Five delicious and exquisite lunches in Ito
Ito is home to more than 100 varieties of fish. The area's appeal lies in the variety of fresh, seasonal fish that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. There are also a number of cafes that specialize in local vegetables grown in the mild climate, and other restaurants that serve a wide variety of ingredients in their own unique styles. Let us introduce you to some of the delicious lunches that you can enjoy only in Ito.
1Unagi no Murai
Unaju (eel) with special sauce
This eel specialty restaurant is located across the street from the tourist attraction "Tokaikan". The restaurant opened in Ito about 40 years ago, and it has been about 15 years since it moved to its current location.
The eels are procured from the most delicious local eels at the time of the season. The most popular dish is the "Unaju" (eel stew). The eel is steamed to order and then grilled with a special sauce that has been used continuously since the restaurant opened. The skilled owner adjusts the steaming time and the degree of grilling based on the condition of the eel at the time. The eels are made fragrant and fluffy.
Reservations recommended for lunch on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Other popular menu items include "mabushi-don" (bowl of rice topped with broiled egg and thinly sliced kabayaki) and "han-don" (bowl of rice topped with half a piece of kabayaki). Set menus of "Kabayaki," "Shiroyaki," and "Yanagawa" are also available. All are served with oshinko (Japanese pickles) and soup, and for an additional 100 yen, the soup can be changed to liver soup.
The restaurant has a total of 21 seats at tables and counters. The restaurant is often crowded at lunchtime, and eels are sometimes out of stock before business hours, so it is best to make a reservation before visiting on holidays.
- Unagi no Mure
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13-6 Higashimatsubara, Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture MAP
8 minutes walk from JR Ito Station
11:30-14:30, 17:00-20:00 *Close when sold out
Mondays (open if Monday is a national holiday, closed the following day)
0557-37-1768
Free of charge
2Hanagoyomi Kaigan Branch
Auberge cuisine at a reasonable price with set menus and rice bowls
Hanaki Kaigan Branch offers the taste of Hanaki, an auberge in Ito hot spring known for its thoughtful hospitality that is limited to two couples a day, at a reasonable price with easy-to-use seaside cuisine.
The best item on the menu is the "Kaisen-don," a bowl of rice topped with a variety of carefully selected ingredients, including fresh tuna, horse mackerel, white fish, and button lobster, all of which are landed in various regions of Japan. The simmered dishes and sesame tofu that come with the set meals and rice bowls are also prepared with seasonal ingredients and handmade with care, and are gems that you will want to savor from start to finish with the spirit of hospitality.
Ito's local kinme, a whole piece of kinme, is boiled and served in a sauce made of soy sauce and sugar.
The fish used at the restaurant are mainly fresh fish purchased directly from the Ito fish market. The kinmedai used in the stew is the high-end "Ito's Jikinmedai," a species that lives between Izu Oshima and Izu Inatori. It is caught by single-stream fishing, which begins at sunrise, and is carefully preserved in ice water to ensure its excellent freshness. The soft and fluffy white meat of the "simmered kinmedai" (whole kinmedai), which is simmered for one hour, is deliciously delicious as you bite into it.
- Hanagoyomi Kaigan Branch
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- 5-15 Shizukai-cho, Ito-shi, Shizuoka MAP
- 10 minutes drive from JR Ito Station
- 11:30-19:00 (L.O.)
- Tuesdays (open if Tuesday is a national holiday)
- 0557-38-7543
- Free of charge
3Aji no Ten Gomiya
Seafood restaurant with a long line of customers even before opening!
Located about a 4-minute walk from JR Ito Station, this restaurant specializes in fish dishes. The restaurant's unpretentious atmosphere offers hearty sashimi set menus and bowls of rice topped with a variety of seafood carefully selected from fishing ports in Izu, Numazu, and Odawara.
The specialty is the "Gomiya Omakase Donburi. About 20 different types of seasonal seafood purchased that day are generously arranged in a bowl. The large slices of fish are very satisfying. No wonder there is a line of customers waiting in line even before the restaurant opens.
The local delicacy "Negomeshi" is also exquisite!
