Local Guide
 Enjoy the local bounty at Izu Kogen's lunch spots

Izu Kogen, rich in nature, stretches at the foot of Mount Omuro at an elevation of 580 meters. Ito and Inatori, one of Izu's representative fishing ports, is close by, making it a great place to enjoy both seafood from the sea and from the mountains. Here are some restaurants where you can easily enjoy freshly caught seasonal local fish and a wide variety of local vegetables for lunch.

Sashimi, grilled, boiled, and fried local fish caught in the morning.

 Sashimi set meal 2,800 yen
Sashimi set meal 2,800 yen

A restaurant where you can enjoy local fish from the waters around Izu. We have a contract with the head netter of the Akazawa fixed net on the east coast of Izu to purchase freshly caught seafood every morning.
The restaurant offers a set meal set that includes rice, miso soup, simmered dishes, vinegared dishes, and pickled vegetables, as well as your choice of sashimi, grilled fish, boiled fish, or fried fish, with recommended seafood written on a white board.
The most popular is the sashimi set meal, which includes four pieces of sashimi, and the type of sashimi changes daily. If there is a fish you do not like, tell them when you order and they can change it to another fish.

Hearty rice bowls are also popular

 Aji-don (horse mackerel rice bowl) 2,000 yen
Aji-don (horse mackerel rice bowl) 2,000 yen

Several types of rice bowls are also available every day. The contents of the bowls change depending on the availability, but the "horse mackerel bowl" can be enjoyed almost all year round. It is a hearty bowl of rice topped with a generous portion of horse mackerel sashimi, salmon roe, yam, okra, and other ingredients.
In addition to the counter seating, the restaurant has a Japanese-style room that can be partitioned into three private rooms, where diners can enjoy their meals at a sunken kotatsu-style table. The space between the seats at the counter and in the Japanese-style room is wide, creating a relaxing atmosphere, and it is said that many customers spend an hour or two over lunch to enjoy a leisurely meal.

Local Guide Comment
Each dish is hearty and satisfying! Depending on the day's stock, you can enjoy fish that you would not normally have a chance to eat.
Nihonmatsu
  • Address 1323-34 Hachimano, Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture MAP
  •  Direction 15 min. walk from Izukogen Station on the Izu Kyuko Line
  •  Business hours 11:00 - 14:00 (L.O. 13:30), 17:00 - 21:00 (L.O. 20:30)
  •  Closed Tuesdays
  •  TEL 0557-53-3611
  •  Parking Free of charge

Rare tuna "Zutoro" (head and tail) seared to perfection

 Tokusen Toro Aburi-Sanmai-don set meal: 2,808 yen
Tokusen Toro Aburi-Sanmai-don set meal: 2,808 yen

As the name of the restaurant suggests, the restaurant is proud of its tuna dishes. The restaurant purchases tuna by the piece, so you can enjoy eating rare parts of the tuna. In particular, the "head tuna," of which only a small amount can be obtained from a single tuna, is also called "brain," "bone marrow," or "meat of the wasp," and is as delicious as the big tuna. The "Tokusen Atoro Aburi-Don" set meal, which is quickly seared to lock in its flavor, is served in a limited number of eight servings per day.
The most popular is the "Tokusen Toro Aburi Sanmai-don" set meal, which includes not only the head and tuna, but also high quality otoro and seared fatty toro kinmedai from Inatori. It is a bowl of rice topped with tuna negitoro as well.

Local Guide Comment
Grating the wasabi by yourself is also a little time-consuming, but very enjoyable. I will never forget the first time I tasted the head of tuna with its rich fat!

Braised local sea bream, a can't-miss dish in Izu

 Braised sea bream set meal: 3,219 yen
Braised sea bream set meal: 3,219 yen

The owner holds the bidding rights for the Higashi Izu Inatori Port and also serves as a middleman, so there is an abundance of local fish other than tuna. In particular, the kinmedai (sea bream), which is synonymous with Izu fish, is only available in Inatori, which is said to be the most delicious fish in Izu. The "Boiled Sea Bream Set Meal" features the exquisite sea bream cooked to tender tenderness in a secret sauce with a hint of sweetness upon order.
The restaurant also offers sushi sets such as the "12-piece local fish nigiri set meal," sashimi, and a la carte dishes such as "deep-fried tuna head" that are recommended to be shared with friends.

