11 Popular Restaurants in Tochigi for Local Favorites Like Gyoza and Nikko Yuba

Koran Utsunomiya Main Store is a gyoza specialty restaurant in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture. Founded in 1959, it once closed before reopening in 2010.
The menu features three types: pan-fried gyoza, fried gyoza, and boiled gyoza. The dumplings are wrapped in a thick skin made from a blend of several kinds of flour and filled with a vegetable-rich mixture.
At Koran, the local style is to enjoy the gyoza with house-made sesame chili oil, chili oil made with sesame oil, or rock salt.

Utsunomiya Gyoza Satsuki Tokujira Main Store is located in Tokujira-machi in northwestern Utsunomiya City.
It serves handmade gyoza made with local ingredients and is loved by a wide range of guests, including families and tourists.
The signature menu item is a set meal featuring two kinds of gyoza: Satsuki Gyoza and Shimotsuke Gyoza.
The gyoza are made with local vegetables and Tochigi-grown Yumekaori wheat, and the filling uses Tochigi-produced Tochigi Yume Pork.

Utsunomiya Koraku is a gyoza specialty restaurant in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture.
Its gyoza carry on a flavor first learned in Tianjin, China during the chaotic postwar period, passed down through the family table before becoming the restaurant’s signature taste.
The specialty is pan-fried gyoza, with an excellent balance of savory wrapper and juicy filling.
The skin is made from rested dough, giving it a crispy texture when grilled and a fluffy texture when steamed.

A long-established restaurant founded in 1958, it is one of the best-known names in Utsunomiya, a city famous for gyoza.
Even on weekdays, lines form at lunchtime, making it a popular spot with both tourists and locals.
The gyoza menu includes three types: pan-fried gyoza crisped with sesame oil, refreshing boiled gyoza, and crispy, savory fried gyoza.
The filling is lightly seasoned and packed with Chinese cabbage, while the garlic is prepared to keep only its umami and reduce any strong smell.

Nikko Yuba Yuzen is about an 8-minute walk from Nikko Toshogu Shrine. It is a specialty restaurant where you can enjoy Nikko yuba.
The menu centers on Nikko yuba and features creative dishes made with seasonal ingredients.
The signature menu item is the Yuba Kaiseki Lunch. Among them, the Yuba Box Set is an especially beautiful dish that showcases the craftsmanship of its makers.

Yuba Cafe Hazuki is located along the main road near Nikko Nishi Sando.
It is a directly operated cafe of Heike Yuba, a producer of house-made yuba in Yunishigawa, a hot spring area in Nikko City.
There are three lunch set options: Creamy Yuba Soup Rice, the Hot Sandwich Set, and the Weekly Lunch.
Each comes with a mini dessert and a drink.
Other drinks unique to the Nikko area are also available, including Nikko Iroha Beer.

Located along Nikko Kaido near Nikko Toshogu Shrine, this restaurant has a Japanese-modern atmosphere in a renovated traditional house.
The star of the menu is Nikko Yubamaki, rolls made with Nikko yuba, a specialty of Nikko City in Tochigi Prefecture, wrapped around rice and local ingredients.
Ingredients are carefully selected by young owner-chef Naoki Saito, who trained at both French and Japanese restaurants.
They are served in harmonious combination with Nikko yuba.

Ramen Tashichi is a ramen restaurant in Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture. It is known as one of the famous shops for Sano ramen.
It continues to serve distinctive Sano ramen and is loved by locals.
The soup is light, made by combining a broth from chicken bones, pork bones, and dried sardines with a soy sauce seasoning. It pairs perfectly with the springy noodles.

Ramen Ogane is located in Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture.
The owner trained at Oguraya, a famous Sano ramen shop, and opened this restaurant under its noren division system.
The menu includes only ramen, chashu ramen, gyoza, and drinks.
The Chashu Ramen features a light soup made with domestic vegetables and chicken bones. It comes with medium-thick curly noodles and three large slices of tender house-made chashu.

Tochigiya is a shabu-shabu and sukiyaki izakaya in Utsunomiya.
Known as a restaurant that promotes local production for local consumption, it is remarkably committed to using Tochigi ingredients for almost everything it serves.
The signature dish is shabu-shabu, a menu item that lets you enjoy the flavor of Tochigi wagyu in a simple way.
Sukiyaki with its rich and sweet warishita broth is also popular. The pot topped with fluffy cotton candy makes a strong visual impression.

A long-established steakhouse directly operated by a butcher shop with over 70 years of history.
You can enjoy high-quality local wagyu such as Tochigi wagyu and Nasu wagyu at reasonable prices.
Located along Nasu Kaido, it is a popular restaurant loved by both tourists and locals.
Tochigi wagyu is known for its melt-in-your-mouth texture and fragrant marbling. Among the cuts available, you can enjoy A5-rank sirloin and filet.