10 Recommended Local Specialty Restaurants and Shops You Must Visit in Gunma!

Gunma is a beautiful prefecture surrounded by a rich natural environment, such as Jōmō Sanzan, with abundant water from Tone Gawa (river). Thanks to that, Gunma’s agriculture and stock-raising industries are really active, which leads the prefecture to have a lot of local specialty products, such as tasty Jōshū Gyū (beef). There are many delicious meat products, fresh vegetables, and excellent dishes cooked with Gunma’s natural water. Here are the 10 Recommended Local Specialty Restaurants You Must Visit in Gunma.

Hayami

One of Gunma’s famous local specialty foods is “Okkirikomi”, which is a noodle soup dish. Its characteristic is the flat saltless noodles, the soup thickened by the starch from the noodles, and the bunch of ingredients including root veggies.

If you want to eat the tasty dish of Gunma, “Okkirikomi”, “Hayami” is the best recommended place. It is located in front of the World Heritage Tomioka Silk Mill. The highlight of their Okkirikomi is its special tasty soup cooked by the chef who trained at an authentic Japanese traditional restaurant. Ingredients include: carrot, Japanese daikon radish, mushroom, chicken meat, and fried tofu. Tastes nice and warms up both your body and heart.

Katsu Sand Kōbō PANTON

Gunma has a wonderful pork product, Ōmugi Sangen Ton (barley fed pork), whose flavor is light with a fine texture. At “Katsu Sand Kōbō PANTON”, guests can enjoy the stylish pork cutlet sandwich. They offer some choices of cutlet including pork loin and fillet, which taste fantastic with the condensed umami flavor of the pork.

They carefully cook the cutlet and their special sauce, also the bread they use for the sandwich is carefully selected. The harmony of umami from pork and sauce is superb! Since they start cooking after the order is placed, the freshly made delicious sandwich will amaze you for sure. You will not want to miss this place when you visit Gunma!

Torihei

“Torihei” has been a popular chicken dish specialty restaurant since its establishment, Showa 28 (1953). Located about 17-minute walk from Maebashi Station. They serve a wonderful chicken dish, “Jōshū Goyō Torimeshi (chicken over rice)”. They named it with a wish that Gunma people would love the dish using the old name of Gunma area, “Jōsū”. Takeaway is also available.

It is an excellent rice dish. The rice is cooked up nice and fluffy, and the chicken topped on the rice is really soft. The special sweet sauce goes really well with them. It would definitely stimulate your appetite. They also offer a wide variety of other lunchbox meals too.

Koarai Seika

Have you ever heard of a Japanese confectionery, “Dora Yaki”? It is like a pancake sandwich usually filled with azuki bean jam, and the one filled with azuki bean jam and whipped cream is called “Nama Dara Yaki”. At a famous long established Japanese confectionery shop located in Minakami-machi, Nama Dora Yaki made with a traditional production method is on offer.

They focus on using quality ingredients including strictly selected azuki beans and eggs from Hokkaido and Gunma’s local spring water. Its texture is nice and fluffy, and the flavor of beans with whipped cream is excellent. The sweetness is moderately controlled, so people who don’t usually eat sweet stuff would like it too.

Yokokawa Service Area　Tabeat Kitchen

The meat of Jōshū Gyū (beef) raised in the natural environment of Gunma is moderately tight and light, but is really tasty with the flavor of itself, which would never make you fed up.

At Yokokawa Service Area, a luxurious dish cooked with the Jōshū Gyu, “Gyū Meshi (beef over rice)” is on offer. This dish makes us enjoy three times; by eating it as it is, adding grated Gunma’s flavorful “Yamato Imo (Japanese yam)”, and pouring soup over the dish. Since it is a service area restaurant, it would be easier to stop by when you travel by car. Enjoy the fantastic dish.

Tokiwa Sō

If you want to eat delicious sukiyaki cooked with Jōshū Beef, “Tokiwa Sō” is the best recommended place for you. It is located at a very convenient place 4-minute walk from Jōshū Tomioka Station. The building of the restaurant is built in Showa 13 (1938), and designated as a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Its elegant Japanese ambience is nice.

At the nice Japanese style restaurant, excellent sukiyaki cooked with Jōshū Beef and the highest quality beef, A5 Akagi Wagyu rib is on offer. Once you put it in your mouth, it melts smoothly, and the rich flavor and umami taste of the beef spreads. You should definitely eat the delicious sukiyaki when you travel to Gunma!

Osawa-ya

“Mizusawa Udon” is often considered as one of Japan’s most famous udon noodles as well as Kagawa’s Sanuki Udon and Akita’s Inaniwa Udon. It has 400-year history, and the characteristic is its relatively thick clear looking appearance.

“Ōsawa-ya” is a long standing udon noodles shop that serves Gunma’s delicious specialty, Mizusawa Udon. The broth for their Mizusawa Udon is made with Japanese kombu kelp and katsuobushi (dried tuna) every morning. The noodles are made under 27 stages of process, which takes two days. The cooled noodles served in a basket tastes amazing with a nice chewy silky texture.

Niku no Nagato

In Numata City, Gunma, there is a new specialty invented by Gunma’s local high school students. The new product is menchi katsu (minced meat cutlet) cooked with one of Numata’s specialty crops, edamame (green soybeans). It’s name is “Edamamenchi”, and is on offer at many places here and there in the city.

One of the best recommended for “Edamamenchi” is “Niku no Nagato”, which is a long standing meat shop that has been there for over 40 years. Their “Edamamenchi” is cooked based on the traditional meat shop’s potato croquette with a little adjustment. The sweetness of edamame tastes mild and somehow nostalgic. It would make you addicted.

Chūji Chaya Honpo

“Yaki Manju (grilled Japanese bun stuffed with azuki bean jam)” is one Jōshū specialties. It is loved by Gunma people and taste nostalgic. For this specialty, “Chūji Chaya Honpo” is the best place. The shop is built with materials of the building relating to Kunisada Chūji who is known as a strong gambler in Edo era. There is an nice old atmosphere from Edo period.

The fluffy buns of “Yaki Manju” they serve is made with malted rice, and charcoal grilled after dipping in the rich tasty sauce mixed with miso and soy sauce. The delicious looking shining appearance and the nice smell stimulate your appetite. You should try once!

Shitami-ya

When you want a really big meal, Japanese sauce katsu-don (pork cutlet over rice with sauce) is the one you should try. “Shitami-ya” is a famous restaurant as a original shop that started serving sauce katsu-don in Kiryū City, Gunma. It is a long standing place that has been there over 80 years. They keep their traditional taste passed on generations.

Their crispy and juicy pork fillet cutlet makes a great harmony with the sweet spicy sauce. The size of each cutlet is not too big and it tastes light, it would be easy for those who don’t usually eat a lot to eat up. This is definitely one of the must-eat foods in Gunma.

Enjoy Gunma’s Delicious Foods Made with Natural Local Ingredients!

How did you like it? This article was about the 10 recommended local specialty restaurants and shops you must visit in Gunma along with their foods and products. As mentioned above, Gunma has many local specialty foods created by the blessings of nature, such as tasty Jōshū Gyū, handmade udon noodles made with natural water, etc. There are many places that are keeping their traditional tastes, so enjoy their soup and sauce too!