Honke Tunoya Izu Kogen Honten
  • Address 1069-4 Hachimano, Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture MAP
  •  Direction 5 min. walk from Izukogen Station of Izukyuko Line
  •  Business hours 11:30-15:30 (L.O. 14:45), 17:30-21:00 (L.O. 20:00), Sun-20:30 (L.O. 19:30)
  •  Closed 2nd and 4th Wednesdays *Depends on the season.
  •  TEL 0557-54-3088
  •  Parking Free of charge
 Wasabi barley toro donburi 1,545 yen
Wasabi barley toro donburi 1,545 yen

Restaurant located at the lift station of Omuroyama. The menu features local delicacies made with locally produced and locally consumed ingredients, including fish caught in Ito and vegetables 80% of which are grown in Ito, in soup stock made from dried bonito flakes from the long-established "Morita Shavings Shop" in Ito City. The restaurant is open only for lunch, but is always crowded with both locals and tourists.
The menu consists of an appetizer plate + main dish + green tea and tea set. For the main course, you can choose from rice dishes such as "Mugitoro-don" with yam from Mt. Amagi, flavorful Izu green laver and wasabi, or "Shirasu-don" with local fish, or "Yasai Udon" with udon noodles filled with local vegetables picked in the morning.

Local Guide Comment
The Wasabi Mugitoro Donburi is a simple bowl of rice topped with a bowl of barley and grated horseradish, but you can enjoy the full flavor of the wasabi. The appetizers and desserts are also pleasing to the eye.

Tea time with homemade sweets and coffee

 Pancake 486 yen
Pancake 486 yen

The matcha green tea and sweet dishes that come with the lunch menu are delicious, but the Western sweets such as apple pie and pancakes are also outstandingly delicious. To accompany your sweet happiness, try the freshly ground coffee roasted by Ito City's famous "Itoku Coffee. In addition, 100% orange juice and Izu's local beer are also available.

Ohmuro Light Food Hall
  • Address 1F Omuroyama Lift Kan, 1317-5 Tomido, Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture MAP
  •  Bus Direction From JR Ito Station, take the Tokai Bus bound for "Shaboten Koen" (about 40 minutes), and get off at the last stop (1 minute).
  •  Business hours 10:00-16:00 (L.O.)
  •  Closed Open daily (closed when Daisen Lift is out of service)
  •  TEL 055-751-1455
  •  Parking Free of charge
 Suruga seiro (rice bowl): 1,300 yen
Suruga seiro (rice bowl): 1,300 yen

Soba-Sen, located near Sakura-no-sato at the foot of Mt. The owner of Soba-Sen has been in pursuit of "buckwheat noodles that taste good," and has arrived at the ultra-thin buckwheat noodles made from buckwheat produced in Kita-Sorachi in Hokkaido, milled in-house, and connected with underground water from Mount Amagi. Boiling time is as short as 5 seconds, allowing the delicate taste and aroma of the soba to stand out.
We recommend the "Suruga Seiro," in which fresh sakura shrimps that the owner himself purchases from the Yui Fishing Port are lavishly added to the dipping broth. The soba noodles are dipped in the hot dipping broth with fresh sakura shrimps, shimeji mushrooms, and fried egg.
The restaurant is surrounded by greenery with large trees and plants. In particular, you can enjoy a relaxing meal surrounded by greenery on the terrace where you can bring your dog.

Local Guide Comment
Soba noodle restaurants can only be reached by car or cab. The restaurant also offers a rare menu item called "Soba de Italia" (Italian with Soba), which is a combination of olive oil and juwari soba (buckwheat noodles). Soba is of course delicious, but "Agedashi Soba Gaki" and "Soba Flour Crepe" are also very tasty!
Soba Soba Restaurant Soba Sen
  • Address 329-6 Jyusoku, Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture MAP
  •  Direction 15 min. drive from Jogasaki Kaigan Station of Izukyu Line
  •  Business hours 11:00-15:00 *Close when sold out
  •  Closed Tuesdays
  •  TEL 0557-45-6681
  •  Parking Free of charge
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.