Food & Drink

JAPAN · REGIONAL FOOD & EVERYDAY FINDS

Start with a meal you are curious about. Explore Sendai gyutan, Utsunomiya gyoza, supermarket discoveries, and the food that makes a Japanese stay worth lingering over.

Grilled gyutan with rice, soup and side dishes in Sendai
Gyutan and side dishes in Sendai.

Sendai gyutan · Utsunomiya gyoza · Everyday discoveries · Meals with your stay

NEW TO SENDAI’S SIGNATURE MEAL?

What is gyutan?

Gyutan is grilled beef tongue. Our introduction explains its flavours, the set meal, and what to expect when ordering for the first time.

Eat gyutan in Sendai

Choose between a practical restaurant shortlist and a closer comparison of two places we visited.

Sendai gyutan set meal with grilled beef tongue, barley rice, and tail soup

Where to eat gyutan

Compare restaurant options, ordering advice, and queue considerations. The shortlist clearly separates firsthand visits from researched restaurants.

Thick-cut gyutan at Zenjiro in Sendai

Zenjiro or Kisuke?

Read our comparison of the two restaurants we actually tried, including why Zenjiro’s thick cut gyutan stood out.

Explore Utsunomiya gyoza

Gyoza are Japanese dumplings, and this guide makes them the focus of an Utsunomiya visit.

Three plates of Utsunomiya gyoza, including green dumplings, on a table at Kirasse

A guide to Utsunomiya’s gyoza

Compare well-known shops and the Kirasse gyoza hall, then use the article’s simple day suggestion to fit the food stops into your visit.

Enjoy everyday food discoveries

Some memorable food discoveries happen at an everyday breakfast or during an evening supermarket visit.

Tray of sliced silver skinned fish sashimi with lemon, shiso leaves and shredded radish

Supermarket sashimi discounts

Learn how the article’s supermarket visits led to a closer look at evening markdowns, discount stickers, and what to check on the packs.

Opened pack of natto next to its sauce and mustard packets, with a spoon and chopsticks

What is natto?

Curious about the sticky soybeans at breakfast? Learn what natto tastes like, how to prepare a pack, and how to try it with rice at a hotel, ryokan, or on the go.

Straw-wrapped wara natto from Fukufuku in Nasu, shown in its package and opened to reveal the fermented soybeans inside

Try straw-wrapped natto in Nasu

Already curious about natto? Read about our visit to Fukufuku in Nasu, how its traditional straw-wrapped natto tasted, and the practical details of buying and eating it while travelling.

Make food part of your stay

A hotel or ryokan meal can be one of the reasons to choose a property.

Multi-course kaiseki dinner spread at a Japanese ryokan.

What is kaiseki dinner?

Understand the seasonal courses, presentation, and pacing of a ryokan dinner before choosing a meal plan.

Kaiseki dinner served at a Japanese onsen hotel

Kaiseki or buffet?

Compare the experience of a course meal with the variety of a hotel buffet, and see which style fits your preferences.

Still deciding what to book? Read whether dinner and breakfast are worth including.

Choose the next part of your trip

Browse Where to Stay for rooms, baths, and meal plans, or Destinations to connect your food choices with places to explore.