Savor Akita’s Rich Local Food Culture: 11 Popular Restaurants
Akita still preserves many landscapes full of traditional Japanese charm, with sightseeing spots such as the samurai residences of Kakunodate, Lake Tazawa, and the Oga Peninsula, along with some of Japan’s most renowned hidden hot springs.
The region’s rich food culture is another highlight, and tasting local specialties such as “kiritanpo nabe,” “Inaniwa udon,” and “shottsuru nabe” is one of the pleasures of traveling here.
This article carefully selects and introduces popular restaurants where you can fully enjoy the flavors of Akita.
Enjoy Akita’s local cuisine and make your trip even more memorable.
Akita’s Signature Local Dishes
When it comes to Akita’s local cuisine, famous dishes include “kiritanpo nabe,” “Inaniwa udon,” hearty “Yokote yakisoba,” and fresh local seafood dishes.
There is also a wide variety of other local specialties, including “shottsuru nabe,” a hot pot made with the fish sauce shottsuru.
Below is an overview of some of the region’s most representative local dishes.
- Kiritanpo Nabe
- A representative local dish of Akita made by mashing rice, wrapping it around cedar sticks, grilling it, and simmering it in a hot pot with Hinai jidori chicken and vegetables.
- Inaniwa Udon
- Thin, smooth, and pleasantly chewy, this noodle dish can be enjoyed throughout the region, from long-established shops to famous restaurants.
- Seafood Dishes
- Made with fresh seasonal seafood caught along the Sea of Japan coast, these can be enjoyed in many ways, including sashimi and seafood rice bowls.
- Yokote Yakisoba
- Known for its thick noodles, rich sauce, and fried egg topping, this is one of Akita’s best-known casual local dishes.
- Shottsuru Nabe
- With its distinctive flavor combining the savory richness and saltiness of fish, this hot pot symbolizes the region’s local food culture.
Where to Try Local Cuisine: 11 Popular Restaurants in Akita
Akita is home to a wide variety of local specialties, including hot pot dishes and udon unique to the region.
This article introduces 11 especially popular restaurants, carefully selected for their appeal.
Make the most of your trip by enjoying Akita’s local flavors to the fullest.
1. Ganso Murasaki
Founded in 1944 as the small traditional restaurant “Murasaki,” it was reborn in 1977 as “Ganso Murasaki,” a specialty restaurant focused on Akita’s local dish kiritanpo.
The signature “kiritanpo nabe” is defined by its soup and its tanpo.
The house-made soup brings out the flavor of Hinai jidori chicken to the fullest.
Meanwhile, the tanpo, made one by one by hand using Akitakomachi rice from Odate, has a deep flavor unlike any other.
2. Akita Hinaiya Odate Main Store
“Akita Hinaiya Odate Main Store” is a specialty restaurant dedicated to Hinai jidori chicken raised in Akita Prefecture.
Its signature dishes include the Hinai jidori oyakodon, grilled chicken, and Akita’s famous kiritanpo nabe.
It is well known for letting diners enjoy the rich flavor and firm texture of exceptionally fresh Hinai jidori chicken.
The restaurant also offers a wide range of à la carte dishes, including Hinai jidori steak and tataki.
3. Akita Kiritanpoya Akita Ekimae Main Store
Located in front of JR Akita Station, this restaurant brings together many of Akita’s best local flavors, including kiritanpo nabe, one of the region’s signature dishes.
The signature menu item is “kiritanpo nabe.” In addition to the standard soy sauce-based flavor, a miso-based version said to have been eaten by matagi hunters is also available.
The restaurant also has an excellent selection of local sake, with Japanese sake from all 36 breweries in the prefecture.
4. Agodashi Inaniwa Udon Kosendo
“Agodashi Inaniwa Udon Kosendo” is a restaurant where you can enjoy Inaniwa udon made with flying fish broth.
It uses noodles from “Makabeya,” a long-established noodle maker in Akita, and is a specialty Inaniwa udon restaurant known for carefully selected ingredients centered on local produce.
Its “Inaniwa udon” features a refined, flavorful soup. The menu offers dozens of options, including “Ume Oboro Inaniwa Udon,” flavored with a large Nanko plum and shredded kelp.
