are on the steep side. 

Mameya Genge

It is almost unbelievable how many outstanding dishes a good chef can conjure up using tofu as the main base. Mameya genge’s most popular dish is soy milk shabu-shabu (pork slices fondue with hot soybean milk sauce). Other interesting dishes are cold tofu, tofu and avocado salad with wasabi (Japanese horse radish) dressing, spicy cod roe tofu, gratin-topped tofu with egg, deep-fried soy beans, deep-fried chicken and rice balls with tempura. Drinks include local sake, shochu and soy milk cocktails. All major cards accepted.

Tower Plaza

Another popular place to go is on the 12th and 13th floor of Tower Plaza. Here they have 30 plus small shops selling all kind of Japanese food to some Asian and Western cuisine i.e. pizza, pasta, salad and burger. Prices are reasonable. Some outlets offer menu in English but most will have food sample on the display which makes it easy for customer to order.

Tiger Café

Tiger Café and Restaurant is rich in art deco design, much like a Parisian café. On top of their reasonably-priced lunch sets as well as French cuisine, Tiger also features many western food items including steaks, hamburgers and variety of sandwiches. English-language menu and English-speaking staff. Major credit cards accepted.

Hub Pubs

Hub is a nationwide British pub franchise and there are three locations in town, all serving a variety of drinks and traditional pub food such as fish & chips, cheeseburgers, shepherd’s pie, pizza and spring rolls. Wash it all down with fine ales and stouts. Happy hour daily from 17:00 – 19:00.

Hub at C Forest 3

• Location: 2F in Fushimi
• Tel: +81 (0)52 220 0082

Hub in Ark

• Location: Building.1F, Sakae (from Sakae station take exit 8)
• Tel: +81 (0) 52 962 8682

Hub in Meikeki

• Location: located across the road from Nagoya JR Station
• Tel: +81 (0)52 533 4882

Raffles’

Raffles’ is a special dining venue in Nagoya where you can order food from Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and also India. Popular for sticking to the original recipes and serving genuinely spicy fare (they even grow their own chillies), Raffles’ is a charming little restaurant with a tropical feel to it (think Phuket or Bali) and features only 30 covers. Advance booking advisable.

Joe’s Kitchen

Stepping inside Joe’s Kitchen, you’ll get the feeling that you’re in a sophisticated Shanghai bar back in the 1930s or 1940s. The impressive menu has a good selection of Chinese favourites such as steamed shrimp with garlic, beef rib stew, beef fillet in oyster sauce, egg-and-chicken congee, fried rice noodles and seafood spring rolls. Check out Joe’s ‘All you can drink’ menu. Major credit cards accepted.

Hard Rock Café

Fans of the ubiquitous Hard Rock Café will be happy to hear that Nagoya also has a branch. You’ll find it on the third floor of the ZXY Building on Hirokoji Street not far from the Hilton in the busy Sakae District.

Lassiette de shibata

Located in Sakae, Lassiette de shibata is well known for French cuisine and delicious desserts. Prices are not necessary cheap. 

Cream Dining Bar

Cream Dining Bar boasts some 130 wine labels from both Old and New world. The menu is quite interesting with mainly French-influenced dishes as well as the all-time favourites like steaks and pasta.

Outback Steakhouse

Outback Steakhouse is a familiar name to many visitors because it has more than 800 outlets in the US and 100 plus stores worldwide. Outback first opened in Tokyo in 2000 and later expanded to many more locations. The one in Nagoya is located in Sakae, close to the Sakae Station. The food selection is massive from Outback’s favorite bloomin’onions, seafood salad, BBQ chicken nachos, Aussie cheese fries, chicken wings and plenty of choices for soup, salad and steaks.

Siam Garden

Thai food has won over many fans over the past decade to the point that you can spot Thai restaurants in all major cities around the world. In Nagoya, when hungry for tom yam goong (or spicy shrimp soup) or chicken green curry, stop by at Siam Garden – a beautiful colonial-style restaurant (& hotel). Their kitchen is run by Thai chefs which is a guarantee of the food’s authenticity.