The 10 Best Places to Eat in Aomori, Japan

The Aomori prefecture is the northernmost prefecture on Japan’s main island. The prefecture has many places where you can taste a different experience from the one in Tokyo. It is a 3 and a half-hour-ride on a train from the Tokyo station. It is an area full of nature, such as Mt. Osorezan, Mt. Hakkoda and the lake Towada. I’m introducing the 10 carefully selected gourmets to people who are planning to visit the Aomori prefecture on holiday! Every one of them is such a delicious delicacy, so please try and enjoy them.

1. The local ramen in Aomori! You will get addictive to the niboshi (small dried sardines) taste. [Tsugaru Ramen]

A local ramen exists everywhere all over Japan. Aomori is not an exception. It has its local ramen and [Tsugaru Ramen] is the special one. Niboshi (small dried sardines) soup is the characteristic of the Tsugaru Ramen and the thin wrinkled noodles are used.

If you want to sample such a Tsugaru Ramen, [Takahashi Chinese Noodle Restaurant] is the one I’d like you to go to. It is located at the place which is a 3-minute-walk from the Naijoshi station and it is a famous Niboshi Ramen restaurant in Aomori. The rich soup with the characteristic niboshi taste is very popular. It is really worth trying!

2. The local dish with plenty of the root vegetables in Aomori [Ke-no-shiru]

The [Ke-no-shiru] is the famous local gourmet from the Tsugaru area in Aomori throughout the neighbouring prefecture, Akita. The [Ke-no-shiru] is a local dish which contains the root vegetables, such as a white radish, a carrot and a burdock. The recommended gourmet restaurant where you can have Ke-no-shiru is [Oshokujidokoro Osanai]

At this restaurant which is located in a short walking distance from the Aomori station, you can enjoy the superb Ke-no-shiru. Also, [Ke-no-shiru-ramen] which is the mixture of Ke-no-shiru and ramen is exquisite. When you visit Aomori, please don’t miss the Ke-no-shiru with lots of vegetables at this restaurant!/p>

3. Sweet and Spicy fried dish! Aomori gourmet which goes very well with rice [Grilled-rib]

The [grilled-rib] is a cooking in which the onions and the rib are mixed with the sweet and spicy sauce and then they are fried on the iron-pan until all the water gets vaporized completely. The beef-rib is mainly used, but sometimes, they use pork-rib, horse or lamb-ribs. If you would like to try this grilled-rib, please visit [Aka-noren].

The Aka-noren is the original restaurant for the grilled-rib, so you can enjoy the originator’s grilled-rib. When the piping hot grilled-rib is carried to your table, you will feel your stomach gets hungry, even at one glance of it. It goes really well with the white rice. It could be good with beer as well! Please try one!

4. It’s an unexpected matching! The Aomori local ramen [Miso-curry-milk ramen]

The unique local ramen in Aomori is [Miso-curry-milk ramen]. As the name shows, it is the miso-ramen, with added curry and little milk. The richness of the miso, the mildness of milk and the spice of the curry create an exquisite harmony.

If you want to sample this ramen, the [Aji-no-Sapporo Onishi] is recommended! Even locally, the ramen from this restaurant which is a 10-minute-walk from the Aomori station has a good reputation.
When you go to Aomori on holiday, please try this unique ramen!

5. The Aomori gourmet, Yakisoba (fried noodles) on which the soup is poured! [Tsuyu-yakisobe]

This is also a unique gourmet. The [Tsuyu-yakisoba] was born from the Aomori local gourmet, the [Kuroishi-yakisoba] and the Japanese-styled soup is poured onto the fried noodles.

You can taste this interesting gourmet, [Tsuyu-yakisoba] at the [Oshokujidokoro Myoko]. It is located at the place which is a 10-minute-walk from the Sakaimatsu station. It was established in the 43rd year of Showa (1968) and it has been loved by the locals. The characteristic of this Tsuyu-yakisoba is its soup in which the flavour is soy-sauce. You can’t taste this local gourmet in any another place.

6. The Aomori local dish using the high quality ingredients from the sea [Ichigo-ni]

The [Ichigo-ni] is a soup, consisting of the products from the sea such as a sea-urchin and an abalone. In the past, it used to be treated as a high-class dish. Hearing of [Ichigo-ni], many people might image a strawberry, but this has been named, because a reddish sea urchin looks like a strawberry.

The [Ebisuya] which is 3-minute-walk from the Hachinohe station is recommended for tasting Ichigo-ni. You can also enjoy the local foods as well as sake in Aomori at this restaurant. Ichigo-ni is ￥1200.
Please try one.

7. This is the gourmet which you can only taste in Aomori! The [Kaiyaki-miso] on the large scallop shell

こThis is the Aomori local dish which is cooked on the scallop shell instead of the grilling net. The ingredients are generally a leak and a dried bonito. The flavour is a miso taste. I recommend [Tsugaru Joppari Isariya Sakaba Aomori-honcho ten. The restaurant is an 18-minute-walk from the Aomori station which is a little far, but it is very popular for various Aomori local foods, including the [Kaiyaki-miso]. So, of course, the recommendation is the [Original Kaiyaki-miso]. Please enjoy superb Aomori gourmet at this charming restaurant on your trip to Aomori.

8. The famous dish in Aomori! The fresh flatfish marinated in the sweet sauce [Marinated flatfish bowl]

Ajigasawa is in the western part of the Aomori prefecture. The flatfish is a famous product in the area and you can eat various flatfish dishes. Especially, the [Marinated flatfish bowl] is highly recommended. Plenty of flavoured sliced flatfish marinated in the sauce is placed on the rice in a bowl.

The [Takiwa] is the recommended restaurant for the flatfish dishes. It is only a 3-minute-walk from the Ajigasawa station. It is very popular because of the fresh [Marinated flatfish bowl]. It has a limited number of dishes to offer. The sauce to marinate flatfish is relatively sweet and it goes very well with rice.

9. The traditional flavour in the Aomori prefecture since the Showa-era [Aomori Ginger-miso Oden]

The [Aomori Ginger-miso Oden] is a local dish which you can only taste in the chilly area, Aomori.
It is said that the ground ginger was added to the miso sauce for oden in order to warm up the body in the Showa-era is the origin. Nowadays, when people say, [oden], it points to the Ginger-miso Oden.

You can have the Ginger-miso Oden at the [Tavern Toku]. This tavern is the first one among many taverns in Aomori which started offering this oden, so there is no doubt that you can have the delicious Ginger-miso Oden. You will be warmed up from deep inside your body.

10. The home-cooking in Aomori The comfort food [Jappa-shiru]

The [Jappa] is an Aomori dialect, meaning [Zappa] (the parts of fish which are not used for general cooking such as bones or offal). The [Jappa-shiru] is a soup in which the boiled vegetables are mixed with Jappa. It is typical local home cooking and depending on which home, the ingredients differ.

The recommended restaurant to taste Jappa-shiru is the [Michinoku Cooking Nishimura]. It is located at the place which is an 8-minute-walk from the Aomori station. Its establishment was in the 56th year of Showa (1981). Since its opening, the same flavour of the Aomori local cooking has been continued. Please drop in at this restaurant.

Let’s eat the delicious gourmet in Aomori!

The Aomori prefecture which is at the Northernmost part of the Tohoku region has a lot of delicious foods, such as the fresh products of the sea and the vegetables from the vast nature. I’ve introduced 10 Aomori local gourmets which I would like you to taste when you go to Aomori on holiday. Have you found your favourite one? Every one of them is a tasty cuisine which only Aomori can offer. So, please don’t miss them!