7 Unique Eats to Try When Visiting Nagoya

The fourth largest city in Japan, one of the country’s industrial powerhouses, and home to the main manufacturer of Toyota, the often-overlooked city of Nagoya is a hub of business, culture, and food. Located in Aichi Prefecture, just between Tokyo and Osaka, it is known for its hardworking culture, making it home to many handmade crafts, or monozukuri, and a unique cuisine made to fuel all of that business!

As a base for travel and business throughout Japan, Nagoya’s cuisine highlights a large international influence and draws inspiration from regional cuisines across Japan. With its unique identity in Japanese cuisine, it is referred to by locals as Nagoya-meshi, or simply Nagoya food. It is full of very comforting and hearty dishes, unlike what you’ll find in Tokyo or Osaka. You’ll also find a strong presence of miso in many of the dishes, more so than in any other cuisine around Japan. Picture hot pots, oden, noodles, and fried dishes all including an element of miso.

Here are some of the must-tries when visiting Nagoya!

Miso Katsu

Thought by some to be the top representative miso dish of Nagoya-meshi, miso katsu is exactly what it sounds like; a crispy, juicy, fried to perfection, pork cutlet slathered in a sweet, savory red miso, or aka miso, sauce in place of the typical tangy tonkatsu sauce. Served with a side or on a bed of rice and thinly cut cabbage, the rich, thick sauce is reminiscent of BBQ sauce with its deep color and slight sweetness. It’s so popular that you can even buy bottles of it as a souvenir!

Kishimen

Another staple of Nagoya-meshi, kishimen uses a type of thick, flat noodles unique to the region, characterized by their soft, smooth texture. Just like Nagoya, it is thought that the noodles are a mix between Kanto and Kansai styles, and are served in a bowl of hot seafood-based broth along with katsuobushi (bonito flakes), boiled spinach, kamaboko (fish cakes), and abura age(fried tofu skin). The delicious dish is cheap and filling, so it’s no wonder that it’s been served in the area since the Edo period!

Tebasaki

A signature dish of Nagoya, tebasaki, or chicken wings, are a popular drinking snack given their delicious crispy, salty, and spicy outer coating. Unlike other fried wings, Nagoya tebasaki aren’t battered, but rather double fried and basted with different sauces before being seasoned with salt, pepper, and sesame seeds. You’ll want to ask a local the best way to eat them, crunchy cartilage and all!

Cochin

Tagging along with the last dish, Nagoya cochin is a variety of chicken specially raised in the region and is the most famous chicken produced in Japan. Think of them as the Kobe beef of chickens. They even need to be approved as being local and purebred to receive the mark as a cochin chicken! The eggs and meat are featured in many dishes, from skewers to hot pots and even the aforementioned local tebasaki.

Miso Oden and Nikomi Udon

The thing that makes these two dishes unique to Nagoya is what you might expect: the addition of miso. The oden in Nagoya is said to have been eaten since the 1300s and has a special broth known as kantodaki-oden, which includes the beloved red miso of the region. Likewise, miso nikomi udon resembles many other hotpot udon dishes throughout Japan, except for the broth and noodles. Rather than the mildly sweet red miso featured in many other dishes, this one uses a strong, salty red miso known as haccho-miso that isn’t made with the typical koji rice but is instead made only with soybeans. The noodles are also unique with a thick, chewy texture similar to the famous hoto noodles from Yamanashi Prefecture.

Morning Set

If you’ve visited a Japanese cafe, or kissaten before, you’ve likely seen their “morning sets” being advertised. The typical morning set, consisting of toast, a hard-boiled egg, and a salad, or a similarly small meal, is now a standard breakfast template throughout Japan but is thought to have originated in Nagoya. The idea was that when the hardworking busy people of Naogya stopped into a coffee shop, they would be able to get a free small breakfast with their order of a cup of coffee!

About the author:

Kevin Kilcoyne

The spark that lit Kevin Kilcoyne’s interest in Japanese culture began in elementary school through a friendship with his then classmate Keisuke. Since then, that passion has evolved and bloomed to encompass more than just video games and manga, leading Kevin to live in Japan as a participant of the JET program. During his time in Japan, Kevin sought out as many foods as he could, the experiences and taste memories lingering long after they had gone. Now he is forging a path to link his passions for Japanese food, history, and visual culture and is planning for his return to live in Japan once again. For now, you can find Kevin on Instagram (@waruishouten) where he posts his photography and illustration work. Keep an eye out for more posts and updates as Kevin delves more deeply into his passions for writing and food.