Eat Your Way Through Kobe Beef, Seafood, and Soba! 11 Popular Restaurants to Enjoy Hyogo Cuisine
Hyogo faces three seas, the Seto Inland Sea, the Sea of Japan, and the Pacific Ocean, and also stretches into mountain areas.
Its local cuisine is defined by dishes that make the most of the bounty of both sea and land, such as Kobe beef and crab dishes.
It also offers a wide variety of foods, including Akashiyaki and Izushi soba.
Another draw is the many sightseeing spots, such as the cosmopolitan port city of Kobe and Himeji Castle, a registered World Heritage site, where you can enjoy both food and tourism at the same time.
This article introduces the signature dishes you should try in Hyogo and popular restaurants where you can enjoy them.
When you visit, be sure to fully enjoy the flavors unique to Hyogo.
Hyogo’s Signature Local Cuisine
Facing the Seto Inland Sea and the Sea of Japan and also extending into mountain areas, Hyogo has long fostered a food culture shaped by the bounty of both sea and land.
From Kobe beef and crab dishes to Akashiyaki and Izushi soba, the prefecture is full of signature foods you should definitely try when you visit.
Among them, Kobe beef is especially popular.
Its marbling is beautiful, its flavor is rich, and it is often served as steak or yakiniku.
Its melt-in-your-mouth texture and deep flavor continue to captivate food lovers.
Hyogo’s seafood is another major attraction.
In particular, winter matsuba crab and octopus and seafood caught off the coast of Akashi are exceptionally fresh, and can be enjoyed in a wide range of dishes such as sashimi, grilled items, and simmered dishes at port towns and market eateries.
Akashiyaki is known for its fluffy batter, which is eaten dipped generously in broth, and can be casually enjoyed while walking around or at local diners.
Izushi soba is a historic handmade soba that dates back to the Edo period, and one of its pleasures is enjoying multiple small plates of soba stacked one after another.
If you travel to Hyogo, be sure to discover its local flavors and experience the bounty of its seas and mountains.
11 Popular Restaurants in Hyogo to Enjoy Local Cuisine
If you want to enjoy local cuisine in Hyogo, many people may wonder where to go.
This article carefully selects 11 especially popular restaurants where you can try Hyogo’s signature dishes.
Enjoy flavors unique to Hyogo at restaurants serving local specialties such as Kobe beef, crab dishes, Akashiyaki, and Izushi soba.
1. Kobe Beef Steak Hanahoubi
Kobe Beef Steak Hanahoubi is a teppanyaki specialty restaurant located in the Sannomiya area of Chuo Ward, Kobe.
Main menu items include the Kobe Beef Course, Lobster & Kobe Beef Course, Spiny Lobster & Kobe Beef Steak Course (from 2 people), and Seafood & Steak Course.
With the expert cooking of its skilled chefs, you can slowly savor the natural flavors of the ingredients.
2. Kobe Kiyama
Kobe Beef Kiyama is a designated registered store of the Kobe Meat Distribution Promotion Council.
It is a steak restaurant serving A5-rank Kobe beef.
Popular menu items include the Kobe Beef Tasting Course, where you can enjoy two different cuts at once, and the Kiyama Full Course, made up of 11 dishes.
You can enjoy Kobe beef in a variety of ways.
3. Kobe Yoshitoyo
Located on the basement level of Kobe Sannomiya Center Street, Kobe Yoshitoyo is a restaurant famous for its Kobe beef hamburger steak served in an earthenware pot.
The signature item is the Dobin Hamburger Steak, a 100% Kobe beef hamburger steak topped generously with house-made demi-glace sauce.
The restaurant also offers visually fun and satisfying dishes such as the Omuburg, served with omelet rice, and the Omebi Burg, which comes with fried shrimp.
4. Sumibi Yakiniku Ishidaya. Main Store
Located in the heart of Sannomiya, Kobe, Sumibi Yakiniku Ishidaya. Main Store is a yakiniku restaurant specializing in Japanese black beef.
Popular menu items include charcoal-grilled dishes such as the Special Grilled Shabu-Shabu and the Special Chef’s Selection Platter of Three Rare Cuts.
There is also a wide selection of drinks, including wine, shochu, and sake that pair well with beef.
5. Setsugekka Main Store
A renowned teppanyaki restaurant where skilled chefs grill carefully selected Kobe beef right in front of you.
The restaurant’s prized Kobe beef is transformed into superb steak through the exceptional techniques of chefs with more than 10 years of experience.
You are sure to be amazed by the exquisite texture, crisp on the outside and meltingly tender inside, along with its elegant umami and sweetness that spread explosively across the palate.
6. Honke Kimuraya
Honke Kimuraya is an Akashiyaki specialty restaurant within walking distance of JR Akashi Station.
Its specialty is Akashiyaki, made with fluffy batter and fresh octopus delivered every morning. Because each order is cooked after it is placed, you can enjoy the texture and aroma that only freshly made Akashiyaki can offer.
7. Yoshikawa
Located around the middle of Uonotana Shopping Street, Yoshikawa is known for its signature Akashiyaki, soft and light with plenty of egg.
It features the delicious flavor of octopus and a gentle sweetness, and is cooked with less oil. Light yet rich, it is a flavor you could enjoy every day without getting tired of it.
8. Akashiyaki Go
Akashiyaki Go is located across from Uonotana Shopping Street.
It is a specialty restaurant dedicated to Akashiyaki made with authentic methods and ingredients.
Plenty of fresh eggs are used, and the batter is cooked in a heat-conductive copper pan to create a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. It is an easy place to experience Akashi’s food culture.
9. Uosho Kobe Takaaki Kitanozaka Main Store
Uosho Kobe Takaaki Kitanozaka Main Store is a Japanese restaurant located on Kitanozaka in Chuo Ward, Kobe.
Its signature dish is the Crab Bucket, made with red snow crab landed at Kasumi Fishing Port in Hyogo Prefecture.
The Live Snow Crab Course, available only from November to March each year, is also very popular.
10. Kasumi Gyoko Wahei Kakogawa Main Store
Kasumi Gyoko Wahei Kakogawa Main Store is a Japanese restaurant in Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture.
In winter, it serves matsuba crab and red crab from Kasumi, while in summer, it offers seasonal varieties such as king crab and horsehair crab from Hokkaido.
The signature dish is the original Matsuba Crab Steamed with Local Sake.
At Kasumi Gyoko Wahei Kakogawa Main Store, the finishing touch is a final splash of local sake before steaming.
11. Sarasoba Jinbei
Sarasoba Jinbei is one of the most popular soba restaurants in Izushi, where three generations of the same family have pursued soba-making while preserving traditions since the business first opened.
The combination of firm soba noodles and richly flavored dipping sauce pairs especially well with local sake.
With a wide variety of condiments such as raw egg and yam, you are sure to keep reaching for more than expected.
FAQ about Hyogo Cuisine
Q
Which areas in Hyogo have many restaurants?
A
Kobe, Sannomiya, Motomachi, and the area around Himeji.
Q
Are there any restaurants or spots around Kobe Station where I can try local cuisine?
A
On Kobe Gaslight Street, a promenade in Kobe Harborland within walking distance, there are restaurants serving Kobe beef.
Summary
We have introduced a carefully selected lineup of restaurants where you can enjoy Hyogo’s signature and popular dishes.
Blessed with rich natural surroundings such as the Seto Inland Sea and the Rokko and Harima mountains, Hyogo is an area that has fostered a diverse food culture.
The seafood of Akashi, Kobe beef, and the mountain bounty of Tanba are also highlights.
To enjoy Hyogo even more and make the most of your trip, be sure to check out the article below as well.