5. Kanbun Godendo Main Store
“Kanbun Godendo Main Store” is located in Inaniwa, Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture, the birthplace of Inaniwa udon. It is a specialty “Inaniwa udon” restaurant established in 1973.
Most of the production process is done by hand by skilled artisans. One of the most popular menu items is the “Two Kinds, Three Flavors Udon with Tempura.”
Here, you can enjoy chewy “Inaniwa udon” made in the same style as when the noodle was first created in 1665.
6. Sato Yosuke Main Store
A long-established restaurant that carries on the method of making Inaniwa udon established in Kanbun 5 (1665) by the first-generation Inaniwa (Sato) Kichizaemon.
From selecting ingredients to final inspection before shipping, no corners are cut, and the traditional fully handmade production method is still preserved today.
The most popular dish is the “Nimi Ten Seiro,” which lets you enjoy both soy sauce and sesame miso dipping sauces. It is a dish with a pleasantly firm bite and a smooth texture.
7. Nyudozaki Namahage Goten (New Hataken)
A restaurant located at Nyudozaki, on the northwestern tip of the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture.
Established in 1956, it serves fresh seafood dishes in a scenic spot known for its beautiful views.
A large sign at the front clearly states “the birthplace of the seafood bowl,” so naturally the top recommendation is its seafood bowl.
Made with fresh seafood caught in Oga, the bowls come in a wide variety of styles.
8. Oshokujidokoro Kaisenya
Oga Seafood Market offers a wide selection of seafood from Oga City in Akita Prefecture. Attached to that market is “Oshokujidokoro Kaisenya.”
Its signature dish is the generously portioned seafood bowl “Kaiho-don,” loaded with shrimp, sea urchin, salmon roe, and more.
Many people also visit hoping to try the limited-quantity sashimi set meal.
9. Akita Nagaya Sakaba
“Akita Nagaya Sakaba” is an izakaya where you can enjoy Akita’s local cuisine and local sake all at once.
Its extensive menu includes dishes unique to Akita, such as grilled Hinai jidori chicken, iburigakko, and kiritanpo nabe.
Among them, the rare “shottsuru nabe” made with hatahata, a fish that represents Akita, is especially notable.
The soup, infused with the distinctive umami of the fish sauce shottsuru, has a deep flavor you can only enjoy here.
10. Umamidokoro Idehaya
“Umamidokoro Idehaya” is an izakaya in Yokote City, Akita Prefecture. It is known as a famous restaurant for Yokote’s soul food, “Yokote yakisoba.”
Its signature “Yokote yakisoba” is finished with a mildly sweet sauce, combining thick straight noodles with cabbage and ground pork.
“Yokote Kuroge Wagyu Yakisoba” is also popular as an original Idehaya menu item that lets you enjoy locally produced black wagyu beef from Yokote at the same time.
11. Kuidoraku Main Store
“Kuidoraku Main Store” is an izakaya with a history of more than 45 years. It is known for dishes that make the most of local ingredients and for its wide selection of Akita sake.
Its “Yokote yakisoba” won the grand prize at the Yokote Yakisoba Four Heavenly Kings Competition for 12 consecutive years.
It is served in the classic style, with chewy thick noodles coated in the restaurant’s original sauce and topped with a soft-cooked fried egg.
FAQ about Akita Gourmet
Q
Which areas in Akita have the most restaurants?
A
The area around Akita Station, the Kakunodate area, which is also popular as a sightseeing destination, and central Yokote City, where the local specialty “Yokote yakisoba” can be found.
Q
Are there any places to try local cuisine around Akita Station?
A
Yes, there are various restaurants serving local specialties such as kiritanpo nabe, Inaniwa udon, Yokote yakisoba, and seafood.
Summary
Akita, where history and nature are still very much alive, is a region where you can enjoy a wide variety of local dishes and food culture unique to the area.
From “kiritanpo nabe” and “Inaniwa udon” to “shottsuru nabe,” the region offers many specialties that make any trip even richer.
Taking in the scenery and atmosphere of places such as the samurai residences of Kakunodate, Lake Tazawa, and the Oga Peninsula while enjoying Akita’s unique flavors is one of the true pleasures of traveling here.
If you would like to learn more about Akita, where seasonal nature, history, and food culture come together, be sure to also check out our article on Akita’s recommended sightseeing spots.