The Best 10 Places to Eat in Chiba, Japan

Chiba has a lot of sightseeing spots such as Tokyo Disneyland and Kamogawa Sea World. Surrounded by a rich natural environment, there are also a variety of amazing local foods to enjoy such as seafood, fruits, snacks and Ramens. In this article, we will introduce the best 10 local dishes you must try in Chiba!

1. Pineki

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One of the most famous local products of Chiba is peanuts. “Pineki” is a direct sales store of peanuts and offers “Peanuts Soft Serve Ice Cream”. It is milky and creamy with a full of peanuts flavor. This ice cream is very popular that many Japanese tourists come “Pineki” to have this ice cream.

“Pineki” also offers a variety of products using peanuts that you can’t find in other stores. Let’s find some souvenirs after having a tasty ice cream!

2. Biwa Club

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Loquats have been grown in Tomiura, Chiba since 1751 and it’s one of the great local products of Chiba. “Biwa Club” in “Michi No Eki Tomiura” in Tomiura offers a variety of dishes using loquats such as “Loquat Soft Serve Ice Cream”, “Loquat Curry” and “Loquat juice“.

Needless to say, the most popular products is the ice cream because it tastes great! There is also a higher-quality loquat ice cream called “Super Premium Loquat Leaves Soft Serve Ice Cream”, which has real loquat on it. Try these awesome ice creams!

3. Umi No Syokudokoro Namura

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The speciality of this restaurant is Japanese anchovy, which is one of the main local products of Chiba. “Japanese Anchovy Oshizushi (a type of sushi consists of rice and seafood pressed in a box)” and “Japanese Anchovy Namerou (Miso based Japanese anchovy tartar )” are especially recommended as they are famous local dishes of Chiba.

Apart from these two, the restaurant offers a wide range of Japanese anchovy dishes such as dumplings, ”Duke-don (marinated raw Japanese anchovy on rice)” and Japanese anchovy in a tomato sauce. You should definitely try fresh Japanese anchovy of Chiba if you are a seafood lover!

4. Takeyura Shokudo

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The Isumi area of Chiba is famous for bamboo shoots and wild boar meat. If you want to try such local products, we highly recommend “Takeyura Shokudo” in “Michi No Eki Takeyura No Sato Ohtaki”.

There a wide range of menus you can choose from. Popular dishes are “Minced Wild Boar Meat Cutlet (200 yen)”, “Curry With Minced Wild Boar Meat Cutlet (980 yen)” and “Ramen with Wild Boar Meat Stewed In Soy Sauce”.

There are also bamboo shoots dishes such as “Ramen with bamboo shoots(600 yen)”, “Steamed Meat Bun with bamboo shoots”. Try some dishes that you are interested in!

5. Isone

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Tomitsu in Chiba is known for conger eel. In “Isone”, you can enjoy the famous conger eel dish, “Conger Eel Rice Bowl”.

We recommend “Hakarime 2-shoku Don”, which consists of “Shirayaki (grilled conger eel without seasoning)” and “Kabayaki (conger eel basted with a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and sake)” on rice. You can enjoy conger eel cooked in two ways while typical “Conger Eel Rice Bowl” only includes “Kabayaki”. “Hakarime 2-shoku Don” is limited to 10 for a day, so make sure to get here early if you want to try it!

However, don’t worry even if you missed “Hakarime 2-shoku Don” because there are other tasty dishes such as normal “Conger Eel Rice Bowl”, “Conger Eel Tempura Rice Bowl” and “Conger Eel Sushi”!

6. Kushiage Dokoro Shino

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In this deep-fried skewers restaurant, you can enjoy “Whale Bacon” as well as inexpensive deep-fried skewers! Whales have traditionally been eaten in Japan since the 15th century. Chiba is one of the popular places for whale hunting and has been producing processed foods such as dried whale and whale sauce.

You can rarely have an opportunity to try whale meat in Japan these days as it’s causing a huge controversy. However, you can try “Whale Bacon” in this restaurant. It’s a little expensive (600 yen), but it might be worth it if you are interested in!

7. Chiba Ramen

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“Chiba Ramen” serves “Chiba Pork Rice Bowl”, which has gained popularity recently. “Chiba Pork Rice Bowl” is made of all local ingredients such as local rice and vegetables, and non-meta pork (pork with less fat developed by the university of Chiba) . It costs only 700 yen so you should definitely give it a try!

The restaurant also offers basic ”Pork Rice Bowl” for 650 yen. It includes typical pork instead of non-meta pork, but local rice is still used.

8. Ume No Ya

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The speciality of this restaurant is “Takeoka Ramen”, which has been traditionally eaten at the Takeoka fishing port.

“Takeoka Ramen” is unique in the way that it uses the broth of Chashu (stewed Pork) as a soup for Ramen, while typical Ramen requires a soup made of a variety of vegetables and meat. “Takeoka Ramen” is served with a lot of diced onions on noodles and Chashu at the bottom of a bowl. As the soup is made from the broth of Chashu, you can fully enjoy the flavor of meat!

→The Best 10 Ramen Shops You Must Eat in Tokyo

9. Yayoi Ken

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“Yayoi Ken” is not on a street, it’s on the platform of JR Abiko station. You can enjoy ”Karaage Soba/Udon (fried chicken on soba/udon)” in the train station!

There are many stand-up eating soba noodle stores like “Yayoi Ken” in Japan, but this store is especially famous one. Some people even get off a train to come here!

“Karaage Soba/Udon” is made of two big Karaages on noodles of your choice (Soba or Udon). It’s quite big but very cheap (540 yen). Let’s try it if you have time at JR Abiko station!

10. Kidoizumi Shuzouten

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In a famous sake store, “Kidoizumi Shuzouten”, you can try Japanese sake. We highly recommend that you try “Hatsu-shibori” if you are visiting here in winter. It’s the type of sake called “Shinshu (new brew of sake)”, which tastes very fresh and has been gaining population of sake-lovers.

Not traveling in winter? Don’t worry! Even if you are not visiting in winter, there are various kinds of sake available. Visit “Kidoizumi Shuzouten” and enjoy high-quality sake!

Let’s Enjoy Local Dishes of Chiba!

Despite the fact that Chiba is adjacent to Tokyo, it’s surrounded by a rich natural environment. This is why there are a variety of local ingredients and therefore tasty dishes. If you are visiting Chiba, don’t forget to enjoy local dishes as well as sightseeing!