The 10 Best Places to Eat in Sendai, Japan

Sendai in the Miyagi prefecture is a 3-hour-ride on a train from the Tokyo station. In this town, there are various popular sightseeing spots, starting with the Akiu hot-spring. It has the abundant nature, one highlight being the Akiu Otaki (water-fall). I’m introducing the ratings of top 10 local gourmets. Every one of them has delicious food, so please try them just once!

1. The traditional taste in Sendai! [Zunda-mochi]

When it comes to the special gourmet in Sendai, it is the [Zunda-mochi]. It is the traditional gourmet which has been enjoyed since a long time ago in the Sendai area. The ground soy-beans are twined around the rice-cake. The [Zunda Chaya] is recommendd for tasting the [Zunda-mochi]. A few [Zunda-mochi] shops are in Miyazaki and there is one in the Sendai station building. So, you can drop in at the shop on the way of your trip.

You can also taste the Zunda-shake, the Zunda-roll-cake, the Zunda-dumpling. Please try the Zunda which is the local gourmet in the Sendai-city in the Miyagi prefecture.

2. Speaking of the famous food in Sendai, this is it. The [Beef tongue] which is soft enough to remove with one bite.

Most people may think of [Beef tongue], when they hear of the gourmet in Sendai. The famous food in Sendai is the beef tongue. In the Sendai-city, varuous beef tongue shops are close to each other. If you want to sample the delicious beef tongue, I’d like you to go to the [Tanya Zenjirou Sendai-ekimae Honten].

The shop-restaurant is a 2-minute-walk from the Sendai station and it is very popular locally. The recommended menu at this shop-restaurant is the [Beef tongue set]. It is the unshakable popular menu of the restaurant. When you go to Sendai, please taste the superb beef tongue.

3. The gourmet using plenty of ingredients from local Sendai [Sendai Aoba Gyoza]

The [Sendai Aoba Gyoza] was newly born so as to revitalize the area. The famous product of Sendai,
the [Yukina] is used in sheet as well as the filling, so that it has a bright green colour. As plenty of local vegetables are also used in, it is very healthy.

Please go to the [Sendai Gyoza Sakaba] which is a 3-minute-walk from the Nakanosakae station, if you would like to taste one. Apart from Gyoza, they are offering famous fried chickens. I’m sure you can enjoy them very much.

4. The new well-known gourmet in Sendai born from the board! [Sendai Mabo-yakisoba]

The [Sendai Mabo-yakisoba] is, as its name shows, the gourmet of yakisoba on which the representative Chinese cuisine Mabo-tofu (tofu with a spicy sauce) is topped. Originally, it used to be a menu which was offered as a board at a Chinese restaurant in Sendai. It had become popular and nowadays, it has become the regular menu at the Chinese restaurants in the Sendai-city.

The highly recommended restaurant to taste the [Sendai Mabo-yakisoba] is [Ekimae Taiyoro]. As it is a 3-minute-walk from the Sendai station, it is crowded every day. The [Sendai Mabo-yakisoba] is exquisite. Please try one.

5. The gourmet in which plenty of products from the sea are used! [Sendai-zuke-don]

In the sea around the Sendai Bay, more plentiful kinds of fish inhabit and about 260 kinds of fish were found so far. Especially it is famous that a lot of white meat fish, represented by the flatfish are caught. This [Sendai-zuke-don] contains those white meat fish varieties.

Speaking of marinated food, the red meat fish such as tuna or a bonito is a main ingredient, but the marinated white-meat fish are superb as well. The rice produced in Sendai is sweet and tasty. The recommended restaurant is the [Fuukizushi]. It has been a long-established restaurant since its opening 60 years ago. The menu at this restaurant is called the [Original Sendai-zuke-don]. Please taste it once!

6. The famous gourmet in Sendai which has been loved since a long time ago [Sankaku Aburaage]

The Jodo sect temple, the [Jogenyorai-Saihoji] is located at the place which is an hour’s ride in a car from the Sendai-city. The gourmet which has been familiar in this area is the [Sankaku (triangle) Aburaage (deep-fried tofu)]. As its name shows, it has a triangle shape and the outside is crispy and the inside is fluffy. It has the thickness of 2cm, so it is quite filling.