Ito's local cuisine, "Negomeshi," which consists of red and white fish, as well as squid tataki on a bed of rice, can be enjoyed only at this restaurant. Negomeshi, which is said to have its origin in fisherman's food, is basically served with bonito and kelp broth. It is served with grated ginger and miso on top. Once you try it, you will become addicted to it.
- Aji no Ten Gomiya
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- 1-12-18 Yugawa, Ito-shi, Shizuoka MAP
- Approximately a 4-minute walk from JR Ito Station
- 11:30-13:55, 18:00-20:30
- Thursdays and the 3rd Wed.
- 0557-38-5327
- Free of charge
4Suzumaru Sushi Restaurant
Enjoy nigiri (hand-rolled sushi) with local fish landed that day!
This sushi restaurant is well known locally for its nigirizushi made from locally caught fish. The owner of the restaurant is particular about the freshness of the ingredients and personally catches fish from his own fishing boat, and also purchases fresh seafood caught in Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay directly from the fishing boats. The restaurant also focuses on local fish caught in the Ito area, and you may even come across rare fish.
Our recommended lunch is the "Tokusen Jugyo" which includes 10 pieces of nigiri, mainly local fish, and homemade egg omelet. You can enjoy carefully crafted sushi, focusing on seasonal fish.
At night, enjoy a delicious menu of local fish
In the evening, a wide variety of fish dishes other than sushi are available. From fall to winter, Izu's famous kinmedai (sea bream) and kabuto (black rockfish) are served. The plump meat is covered with a sweet and spicy broth, making it an irresistibly delicious dish. From spring to fall, the restaurant serves grilled fish such as garincho (black rockfish), commonly known as garincho, which is caught in the surrounding waters. Other local fish, of which different types are caught daily, are served in the most suitable cooking method.
- Sushi no Suzumaru
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- 1-8-36 Ino, Ito-shi, Shizuoka MAP
- 5 min. walk from JR Ito Station
- 11:00-22:00
- Wednesday
- 0557-36-7387
- Pay parking (one-hour parking coupon will be given to customers who dine at the restaurant).
5Steak Ikeda
Enjoy authentic teppan cuisine with an affordable lunch menu
Despite being a famous teppanyaki restaurant, lunch is easily enjoyed at this popular restaurant. Brand-name Japanese black beef and other domestic beef, as well as fresh seafood from Izu, are cooked on the teppan in front of you by our skilled chefs.
The lunch menu offers a wide range of dishes from reasonable prices starting at 1,700 yen, such as "100% Beef Teppan Grilled Hamburger Steak" and "Steak Hamburger Pilaf," to course menus and set menus. To enjoy Izu seafood grilled on a teppan, try the full Ikeda Lunch Course, which features Japanese beef as the main course. The restaurant offers Izu's seafood from the mountains and the sea, grilled to the perfect degree of perfection to bring out the best of the ingredients.
Enjoy the luxurious space and cuisine
Sit at the counter overlooking the beautifully landscaped Japanese garden and enjoy the carefully selected ingredients transformed into exquisite dishes by the chefs. The chefs' skillful hands are so impressive that you can't help but admire them as they unfold in front of your eyes. You can enjoy a luxurious lunch not only in terms of taste but also visually.
- Steak Ikeda
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- 2-4-8 Hirono, Ito-shi, Shizuoka MAP
- 7 minutes walk from Minami Ito Station of Izukyu Line
- 11:30 - 14:30 (L.O.), 17:00 - 20:30 (L.O.)
Saturday, Sunday, Holidays 11:30 - 20:30 (L.O.) *Lunch L.O. 14:30 - No holidays
- 0557-36-7611
0120-41-2939 (Reservations only) - Free of charge
MAP
- Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
Local Guide who was in charge of this article
- Rikei Jitsukata Story teller
Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
Ito Hot Spring, Shizuoka Prefecture- Hoshino Resorts KAI Ito
- An inn where you can enjoy the luxury of hot springs with a hot spring bathhouse, souce-of-spring pool, and footbaths.
Ito Hot Spring, Shizuoka Prefecture- Hoshino Resorts KAI Anjin
- A modern hot spring inn with Guest rooms with ocean views and artwork related to the sea and boat trips