Local Guide
5 recommended dinners in Tsuchiura and Tsukuba area.

One of the most enjoyable things about traveling is, of course, dinner. If you go to all that trouble, you will want to enjoy a meal in a relaxed atmosphere while tucking into locally prepared dishes that are unique to the area. We have selected the best restaurants for dinner to suit every occasion and purpose, from restaurants that invite a sense of travel to famous restaurants where you can taste Ibaraki Prefecture's agricultural products and seafood, to restaurants where you can enjoy a quick meal even when you are short on time.

Basque cuisine arranged with a unique essence.

The
The "Bongu appetizer platter" varies by day and is priced at market value. (The photo is an example, 1,400 yen per person x 3 persons)

This famous restaurant in Tsukuba City is known by those in the know for its Basque cuisine, which straddles the border between Spain and France. The first thing many people order is the "Bongu appetizer platter". It is a beautiful dish that includes about nine different appetizers, such as finger food pintxos, pate de campagne, and marinated sardines. Based on Basque cuisine, the dishes are arranged to Japanese tastes by skillfully combining seasonings purchased from the region and seasonal ingredients from Ibaraki Prefecture.

An exotic interior that will immerse you in the feeling of traveling

Although the restaurant is small, with only 16 seats in total, mainly at tables, it has a high ceiling and many windows, making it very comfortable.
Although the restaurant is small, with only 16 seats in total, mainly at tables, it has a high ceiling and many windows, making it very comfortable.

The restaurant has an at-home atmosphere reminiscent of a small bar on a Basque street corner. The owner felt a kinship with a restaurant serving local cuisine from southwestern France when he was working as a sommelier in Tokyo, so he and his wife returned to their hometown in Ibaraki Prefecture and opened a restaurant with Basque cuisine as its theme. The restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes, including tapas, Basque-style bouillabaisse "choro," charcoal-grilled dishes, and paella, a perfect end to a meal. The owner carefully selects a wide range of natural wines, making it a place where you can forget about time and enjoy a pleasant evening to the fullest.

Local Guide Comment
Charcoal-grilled rare meats are also excellent, such as loin of Basque purebred "Quintoa pork," which is more rare than Iberico pork, and pork loin from "Yamanishi Farm" in Bando City, Ibaraki Prefecture.
Bon Gu
  • Address 2-2-22 Ninomiya, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture MAP
  • Direction 5 minutes drive from Tsukuba Express Tsukuba Station
  • Direction 5 minutes from Tsukuba Express Tsukuba Station by Gakuen Minami Circulation Bus, 2 minutes walk from Shirahata Children's Park bus stop.
  • Business hours 11:30-15:00 (L.O.14:00), 18:00-22:00 (L.O.21:00)
  • Regular holiday Sunday, Monday lunch time, Year-end and New Year holidays
  • TEL 029-893-4966
  • Parking Available

Gutsy Chinese menu in set meal style

Abura-gon-chicken
Abura-gon-chicken" 880 yen, served with unlimited refills of rice, soup, and Ota cucumbers

This Chinese restaurant is located on the 3rd floor of "Play Atre Tsuchiura," directly connected to JR Tsuchiura Station. You can enjoy standard Chinese dishes that are familiar to Japanese people in a set meal style that includes rice, soup, and Ota cucumbers produced in Ibaraki Prefecture with salt and sesame oil. The "Yuri-gon-chicken" is the most popular dish on the menu. The chicken is dipped in a shoyu sauce, deep-fried to order, and served with a special sauce and a generous amount of scallions on top. The crispy skin, moist and juicy chicken meat inside, the sauce with just the right amount of sourness, and the crunchiness of the green onions combine to make a perfect triumvirate that will make your meal go down a treat.

The restaurant's calm interior is so relaxing that it is hard to believe that it is located right next to the station ticket gate.

Inside the restaurant, a display of Shaoxing wine bottles is eye-catching. There are counter seats and table seats.
Inside the restaurant, a display of Shaoxing wine bottles is eye-catching. There are counter seats and table seats.

Located in a corner of the food court just past the station's ticket gates, this Restaurant is impressive with its large lanterns. It is self-service, so it is easy to use even if you are short on time, but the flavors are all authentic. The menu always includes more than eight different kinds of noodles, including fried chicken, bean-curd soup, Chinese noodles, tantan-mian, Chinese-style noodles, Chinese-style noodles, and Chinese-style noodles with fried pork. Noodle dishes also come with free refills of rice and Ota cucumbers, so they are all very hearty. Four types of oolong tea from China and Taiwan are also available to complement the taste of Chinese cuisine.

