Asoji

A restaurant founded in 1968 along National Route 57. In addition to Kumamoto specialties like Akaushi beef steak on a ceramic plate, basashi (horse sashimi), and dago-jiru dumpling soup, you can also enjoy a wide variety of dishes such as oden, salted mackerel, and meat udon.

The top pick is “takana-meshi,” a local specialty that represents the Aso area of Kumamoto. Asoji is known as the original restaurant to serve takana-meshi—previously eaten at home—as a menu item. Their takana-meshi is based on the flavor that the current owner’s grandmother, Saki Iseri, used to make for children during and after the war, when rice was scarce. It’s a simple dish made by stir-frying the stems of house-made Aso takana pickles with bamboo shoots, then mixing them into rice. The mound-like shape is inspired by Kometsuka, which you can see from the restaurant. They use “furuzuke,” takana pickles aged in storage until they turn yellow, creating a dish with distinctive depth and richness.

Set meals that include “dago-jiru” (a soup with dumplings made by kneading wheat flour and rice flour) and stewed offal are also recommended.