Please visit the [Oden Sankichi] to enjoy this gourmet. It is a shop for Oden (vegetables, fish dumplings and various other types of food stewed in a thin soy-soup), but you can order the superb Sankaku Aburaage as a single menu. Dip it in soy-sauce and sprinkle Shichimi-togarashi (mixture of red pepper and other spices) as an accent and sample it!

7. You can even eat a root! The hot pot meal, using the famous products from Sendai! [Sendai Seri-nabe]

The [Sendai Seri-nabe] is a hot pot dish, using plenty of the [Sendai seri (Japanese parsley)] produced in the Natori-city. Seri is one of the 7 spring herbs which has a high nutritive value. The [Sendai Seri-nabe] contains not only the leaves of Seri but also the roots of seri. The other ingredients in this hot pot are chicken, leek and burdock-root. This is the gourmet in Sendai with the delicious soup.

Why don’t you visit the [Inaho] which is a 5-minute-walk from the Sendai station to taste Sendai-seri-nabe. You can enjoy the flavour which only Sendai can offer. It is worth going there!

8. The gourmet which originated in Sendai! Fancy to eat it in summer! [Hiyashi Chuka]

When the hot summer comes, we are craving noodles, aren’t we? That’s [Hiyashi Chuka] (cold Chinese dish). The gourmet where the thinly chopped vegetables are mixed with the noodles was originated in Sendai. It was invented in the 12th year of Showa (1937) when the air conditioning wasn’t quite ready yet so as to boost the sales of noodles during the hot summer. It is a nationwide favourite food nowadays, isn’t it?

Let’s go to the staple restaurant, [Ryutei] to sample the [Hiyashi Chuka] in its birth place, Sendai! It has been a long-established Chinese restaurant since its opening 80 years ago. It is said that this restaurant is the originator of the [Hiyashi Chuka]. When you visit Sendai, please pop in at this restaurant!

9. It is a well-known product as a souvenir! The local gourmet, [Sasa-kamaboko]

In the times when the refrigerating installation wasn’t ready, the fresh products from the sea couldn’t last for a long time. When they had a large haul of fish, they had a difficulty about the method of processing them. The [Sasa (bamboo leaf) –kamaboko (steamed fish paste)] was born during that time. Sasa-kamaboko is a product in which ground fish is hardened. Unlike fresh fish, it lasts for a longer time!

It was named because of the shape which resembled a bamboo leaf. You can taste one at the [Abe Kamaboko-ten S-PAL Sendai-ten] in the S-PAL which is directly connected to the Sendai station. It is convenient, as it is close to the station!

10. The high quality beef! The brand beef which Sendai boasts throughout entire Japan [Sendai beef]

I can’t but introduce this one among the local gourmet in Sendai. It is a brand beef in Sendai, [Sendai beef]. The characteristic of the [Sendai beef] is its high quality. It has been treated as the top-class beef even in the hotels in Tokyo. Originally, the standard of the Sendai beef is as high as the rank A5 and A4 of the black Japanese beef produced in Japan, so it is surely regarded as a carefully selected beef.

The balance of the sweetness of the fat and the flavour of the red-meat is exquisite! I’ll recommend the [Sendai-gyu Senmonten Gyumasa] which is a 10-minute-walk from the Sendai station to taste this superb Sendai beef. You can enjoy the carefully chosen top-class Sendai beef to the full. It is worth going there!

Lets’ try the delicious gourmet in Sendai!

How did you find this article? I’ve introduced the 10 local super gourmets which I’d like you to taste if you go to Sendai. There are a lot of local gourmets in Sendai from the regular Gyu-tan (beef tongue) to the uniqu Sasa-kamaboko, aren’t there? Every food is tasty, so I strongly think you should sample them. Please come to Sendai to enjoy the delicious cuisine and the wonderful sightseeing!