1
Benirantei Shimodori Honten

Taiheiyan, Kumamoto's soul food, at a long-established restaurant established in 1934

Tai pieng" is so familiar to the locals that it appears in school lunches and is on the menus of many Chinese restaurants. At first glance, it looks like chanpon, but its most distinctive feature is that it is made with healthy vermicelli instead of Chinese noodles.
One of the restaurants that is said to have originated this type of Taiping Yan is Benirantei Shimodori Main Store, which was established in 1934. The signature dish, "Taiping Yan," features a rich soup based on chicken stock blended with pork bones and 100% mung bean vermicelli, which is firm and does not stretch easily. Natural salt from China's Fujian Province is used for seasoning. A variety of ingredients such as fried egg, shrimp, squid, pork, and cabbage add layers of flavor.

The dignified interior design of a long-established restaurant

The lunch menu includes the "Taiping Yan Course," which includes shrimp with chili sauce and fried rice, and the "Vinegared Fried Bone Set Meal," as well as individual items such as "Taiping Yan.
The restaurant underwent a major renovation in 2020, giving it a stylish, upscale atmosphere. The design was created by Naito Hiroshi, one of Japan's leading architects. The massive wood-toned space with red points gives the restaurant the air of a long-established and high quality restaurant.

Benrantei Shimodori Honten

• 5-26 Ansei-cho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture MAP
• 3 minutes walk from "Tsurimachi-suji" streetcar station.
• 11:00 - 21:00 (Lunch L.O. 17:00, Dinner L.O. 20:00)
• December 31 and January 1
• 096-352-7177
• None

2
uni

Seafood chanpon, a hearty dish full of Kumamoto's flavor

A Restaurant that specializes in charcoal-grilled dishes. For lunch, you can enjoy an elaborate menu of noodles, rice bowls, set menus, and other dishes that make the most of local ingredients in a casual atmosphere.
One of the most popular dishes is the seafood soy sauce champon with Amakusa Daioh dashi, a dish full of ingredients served on a large plate. The soup, which is made from the broth of "Amakusa Daioh," Kumamoto's local chicken, and a variety of other ingredients such as shrimp, squid, clams, pork, and cabbage, is superb, and goes perfectly with the plump Chinese noodles. Moreover, you can choose the quantity of noodles from "no noodles, half a noodle, one noodle, or two noodles" for free.

A relaxing restaurant where you can relax after your meal.

The lunch menu also includes a set meal featuring "Oaso Dori," Kumamoto's famous brand of chicken, and curry using "Hi no Hon Pork," a brand-name pork produced in Izumi Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, and "Aso Shirohitsuji," a rare domestic lamb. Each menu comes with a salad and a drink, making it a satisfying meal.
The interior of the restaurant has a modern and stylish atmosphere, and the counter and tables are made of a single piece of wood, creating a luxurious space. There is also a small tatami room in the back of the restaurant where you can relax and unwind.

UNI

• DORO BUILD1F, 4-7 Suido-cho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture MAP
• 6 min. walk from "Suido-cho" or "Tsuchimachi-suji" streetcar stop.
• 11:30-15:00 (L.O. 14:00), 17:30-22:00 (L.O. 21:00)
  Lunch on Sundays only - 16:00 (L.O.15:00)
• No holidays
• 096-352-1001
• None
• Reservations required by the day before for Sunday dinner.

3
Sekka Sambo

A soba restaurant where you can drink and enjoy the "soba-mae" culture.

The owner carefully selects buckwheat seeds from all over Japan each season, blends them, and mills them in-house on the store's millstone. The buckwheat noodles are made by hand using pure spring water from Kumamoto, and are characterized by their smooth texture and aroma. The soba noodles are served in a thick, refreshing broth that enhances their deliciousness.

Soba-mae" is another recommended way to enjoy soba. This is a cultural practice of enjoying sake with snacks while waiting for soba noodles to finish boiling. Why not enjoy it with locally brewed sake recommended by the owner?

