Utsunomiya Min Min Main Store

A veteran shop opened in 1958, Min Min is the forerunner in Utsunomiya’s history as a mecca for gyoza. Nicknamed Gyoza Dori, meaning “Dumpling Street”, Miyajima Street is home to the main store location, which has served as a specialty gyoza shop since a time many years ago when it was hard to even find a Chinese food restaurant in the area. It’s beloved by locals and tourists alike, enough that you’ll even find a long lineup during lunchtime on weekdays.

The gyoza menu has three types of dumplings to choose from (each 6-pc serving for one is 300yen), including “yaki-gyoza”, pan-fried in sesame oil to a delightful outer crisp, the lighter, boiled “sui-gyoza”, and the aromatic, crunch deep-fried “age-gyoza”. They’re stuffed with loads of crunchy napa cabbage in a tasty recipe that’s got plenty of deep, juicy flavor without being overly garlicky. Inside the shop you’ll find that each table is set up with a lineup of soy sauce, vinegar and house chili oil so you can mix up a dipping sauce to your taste. Irrisitable gyoza dipped in plenty of sauce are also a great companion with beer or a side of rice. For the boiled “sui-gyoza” or water dumplings, Min Min recommends adding your seasoning sauce directly into the soup for optimum flavor.

In addition to the yaki-gyoza and age-gyoza for take out, you can also order the raw refrigerated gyoza and have them shipped anywhere across Japan. There’s also free parking available outside the shop for one hour if you eat in or twenty minutes if you swing by for takeout.