Local Cuisine Spots in Nara Area

  • Senjutei Somen Chaya
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    4.5
    33 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    Nara Pref. Sakuraishi Shiba 293
    This somen noodle restaurant located in Shiba, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture is operated by longstanding Miwa somen shop “Ikeri.” The shop has a pure Japanese aura with an elegant ambience and contains large windows with tables seating. The flagship dish, “hiyashi somen,” features a smooth and refreshing flavor that goes down well. There’s also local Nara cuisine with a focus on “nyumen” (somen noodles and various ingredients in a soy sauce broth), as well as other seasonal dishes. One popular option is the “senjutei afternoon meal,” which includes nyumen, Nara delicacies, and persimmon leaf sushi.

    ここの素麺は、とても美味です。 ここの素麺、ここは毎回行くと、満員だったりするんですよね。 でも、並ぶ価値がある。 その点は、絶対にお勧めします。

  • Asuka-no-yume-ichi / Yumeichi-chaya
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    4.0
    32 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    Nara Pref. Takaichigunasukamura Shimashou 154-3
    A soba noodle restaurant located near Ishibutai Tomb, a popular sightseeing destination, in Asuka Village, Takaichi County, Nara Prefecture on the second floor of the Asuka-no-yume-ichi shopping facility. Inside, tables and chairs made from thinned timber from the forests of Asuka stand side by side; smelling faintly of wood with light pouring in through the windows, the restaurant has a comfortable atmosphere. The set meals, made with an abundance of Nara ingredients like ancient rice varieties and local vegetables, are well-reviewed. A warming Asuka nabe hotpot set is also served in winter. The first floor of the facility is a souvenir shop selling local Asuka specialties and handmade knickknacks.

    First of all, you probably need your own wheel to explore Asuka. If you end up in Asuka during lunch hour and your stomach is calling, this place is a very good option (you can of course drive to...

  • Hiraso
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    4.0
    102 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    Nara Pref. Narashi Imamikadochou 30-1
    A long-standing persimmon leaf sushi restaurant located a 10 minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station which was founded in 1861. Persimmon leaf sushi is fatty mackerel served on a bed of vinegared rice and wrapped in a persimmon leaf, which has an invigorating fragrance. In addition to persimmon leaf sushi, Hiraso also serves chagayu tea gruel, a traditional priest’s meal, as well as seasonal local cuisine made with an abundance of Nara ingredients. The nearby Sarusawa Pond, considered one of top eight sights of Nara, reflects the Kohfukuji Temple’s five-tier pagoda; this lovely scene attracts many tourists who also like to stop by Hiraso for lunch. Hiraso also offers classes on making persimmon leaf sushi.

    we did a lot of research and landed on this impeccable establishment for lunch for our day in Nara. Although the web and their posted hours has them as open they were inexplicably closed the day we...

  • Sabo Nonnon
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    4.0
    9 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    Nara Pref. Narashi Nishinoshinyachou 43 Nara Orient Hall
    You’ll find this coffee shop inside the “Nara Orient” townhouse, built at the end of the Edo period in the “Naramachi” area of Nishinoshinya Town, Nara City, Nara Prefecture. The most popular dish is the “chagayu (tea porridge) meal” made with roasted green tea or azuki bean tea. There are many other unique local items as well, such as side dishes made with locally grown vegetables and desserts. The Japanese courtyard inside gives the place a traditional feel. The original sweets are popular too, such as the specially made “shiratama ice cream” and “warabimochi” (bracken-starch dumplings).