A luxurious time to enjoy soba noodles in a quiet atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of the city

The restaurant offers a wide variety of soba menus, from simple dishes such as "zarusoba" (1,500 yen) and "kake-soba" (1,500 yen), which allow you to fully enjoy the deliciousness of the soba itself, to creative dishes and seasonal specials, so you will find something new and delicious every time you visit. All of this is made possible by the careful and thorough buckwheat noodle making process that forms the basis of the restaurant's menu.
The restaurant is located on a quiet street called "Kamino Uradori Street," one street off the Kamidori arcade. If you are looking for a quiet place to enjoy a drink at a soba restaurant, why not walk through the noren curtain?

Sekka Sambo

• 7-22 Kamidori-machi, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture MAP
• 6 min. walk from "Dori-machi-suji" or "Suido-cho" streetcar stop.
• 11:30 - 14:30 (L.O. 14:00), 17:30 - 21:30 (L.O. 21:00)
  Closes when soba noodles are finished.
• Wednesdays (open if Wednesday is a national holiday, closed the following day)
• 096-327-5078
• None

4
Amamiya

An oasis in the town where you can take off your shoes and relax

This sweet shop, established in 1998, is located on the second floor of a building just inside the Kamidori Arcade. The atmosphere of the arcade is quite different from the bustling atmosphere of the building, and when you climb the stairs, you will find yourself in a peaceful Japanese-style space where you can take off your shoes and relax.
While the sweet shop is the mainstay of the menu, it is also a reliable place to go for lunch, as it offers udon, curry, pork cutlets, and other solid meals. The "Curry with Kumamoto Chestnuts and Azuki Beans", which is typical of the sweet shop, is a perfect match between the moderate spiciness of the curry and the gentle sweetness of the azuki beans and chestnuts. The sweet and salty taste created by the unexpected toppings will whet your appetite.

Rich matcha green tea sweet to enjoy after your meal.

After enjoying your meal, don't forget to try the star of the show, the sweetness. The ingredients are thoroughly selected, including Dainagon azuki beans from Tokachi, Hokkaido, shiratama flour from Ogawa, Kumamoto, and kinako (soybean flour) from Kumamoto. We also offer a wide variety of green tea desserts, such as the "Two types of ice cream and shiratama anmitsu," which is served with matcha mitsu, a rich matcha green tea made from Yana no Shiro, the preferred green tea of the Urasenke Iemoto.

The restaurant also offers seasonal menus and meal and sweet set menus with more than 100 different items on them. You will find it hard to choose which one to try.

Amamiya

• 4-16 Kamidori-machi, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan MAP
• 3 minutes walk from "Tsurimachi-suji" streetcar station.
• 11:30-19:00 (L.O.18:30)
• Tuesdays, December 31, January 1
• 096-323-1136
• None

5
Shunsai Cuisine Residence Hachigo-tei

A high-cost spa meal with a rich taste of Kumamoto's nourishing flavors

In a 100-year-old old house, you can taste the flavor of Kumamoto and its local cuisine. The menu features Kumamoto's proud ingredients such as horse meat dishes and Kumamoto red beef, as well as vegetables, eggs, and rice that are basically grown in Kumamoto Prefecture.
The most popular lunch dish is the "Reiwa Gozen. It is a very cost-effective meal that includes our famous beef grilled on a ceramic plate, mustard lotus root, specially selected horse yukke, dessert, and a drink. It is popular not only among tourists but also among locals as a casual place to enjoy Kumamoto's specialties for lunch.

The atmosphere of an old private house adds color to your lunch time.

The restaurant is an old private house, and you can take off your shoes to go inside to experience the charm of the house, with table seating on the first floor and a tatami room on the second floor that can accommodate a large group. The first floor also has a terrace with glass walls all around, allowing diners to enjoy their meals in an open atmosphere.
Once inside the restaurant, you will find a quiet atmosphere that is hard to believe that it is right next to the street where the streetcar runs. Enjoy a luxurious lunch time in a relaxed atmosphere where you will forget about the time and taste the flavors of Kumamoto.

Shunsai Cuisine Residence Hachigou-tei

• 5-41 Kamidori-machi, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture MAP
• 3 min. walk from "Suido-cho" streetcar stop.
• 11:30-14:30 (L.O. 13:30), 17:00-24:00 (L.O. food 22:00, drinks 23:00)
• No holidays
• 096-324-8505
• None