The 10 Best Places to Eat in Kagoshima, Japan

Located in southern KYUSHU, Kagoshima prefecture has a lot of delicious local gourmet dishes, including special black pork and fresh seafood like bonito. So, this time we will introduce 10 tasty local gourmet dishes which you will surely want to eat in Kagoshima! Please defiantly visit when you go to Kagoshima by all means!

1. Tenmonkan WAKANA

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First, we will recommend a famous restaurant “WAKANA” where you can have “Shabu Shabu” Kagoshima’s finest superb special black pig. This popular restaurant founded in 1951 which many celebrities often visit!

They serve not only the classic “Shabu Shabu” but also you can have roasted chicken, and fresh horse mackerel, so you can try Kagoshima’s real local cuisine.

You can also enjoy “Wakana” ‘s special “Miso Oden(=Japanese hodgepodge)” which has more than 20 kinds of Kagoshima’s unique ingredients, “Kuroge Wagyu” tendon, black pork etc. If you want to enjoy authentic Kagoshima gourmet, please visit here!

2. Tenmonkan MUJAKI

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Kagoshima’s representative shaved ice sweets? It is “Shiro-Kuma(=white bear)” which use homemade milk and fruits.

This “Tenmonkan MUJAKI” store created the origin of the classic sweets of Kagoshima, and you can also try here a rich variety such as “Chocolate Shiro-Kuma” and “Pudding Shiro-Kuma ” etc. All of them look very tasty, so it’s hard to choose.

In addition, this store has 4 floors on B1 is a “Teppanyaki” restaurant, 1F: a cafe, 2F: a western restaurant and 3F: a “Izakaya”, and you can order the popular shaved ice “Shio-Kuma” at any of these restaurants! If you visit Kagoshima, you should not go home without eating “Shiro-Kuma” here!

3. View Restaurant, BUEN

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A city of fisheries Makurazaki city in Kagoshima is a big production area of dried bonito in the fishery processing industry. The “view restaurant, BUEN” is a relaxing restaurant facing the ocean, you can have lightly roasted bonito, “Kaisen-don(=rice bowl topped with seafood)” and so on.

The most popular item is named “Makurazaki Katsuo(=bonito) Funado-Meshi”. It is an excellent dish and won a brilliant victory at the Kagoshima regional gourmet festival “Kagoshima S – 1 Grand Prix”.

In addition, you can experience how to make seared bonito in this store too. Why not try having excellent fresh seafood dishes caught in Kagoshima?

4. Unagi no MATSUJYU

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Kagoshima is the largest eel farming area in Japan due to high quality water and a temperate climate. It is famous for the eel restaurant “MATSUJYU” founded in 1946.

Grilled eel with their original sauce is unrivaled, and they also have unique dishes “Tsukimi Una-don” on which soft boiled eggs are placed, and “Cheese Una-don” with melted cheese is outstanding. If you travel to Kagoshima, don’t miss “MATSUJYU”’s eel!

5. TAKETORA

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In fact, Kagoshima is also very famous for “Ramen”. The menu of “TAKETORA” named “KAIMONDAKE” which won the title of ” Ramen King in the Kagoshima competition” which decides the local number 1 noodle by a Kagoshima prefectural vote.

“KAIMONDAKE” is a “Ramen” abundantly topped with a lot of local famous dried bonito, it uses creamy soup from mixed pork bones and chicken white broth stock, and the soup with the taste of miso black pork mince is excellent.

After eating the original “Ramen”, you can put a hot spring egg, and add more special oil, so you can enjoy 3 tastes! For those who like “Ramen”, we definitely would like you to try it.

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6. KUROKATSU-TEI

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“Black pork” is famous as a special product in Kagoshima. At “KUROKATSU-TEI”, you can have excellent fried black pork “Tonkatsu” using carefully selected “Satsuma black pork” cutlets. The black pork is aged slowly to bring out its sweetness, and fried with chosen bread crumbs is delicious.

There are also menus such as “Momo katsu set” which is fried with many slices of thin meat, a standard “Pork loin cutlet set” and others. And these dishes use exquisite black pork. If you want to taste the special Satsuma black pork of Kagoshima, please come here! It’s wonderful!

7. TSUKIAGE-AN

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Speaking one of Kagoshima’s specialties, it is “Satsuma-age”(fried fishcake) and the name “Satsuma” means old Kagoshima. There are a lot of shops selling “Satsuma-age” and “TSUKIAGE-AN” is very popular among them.

Their “Satsuma-age” uses local “sake” and black sugar etc. and fried with vegetable rapeseed oil. It has an excellent flavor and makes a great souvenir too. It is perfect match with alcohol. There are many kinds of “Satsuma-age” with a seasonal taste and others having a cheese taste is good too.

They also conduct demonstration sales in the shop, so we can have freshly fried “Satsuma-age”. Please try to have special taste of Kagoshima!

8. Yakiniku TAKAKURA

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Why not have delicious meat at “Yakiniku TAKAKURA” where you can try the pure meat of Kagoshima? In this “Yakiniku TAKAKURA”, not only the best Kuroge Wagyu beef, and black pork from Kagoshima are used, but also locally grown rice and fresh vegetables.

Their concept is “Local production for local consumption”. It is the perfect place to have the finest meat in Kagoshima!

9. Jidori no TORI-ZEN

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“TORI-ZEN” is a specialty restaurant serving “Black Satsuma Chicken” which attracts attention alongside “Kuroge Wagyu beef” and “Black pork” in Kagoshima. It is a popular restaurant because you can enjoy rare chicken dishes like “Sashimi”, “Sushi” and charcoal grilled of “Black Satsuma Chicken”.

You can also order a dish named “Keihan” which is one of Kagoshima ‘s local dish. With a base of rice, it is topped with steamed chicken, boiled “shiitake mushrooms”, crushed eggs and finally chicken soup is poured over the dish. It is perfect dish to finish your meal with!

Let’s eat local gourmet like this in Kagoshima!

10. AKASHIYA

“Karukan” is popular as a souvenir in Kagoshima. It is a Japanese sweet that uses plenty of “Jinenjo”(=Japanese yam). A long-established shop “AKASHIYA” is the birthplace of “Karukan” and it was famous for being Kagoshima’s lord SHIMAZU’s favorite confectionery shop.

“Karukan” is most popular product in the historical “AKASHIYA” characterized by a flavorful aroma of yam and a fluffy texture.

There is also “Karukan Manju” with red “azuki” bean paste, which looks and tastes delicious. Please try eating traditional Japanese sweets that have been loved for a long time in Kagoshima!

Let’s eat special local gourmet dishes in Kagoshima!

The classic cuisines representative of Kagoshima, “Satsuma-age”, Japanese sweets “Karukan” and the 3 special black types of beef, pork, chicken! There are other gourmet meals loved locally such as fisherman’s meal using bonito and Kagoshima’s No.1 popular “Ramen” etc. When you go to Kagoshima, please try the places we’ve recommended.
They are all great!