    大人の日帰り旅関西版と言う雑誌に紹介されていたので、訪問。元々米問屋だった建物を 活用して飲食店に。奥には蔵を活用したバーも夜は開店するとの話しでした。茶がゆを頂きました。1500円で数十円お釣り来ましたが、話のタネで次はリピート無いですね。特に旨いと言う訳でも無く、高いですね。

  • Hashimotoya
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    4.5
    5 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    Nara Pref. Udashi Murou 800
    This is an old restaurant ryokan built in 1871 in Muro, Uda City. Located in front of Muro-ji Temple, famous as a “Nyonin Koya” meaning Koya for women (original Koya is only for men), Hashimotoya offers sansai ryori (wild vegetable cuisine) with special grated yamato-imo potato, known as a favorite of photographer Ken Domon. As well as courses and a la carte options, they also offer a Women's Special Sansai Lunch limited to 20 per day where one can try lots of little dishes.

    室王寺の門前に構えられている老舗旅館で、室王寺とは室王川を挟んでいます。写真家の土門拳が定宿にして室王寺を撮影の時には愛用していた部屋もありました。その部屋からは室王寺を一望できます。管内のいたるところに土門拳の作品が飾られていて、彼の作品のすばらしさを改めて感じられました。食事がまた室王寺の門前を感じさせる地元の山野菜を使った山菜料理です。食事処としても宿泊していない一般客も使えます。一日2組ま...

  • Mendoya
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    Nara Pref. Takaichigunasukamura Oka 40
    This local restaurant is located in Oka, Asuka Village. The restaurant serves local cuisines from Asuka Village or Nara area, made with organically grown vegetables and good-quality well water, free of any chemical flavoring. The Gourd Bento, a lunch filled with local ingredients, and the Asuka Pot, made with free-range local chicken, stewed in milk soup, are very popular, and the pot course also includes kakinoha-sushi and warabi-mochi (bracken-starch dumpling). Homemade sesame tofu and warabi-mochi can also be purchased as souvenirs.
  • Kasuga Ninai Jaya
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    4.0
    66 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    Nara Pref. Narashi Kasuganochou 160
    This is a teahouse on the grounds of Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Kasugano Town, Nara City. Ninai Jaya, which serves tea to shrine visitors, has a long history and is referred to in Edo period texts. Their famous Manyogayu rice porridge is made with light brown miso, and there are a great number of regular customers who enjoy tasting the new ingredients as they are changed every month.

    It is a cafe in Kasuga Taisha. You can enjoy traditional Japanese sweets and tea. In winter, you can quietly enjoy dessert and tea.

  • Yanagija-ya
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    4.0
    11 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    Nara Pref. Narashi Noboriojichou 4-48
    This is a tea house located next to the Kofuku-ji Honbo Temple in Noborioji Town, Nara City. The tea house offers Japanese style course menus and Shokado Bento boxes based on the traditional Nara chameshi cooking, which is the type of food that the monks of the Todai-ji Temple and Kofukuji Temple used to eat. The tea house also serves homemade bracken starch dumplings and matcha-green tea sets.

    わらび餅を食べたくて、調べて行きました。猿池そばに一軒ありますが、コロナで平日はお休み。姉妹店がすぐそばにあり、営業していました。和の素敵なお部屋。感染対策しっかりしていました。抹茶とセットで800円はやや割高。わらび餅はほんのり温かくてプルプル。上に乗った白砂糖は砂糖は余計でした。

  • Yoshino-Honkudzu Kurokawa-Honke The University of Tokyo Tera-mae
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    4.0
    38 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    Nara Nara-shi Kasuganocho 16

    Menu limited, udon and tempura lunch set around 1900 yen, but one comes with rice bowl and the other without (both at similar prices - so it just depends on how much food you want). We’re no tempura...

  • WAYU
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    4.0
    1 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    Tange Building 1F, 2-2-20, Nishimami, Kashiba-shi, Nara, 639-0222

    以前、タベログで見つけたお店です。昼食が特に安く、人気でしたが、消費税が8%になった時に、便乗値上げと思われるような値上げがあり、それ以降、訪問しておりませんでした。先日、ふとHPを見ると、限定10名の、春彩膳コース(税込3000円)と言う、実質値下げのコースがあり、食べてきました。結果は、本当に、目からうろこというか、主人の料理の腕がいかんなく発揮された料理でした。ありきたりの会席料理ではなく...

