Japanese Food Spots in Nara City Area

Area

Nara
- Japan
- Hokkaido / Tohoku
  
  Hokkaido
  
  Aomori
  
  Iwate
  
  Miyagi
  
  Akita
  
  Yamagata
  
  Fukushima
- Kanto
  
  Ibaraki
  
  Tochigi
  
  Gunma
  
  Saitama
  
  Chiba
  
  Tokyo
  
  Kanagawa
- Koshinetsu / Hokuriku
  
  Niigata
  
  Toyama
  
  Ishikawa
  
  Fukui
  
  Yamanashi
  
  Nagano
- Tokai
  
  Gifu
  
  Shizuoka
  
  Aichi
  
  Mie
- Kinki
  
  Shiga
  
  Kyoto
  
  Osaka
  
  Hyogo
  
  Nara
  
  Wakayama
- Chugoku
  
  Tottori
  
  Shimane
  
  Okayama
  
  Hiroshima
  
  Yamaguchi
- Shikoku
  
  Tokushima
  
  Kagawa
  
  Ehime
  
  Kochi
- Kyushu / Okinawa
  
  Fukuoka
  
  Saga
  
  Nagasaki
  
  Kumamoto
  
  Oita
  
  Miyazaki
  
  Kagoshima
  
  Okinawa

Nara City

Category

Gourmet / Alcohol

Japanese Food

Shizuka (Koen Branch)

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Pref. Narashi Noboriojichou 59-11

A kama-meshi (rice, meat and vegetable dish served in a small pot) specialty restaurant located near Nara Park and the Nara National Museum in Noborioji Town, Nara City, Nara Prefecture know for the constant line outside its door. Each serving of kama-meshi is cooked to order over an open fire. The harmony between the hearty portion of toppings, dashi-steeped rice, and toasty okoge is exquisite. The most popular item on the menu is the Nara seven variety kama-meshi, which has seven toppings, including shrimp, crab, and conger eel. The inside of the restaurant is quiet and spacious; come here to enjoy a meal in between sightseeing.
Kaki No Ha Sushi Hompo Tanaka (Nara Main Store)

4.0

55 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Pref. Narashi Higashimukinakamachi 5-2

This is a Kakinoha-zushii specialty shop near the entrance of Higashimuki shopping district close to Kintetsu Nara Station. They serve many famous Nara specialties starting with Kaki no Ha Sushi, original sushi, and local sake. In the adjoining tearoom they offer Kakinoha-zushi set “Sushi A La Carte” and Jukushi (ripe persimmon) with a thick taste.

The sushi was decent for the price. My friend and I both ordered the bento set which had a good amount of variety. It tasted a bit sweeter than most other sushi.
Nara Nagomikan Restaurant & Cafe Awogaki

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Pref. Narashi Takabatakechou 1071

Awogaki is a restaurant within the Nara Nagomikan souvenir shop on National Route 169 in Takabatake Town, Nara City. The restaurant serves a range of dishes including seasonal Japanese set meals, Yamato beef steak, and Yamato chagayu (a kind of rice porridge) made with specialty products such as Yamato beef, Yamato pork, and an old variety of rice known as Yamato rice. There is also a cafe which serves desserts such as deer parfait and pancakes.
Hiraso

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

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。
Shunsai HIYORI

4.0

38 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Pref. Narashi Nakanoshinyachou 26 Yuya Club 1F

This is a vegetable cuisine restaurant offering mainly Yamato vegetables, located in Nakanoshinya Town, Nara City. For lunch they offer Yasai Biyori, a set of vegetable cuisine using Yamato vegetables from a contract garden and kodaimai (wild rice), the Hidamari which comes with Yamato beef, and Hinata that comes with either char or prawn. They also offer a popular Yasai Kaiseki (vegetable course) full of vegetables from start to finish (reservations needed by the previous day). This can also be made into a set with Yamato beef, char, Yamato pork or Yamato chicken.

simple, nourishing, clean food, in WINTER, a must- take the daily carte, miss the traditional simple pleasures of vegetables , especially root vegetables and their local meats
Izasa Yumekaze Square Store

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Pref. Narashi Kasuganochou 16