Local Guide Comment
BEB Tsuchiura by Hoshino Resorts and Hao Tsu are just a stone's throw away. You can quickly recharge your energy with a hearty and exquisite Chinese meal.
Hao Tu
  • Address 1-30 Ariake-cho, Tsuchiura-shi, Ibaraki, Japan Play Atre Tsuchiura Station Lobby 3F MAP
  • Direction Directly connected to JR Tsuchiura Station
  • Business hours 11:30-15:00 (L.O. 14:30), 17:00-21:00 (L.O. 20:30), Friday, Saturday and the day before national holidays - 22:00 (L.O. 21:30)
  • Closed Closed irregularly (same as Play Atre Tsuchiura)
  • TEL 029-825-0802
  • Parking Pay parking *Atre affiliated parking (200 yen per hour) is free for one hour when spending 500 yen or more, up to a maximum of two hours.

Aromatic soba noodles directly from a famous restaurant in Hitachiota City and sturgeon from Tsukuba

Seiro soba
Seiro soba" (front), "grilled sturgeon with saikyo miso" 900 yen each (left), "sashimi of sturgeon" 1,000 yen (back)

This Japanese cuisine restaurant offers the whole deliciousness of Ibaraki Prefecture, including local dishes that represent the prefecture and a la carte dishes that use a variety of local ingredients. The experienced chef trained at Jikuan, a famous buckwheat noodle restaurant in Hitachiota City, and is a certified master of the art of buckwheat noodle making. The "Hitachi-Aki Soba" grown on the owner's farm is coarsely ground on a millstone, and the thinly sliced nihachi soba (28 buckwheat noodles) is an exquisite dish that is full of aroma, firmness, and smoothness. Another specialty of Tsukuba City is the fresh sturgeon that is farmed at the foot of Mount Tsukuba using subterranean water.

The atmospheric interior of the restaurant is decorated with a tiled roof in the style of a Japanese-style house.

Table seating with a private atmosphere where you can dine comfortably without worrying about anyone else. Private rooms are also available.
Table seating with a private atmosphere where you can dine comfortably without worrying about anyone else. Private rooms are also available.

The interior of the restaurant, with its tiled roof and Japanese-style house taste, creates a relaxed atmosphere. In the private room space, there is a display of panels introducing local producers who are connected with the restaurant, indicating that the restaurant is closely connected to the community. The restaurant offers a variety of dishes that make the most of the delicious ingredients, such as bagna cauda using vegetables purchased from contract farmers, as well as a wide selection of Ibaraki Prefecture's local sake from 28 sake breweries, which can be enjoyed as a perfect marriage with the exquisite cuisine. The restaurant can be used for a wide range of occasions, from a full-fledged dinner to a light drink with a variety of snacks.

Local Guide Comment
Not only soba noodles and fish, but also meat dishes such as Ibaraki brand beef "Hitachiniku beef" seared over an open flame, grilled steak and beef stew are very satisfying.
Jikuan Tsukuba Sou Teuchi Soba Izakaya Sake Shu (Jikuan Tsukuba Sou Teuchi Soba Izakaya Sake Shu)
  • Address 203 MYU-MYU Building, 5-13-11 Kenkyugakuen, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki MAP
  • Direction 3 minutes walk from Kenkyugakuen Station of Tsukuba Express
  • Business hours 11:30 - 14:30 (L.O. 14:00), 17:00 - 20:00 (L.O. 19:30)
  • Regular holiday Tuesdays, Year-end and New Year's holidays *Please inquire for details.
  • TEL 029-875-7373
  • Parking No parking (coin parking available next door)

Japanese cuisine with craftsmanship for adult tastes

Seasonal
Seasonal "earthenware pot rice" from 2,000 yen per pot, "clam soup" 660 yen (front right), "assorted sashimi" 1,980 yen per person (back)

The owner, a native of Tsuchiura City, opened the restaurant in his hometown in 2015 after studying at a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo. The owner's delicate skills shine through in every dish, and you can feel the changing of the seasons. The owner's family runs a sushi restaurant in Tsuchiura City, which allows him to purchase fresh, high quality seafood, and he is especially known for his fish dishes. The "Assorted Sashimi" is a small selection of seasonal fish and shellfish, mostly those landed locally. The "earthenware pot rice" changes with the season, and this day it was crab. You can enjoy the plump crab meat. The soup of large Kashima-nada hamaguri (clams from the Sea of Kashima) is also very tasty.