  • RIKOU
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    4.5
    5 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    100-1, Nishikitsujicho, Nara-shi, Nara, 630-8325

    夫婦で、夕食に伺いました。5000円コースをオーダー、約2時間かかりました。 時間がゆっくり過ぎていく、落ち着いたテーブル席でした。 料理の内容は、オーソドックスな和食会席で、順番に、料理が出てくるのですが、 それなりにおいしいのですが、コース全体に華が無い、じみな懐石でした。 八寸にもう一工夫されるか、もっと手の込んだ料理が一品あれば、満足感が違ったと思いました。 大将や娘さんの接客は、素晴らし...

  • MORIMOTO
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    4.5
    2 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    1-4-8, Yagicho, Kashihara-shi, Nara, 634-0078

    路地にある一軒家レストランです。 丁寧に取られたお出汁がベースなので薄めの味付けですが美味しいです。 ランチになどか伺っていますがどれも丁寧に作られリーズナブルで本当に美味しいです。季節ごとに通いたいお店です。

  • GOKAN UOGIN
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    1F, 6-4-13, Omiyacho, Nara-shi, Nara, 630-8115
  • Wa Asuka
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    4.0
    7 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    4-3-15-2, Tomiomotomachi, Nara-shi, Nara, 631-0078

    知人に勧められて利用いたしました。カウンター席の個室となっており、調理しているところも見ながら食事を楽しむ事ができました。お食事ももちろんですが、器などもすてきな物が多く、とてもおいりく頂けました。次回も伺いたいと思えるお店です。

  • Yamato Tokujuan
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    3.0
    1 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    Daiwa Kaihatsu Building B1, 661, Kumecho, Kashihara-shi, Nara, 634-0063

    I was here with about 20 to 30 people for a sukiyaki dinner and other delicacies. This is the typical place with large benches and tables where everybody sits near, eat, drink and have fun. They...

  • Kagonoya Narakashiharaten
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    3.5
    3 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    204-1, Shingacho, Kashihara-shi, Nara, 634-0006

    駐車場完備です。周辺道路は渋滞します。かごの屋なので安定のチェーン店です。ランチ利用でしたがそこそこリーズナブルです。

  • Kagonoya Narashinohmiyaten
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    6-3-6, Omiyacho, Nara-shi, Nara, 630-8115
  • Kagonoya Gakuemmaeten
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    4.0
    9 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    2-235-1, Gakuendaiwacho, Nara-shi, Nara, 631-0041

    和食メニュー中心、食べ放題だけでなく定食、うどん類などもあります。広い席でゆったり食事できたので満足でした。

  • Kagonoya Naraojiten
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    4.0
    4 Reviews
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    2-10-12, Oji, Oji-cho, Kitakatsuragi-gun, Nara, 636-0002

    平日のランチによく行きます。 日替わりランチが800円すこしであり 美味しいです。 遅い時間行くと日替わりランチが品切れしているので別のものにします。 席もゆったりしていて長くいられるので気にいっています。

  • NIHONRYOURIHITOSHIZUKU
    Gourmet / Alcohol
    KOTOMATI building 1F, 1098-1, Takabatakecho, Nara-shi, Nara, 630-8301

Nara Areas

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With a reputation almost as stellar as that of Kyoto, Nara is a must-visit for those searching for the remains of "traditional Japan." The largely green Nara city holds the majority of the prefecture’s treasures, such as the iconic Todai-ji Temple, in which a 15-meter tall Great Buddha sits, and Nara Park, where deer flock to befriend passersby. While mountains are by no means hard to come by in this area, for hiking with a reward, head to the Kii Mountains’ Yoshino district in spring, when the hillsides put on an impressive display of white and pink cherry blossoms.

Nara Photo Album

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