This specialty Kakinoha-zushi store is located in the Yumekaze Square, across from The Nara National Museum’s East Wing, in Kasugano Town, Nara City. The sales corner on the first floor has Kakinoha-sushi, Oshi-zushi, and Izasa-sushi (salmon and sushi rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) for sale. The restaurant on the second floor sells creative steamed sushi and Gozen course meals.
Kasuga Ninai Jaya

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.
Tou No Cha-ya

4.0

23 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Pref. Narashi Minamijoudochou 18

This is a chagayu (tea-flavored rice porridge) specialty shop in Minami Jodo Town, Nara City. They serve cha-gayu cuisine including their cha-gayu kaiseki monthly special course that can be enjoyed with the changing seasons, and chagayu bento lunchbox. They also sell green tea, roasted green tea and teabags in the famous cha-gayu recipe set souvenir, to enjoy Nara cha-gayu even at home.

奈良公園から少し離れ不便なところにあるが、茶がゆは奈良の名物で、昔懐かしい。以前はこの店は奈良公園の中にあり、雰囲気のある店(デートに適した）だったが、今の店内は昔の雰囲気はなく、田舎の食堂という感じだった。料理は味がさっぱりして、おかずもそれなりにあり、奈良に行けば一度は味わいたい料理だ。
Nihonryouri Kawanami

4.5

2 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Pref. Narashi Shibatsujichou 4-6-14 Sawai Building 1F

This Japanese restaurant is located approximately three minutes on foot from Shin-Omiya Station, in Shibatsuji-cho, Nara City. The menu is rotated daily, according to the vegetables harvested first thing in the morning at their own farm of three acres in Takayama Town. The Japanese cuisine served here is made from homemade ingredients, such as miso, and fresh fish from the nearby sea. The plates and dishes are also handmade.

予約なしで訪問しました。コースになりますが、とのことでした。話しやすい対応で、帰り際にはご夫婦で外まで見送っていただきました。「土の料理人」とのことで、自身が無農薬、有機栽培で育てた野菜を提供しており、父親が作った器で料理を提供しているとのことでした。特に野菜の美味しさがとびぬけています。シンプルな生野菜なのに、とても美味しくて体に良さそう感がたっぷり。〆に釜めし。コスパ高いです。
Izasa Sanjo Branch

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Pref. Narashi Hayashikoujichou 17-1

This specialty Kakinoha-sushi store is located on the intersection of Sanjo-dori and Yasuragi no michi, approximately four minutes on foot from the Kintetsu Nara Station. It sells Kakinoha-sushi, konbu-saba sushi, and sakura-zushi, bara-zushi, and maki-zushi, as well as other kinds of sushi, including steamed sushi. Its most popular product is its original Izasa-sushi, which is sushi wrapped in bamboo leaves into a triangular shape.
Ashibi-no-Sato

4.5

16 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Pref. Narashi Wakidochou 29

This is a wedding hall located in Wakido Town, Nara City. With its spacious open plan design, the hall is available for full-day private wedding ceremonies, and wedding receptions as well as after parties. The facility is run by Ashibiya Honpo, a long-established store selling Nara pickles and visitors can also taste pickles and purchase them on site. Visitors can enjoy lunch, a cafe, traditional Japanese cuisine (reservations required), concerts and other events.

This is a delightful restaurant with outdoor seating hidden down a green tunnel in the Naramachi area. Lunch options were limited to one of two sets that included fish, pickles, rice, tempura and a...
Kiyosumi no Sato AWA

4.5

3 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Pref. Narashi Takahichou 861

This is a restaurant that specializes in Yamato vegetable cuisine in Takahi Town, Nara City. The restaurant offers course menus that mainly use seasonal vegetables from the village of Kiyosumi no Sato. The Awa Yamato Vegetable full course menu comes with a Japanese confectionary called Awanari, using the highest quality millet. The restaurant is reservations only, however, only if there are seats available or after 14:30, the restaurant may be open.