Surrounded by a warm, modern Japanese atmosphere

The table seating on the second floor is clean and perfect for a dinner party. It can also be used as a private room by dividing it into sections.
The table seating on the second floor is clean and perfect for a dinner party. It can also be used as a private room by dividing it into sections.

The restaurant is located in a quiet and peaceful area, one step away from the downtown area, and is easy to enter even by yourself. The owner chose this location because he was familiar with the restaurant, which was originally a temporary business of his family's family "Danbei," which was damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake. In addition to counter seating, where you can watch the owner's mastery of his craft right in front of you, there is also small upstairs seating and a private room on the second floor. The restaurant is not only for dining, but also has a wide selection of locally brewed sake, making it a popular second stop for drinks and snacks.

Local Guide Comment
They are very popular among the locals, and all of them are of high quality, yet offer excellent value for money. No matter how many times you visit, you will find new impressions.
Wasoshun Koubee
  • Address 1-8-11 Kawaguchi, Tsuchiura-shi, Ibaraki MAP
  • Direction Approximately 7 minutes walk from JR Tsuchiura Station
  • Business Hours 12:00 - 14:00 (L.O. 13:30), 17:00 - 23:00 (L.O. 22:30)
  • Closed Wednesdays, Year-end and New Year's holidays, Obon *Confirm details on website
  • TEL 029-875-5800
  • Parking Free of charge (4 spaces) *Service coupons are issued to holders of parking tickets for the Musashiya Kawaguchi Toll Parking Lot.

Enjoy a la carte dishes at the buffet restaurant directly connected to the station

From the front,
From the front, "Assorted Ham" 930 yen, "Siciliana" pizza 1,320 yen, etc.

This stylish cafeteria is located on the second floor of "Play Atre Tsuchiura" inside Tsuchiura Station. In addition to the popular buffet of prepared foods, customers can enjoy a la carte dishes such as a platter of "Napoli salami" and "24-month aged Parma ham," "natural fresh fish carpaccio" shipped directly from Fukuoka every day, and "Siciliana," a crispy pizza with tomato sauce and anchovy flavor. For drinks, there is a wide selection of Ibaraki craft beers as well as a wide variety of wines. The manager's favorite, "homemade ginger lemonade," is an "adult lemonade" that has been tried and tested many times to match the food.

A sophisticated dining space offering a variety of enjoyment

The table tennis space in the back of the
The table tennis space in the back of the "libayon" seating area can be used free of charge by anyone.

The open-air atrium floor is divided into various areas, including table seating for large groups, tatami room seating where you can stretch out your legs and relax, and counter seating where you can casually drink alone, to accommodate a variety of occasions. At the "Drink & Soup Bar," customers can custom-make their own drinks using a soda maker, hand-squeezer, and flavored syrups. The ping-pong table permanently installed in the seating area allows you to enjoy a game of ping-pong with your friends, making this a popular Restaurant at the station that offers all the elements for a lively dinner time.

Local Guide Comment
The "Salad & Side dish buffet" comes with a drink and soup bar, and features eight different side dishes such as "Steamed Chicken and Broccoli with Aurora Sauce" and "Grilled Vegetables" along with two different soups, making for a very satisfying meal.
NANAIRO Eat at Home!
  • Address 1-30 Ariake-cho, Tsuchiura-shi, Ibaraki, Japan Play Atre Tsuchiura Station Lobby 2F MAP
  • Direction Directly connected to JR Tsuchiura Station
  • Business hours 11:00 - 21:00 (L.O. 20:00, Drink L.O. 20:30), Friday and Saturday - 22:00 (L.O. 21:00, Drink L.O. 21:30) *Lunch time is 11:30 - 14:30 (L.O. 14:00) all day
  • Closed Closed irregularly (same as Play Atre Tsuchiura)
  • TEL 029-825-7716
  • Parking Parking is available in cooperation with Play Atre Tsuchiura: 1 hour free for purchases of 500 yen or more, 2 hours free for purchases of 3,000 yen or more (varies in some cases).
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.