Nara eat · Eating in Nara
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Eating in Nara
Eating in Nara
A local specialty is kaki-no-hazushi (柿の葉ずし), which is sushi (usually mackerel or salmon) wrapped in persimmon leaves, and actually originates from nearby Yoshino.
Kudzu, also from Yoshino, is a very renowned product of Nara, which is used for making various food ranging from kudzu noodles (葛切り kuzu-kiri) to Japanese sweets (和菓子 wagashi). Somen (thin wheat noodles) from Miwa region (三輪そうめん Miwa sōmen) have a history as old as Nara. The noodles are served either hot or cold. Another well-known culinary product is shika-senbei, a rice cracker sold around Nara Park. Don't try eating it yourself though ? it's meant for the deer! Note that closing times may be as early as 10PM.
Sanshū-tei (三秀亭), In the Isui-en Garden (依水園).. W-M 11:30AM-1:30PM. It's worth a visit more for the attractive old house and garden than the menu, which consists of two very traditional dishes: mugi tororo (plain rice with ground yam, �1200), and unagi tororo (the same with grilled eel, �2500). �
Hiraso (平宗), 30-1 Imamikado-cho (south of Sarusawa Pond), ☎ +81 0742 22-3900, . Tu-Su 10AM-8PM. nice sampling of local foods such as kakinohazushi and chagayu (tea gruel, which tastes better than it sounds) are included in dinner sets miyoshino and heijou. An English picture menu available. Around ¥2500. �
Udon-tei (うどん亭), 6 Higashimuki-Nakamachi (inside Higashimuki Shopping Street arcade), ☎ +81 0742 23-5471. Daily 11AM-8:30PM. Serves udon (thick wheat noodles) in various ways: hot or cold, plain or with tempura, etc. Always packed with local people at lunch times. Suitable for time-savers and relatively small appetites. ¥500-1000. �
Okaru (おかる), 13 Higashimuki-Minamimachi (inside Higashimuki Shopping Street arcade), ☎ +81 0742 24-3686. Th-Tu 11AM-9PM, open on W if it's a holiday. A restaurant specialized in okonomiyaki (お好み焼き), a pan-fried cabbage cake with selection of meat. Okonomiyaki is definitely shortlisted on Kansai people's most beloved dishes. English menu available. ¥530-1400. �
Yatagarasu (やたがらす), 13-1 Hayashi-kōji-cho, ☎ +81 0742 20-0808. Daily 5PM-midnight. Fresh poultry from local farms cooked and served in many different ways (eg. grilled, fried, even raw) with a variety of either local or other regional sake available. Around ¥2500 depending on your appetite. �
Nara Shōya (奈良庄屋), 48-5 Takama-cho (Keiwa building B1F), ☎ +81 0742 24-2151. Daily 11:30AM-2PM, 4:30PM-11PM. A branch of large chain pub restaurant with traditional food like raw fish (さしみ sashimi), sushi, tempura, yakitori available. Though little (except for sake) is Nara local, quality of food is excellent for a chain type of restaurant. The restaurant is always filled with a dynamic, yet agreeable mood. �
Maguro Koya (まぐろ小屋), (Exit Kintetsu Nara station, and you'll see a fountain of a Buddhist monk. Cross the lights to the other side of the big street there, and go into the small street that runs perpendicular to the big street. Walk a couple hundred meters, passing an am/pm convenience store on your right, and you will see an Asahi beer sign on the road, with the words まぐろ小屋 written on it on your left side.). A tiny hole-in-the-wall place that specializes in tuna. Tekka-don (rice bowl with raw slices of tuna and thinly sliced nori), tuna karaage (breaded deep fried pieces of tuna), tataki (seared on the outside, raw on the inside slices of tuna), and many other methods of preparations. For most meals you can choose a maguro (tuna), honmaguro toro (Japanese fatty tuna), or chuutoro (fatty tuna) version of the dish. The proprietor is an ojiisan (elderly gentleman) who seems to really like what he's doing, is friendly and welcoming. �
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Nara Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.