少し高台にあるので、一面のガラス戸から里山風景が一望できます。広々とした空間にはその日の食材の野菜達がディスプレイされていて、野菜の美しさに気付かされます。50品程の野菜を使った料理はどれも優しい味付けで野菜の味がよくわかり、お肉は少しですが充分満足できました。四季折々に訪れてみたいお店です。
Yanagija-ya

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。
Jubei Shokudo

3.5

3 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Pref. Narashi Yagyuchou 83-3

Some of the offerings of this tea house-style eatery adorned with a tasteful sign made from a single piece of wood include udon noodles, set meals, and donburi rice bowls. Their most popular item, however, is their Jubei soba / udon noodles, which are garnished with two shiitake mushrooms, an homage to the family crest of the Yagyu family. Their umeboshi (dried plum), skipjack tuna, and konbu (kelp) rice ball bento boxes are available for takeout.

柳生上バス停の目の前が十兵衛食堂です。他に客はいないのに、注文してから結構待たされました。客が押し寄せるとかではないので、のんびりしているのでしょう。十兵衛うどんを注文しました。とろろは濃厚な舌触りでした。とろろに柳生家の家紋二階笠を表す、２枚の煮シイタケ、山菜が添えられています。コスパはあまりよくないと思います。
Yoshino-Honkudzu Kurokawa-Honke The University of Tokyo Tera-mae

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...
Harishin

4.5

11 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Nara-shi Nakanoshinyacho 15

"This restaurant is located in Nakanoshinya-cho, Nara City. The restaurant operates out of a 250-year-old former money-exchange business located in an area known as ""Naramachi"" centering on what were once the grounds of the Gango-ji Temple. For lunch, the restaurant serves a tempura meal and bento box meal stuffed with dishes created using seasonal Nara ingredients, while for dinner the establishment offers traditional kaiseki course cuisine (advance reservation required). You can also order the bento box meal as a set with Asuka nabe hotpot or chawanmushi savory egg custard (advance reservation required)."

Unexpected find down a modest side street in Nara. They took us without a reservation although nearly every other place we tried in Nara was reservation-only. Food was excellent, including some So...
Kasuga Hotel Japanese Restaurant Kasuga

4.5

14 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Nara-shi Noboriojicho 40 Kasuga Hotel 1F

This restaurant is located in the Kasuga Hotel situated on Prefectural Route 754 in Noborioji-cho, Nara City. The restaurant serves local and traditional kaiseki course cuisine using fresh, seasonal Nara ingredients. Particularly popular selections include the Man'yo Bento, a bento box meal which is made with Yamato tea and other local specialty products; and the lunchtime-only Natsukashi meal, which comes with your choice of either tempura or a single serving nabe hotpot. The restaurant is also replete with private dining and banquet spaces.

Fantastic tempura set with a variety of side dishes. All very fresh and tasty. Calming environment away from the bustle. Great service with English spoken.
SUSHIRO Nara Sanjooji

4.5

4 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Nara Sanjooji 4Chome6Ban1

行く度に進化してるような気がします… 2021年1月3日(日)午後3時頃正月休み三日目のこの日、ゆっくりした昼ご飯を食べに外に出かけます。先にホームセンターで買い物を済ましてから、どこで食べるかを思案しました。ラーメン、中華、お好み焼き、カレー、焼肉、洋食… 一通り思い浮かべた挙句、落ち着いたお店が「スシロー奈良三条大路店」さんでした。午後3時丁度に訪問しました...
Muten Kura Sushi Nara Omiya

3.0

8 Reviews

Gourmet / Alcohol

Nara Nara-shi Nijoojiminami 2-1-7

日曜のお昼時、カウンターはすぐに入れました。メニューが豊富なので、様々なお寿司が食べられます。日本って物価やすいなぁと思えます。

Nara Nara City

Nara Park Naramachi / Takabatake Around JR and Kintetsu Nara Station Heijo Palace Remains / Nishinokyo

Gourmet / Alcohol Japanese Food

Sushi / Conveyor Belt Sushi Kaiseki/Kappo Traditional Japanese Cuisine Eel Yakitori Grilled Chicken / Chicken Dishes Charcoal/Fireside/Teppan Grilling Okonomiyaki / Monjayaki / Takoyaki Tonkatsu Pork Cutlets Tempura Kushiage/Kushikatsu Fried Skewer Cuisine Crab / Blowfish / Seafood Sukiyaki / Shabu-shabu Hot Pot Cuisine / Oden Hot Pot Creative Cuisine Local Cuisine Kyoto Cuisine Okinawan Cuisine Gyutan Beef Tongue Other Japanese Food

Nara Areas

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.