7 recommended lunches in Nikko (from popular restaurants to gourmet holes)
Nikko is one of the most popular sightseeing areas in Tochigi Prefecture, and is home to numerous tourist attractions, including Nikko Toshogu Shrine. As such, there are many famous gourmet restaurants in the area. From restaurants where you can taste locally produced foods to old-fashioned cafes with a great atmosphere, we will introduce popular lunch spots that you may want to stop by during your trip.
1Nikko Whale Restaurant
Nikko Kujira Shokudo is located in Kujira-cho and is a renovated 50+ year old private house. About 10 types of pasta and fluffy omelette rice are popular here.
Recommended is the Japanese-style carbonara. The "Ebi ya no Nikko Yuba topped Carbonara" uses yuba from a long-established shrimp shop, and features the gentle flavor of dried yuba returned in dashi broth in a rich white sauce. The popular omelette rice is a gem of softly cooked rice wrapped in a Tochigi egg and topped with a rich white sauce.
The lunch menu, which includes an appetizer made with fresh vegetables from Nikko, a handmade dessert, and a drink, focuses on local production for local consumption. On Saturdays and Sundays, appetizers are served in small bowls.
Quaint interior
The warm wooden interior of the restaurant was remodeled by "Geigakudo" Kosaka, a door artist, and the distinctive door welcomes you. There is a piano in the waiting room, and they sometimes hold mini-concerts. Basically, the restaurant is only open for lunch, but it is also open for dinner upon reservation.
- Nikko Whale Restaurant
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238-6 Kujira-cho, Nikko, Tochigi MAP
From JR Nikko Station or Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station, take the Tobu Bus bound for Chuzenji Hot Spring (approx. 14 min.), get off at the "Anrasawa" stop, and walk approx. 7 minutes.
11:00-15:30 (L.O. 14:30)
Closed on weekends and holidays
0288-53-2206
Free of charge
2Old private house Sake Boutique Zaion
Restaurant where you can eat plenty of morning-picked vegetables from their own farm. There is a farm just 15 minutes away from the restaurant that produces dozens of different crops throughout the year, including rice, vegetables, and herbs.
The "Naoine Lunch" is a creative course that allows you to taste a lot of these vegetables. The ingredients include pork from Tochigi Prefecture and seafood directly from Sanriku fishermen and fish stores that the owner met as a volunteer, making for a hearty meal.
The colorful five-piece appetizers are a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. For the main course, you can choose from pork stewed for 8 to 9 hours, the restaurant's specialty Kaisen Chirashi Sushi, or one of the monthly specialties. In addition, a homemade dessert and drink are also included in the menu, making it a very satisfying meal.
An old private house arranged in a neo-classic style
The building of Naoine is an old private house that was moved from the Osawa area east of Imaichi more than 100 years ago. The owner, who has experience living abroad, spent two and a half years painstakingly rebuilding the building. It is a very nice space that blends retro and modern styles.
The English word "zion" is a slang word meaning "a peaceful place. It fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the restaurant. There are tables, a tatami room, and counter seating, as well as a private room in the back of the restaurant that looks like a hideaway.
- Zaion, an old private house restaurant
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- 285 Moritomo, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
Approximately 7 minutes from Shimo-Imaichi Station on the Tobu Railway Line by car.
Approximately 18 minutes from JR Nikko Station and Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station by car.- 11:30 - 14:00 (L.O. 13:30), 18:00 - 22:00 (Friday, Saturday, and days before holidays - 22:30)
Closed for lunch as of July 2024. - Sunday, 3rd Monday (open the day before a holiday, sometimes closed on the 2nd and 4th Monday)
- 0288-22-8488
- Free of charge
Reservations required for private rooms (free of charge)
Closed for lunch as of July 2024.
3Mountain Restaurant
This café-restaurant is located at the entrance to Kirifuri Kogen. The menu is centered on grilled dishes in an authentic North American style. The dishes, rich in originality, are all generously portioned and American-sized. You can enjoy Nikko's famous rainbow trout, yunami, home-grown Nikko maitake mushrooms, and other seasonal dishes that make the most of the season's ingredients.
There are three types of course meals, the most popular of which is "Course A," which includes a choice of "U.S. sirloin (200 g)," "mixed grilled fish and shellfish," or "Japanese grade 3 sirloin (200 g)," soup, salad, home-made bread or rice, and coffee. In addition, you can enjoy a luxurious meal of handmade cheesecake from the affiliated restaurant "Meiji no Yakata" (Meiji Museum).
Restaurant Surrounded by Nikko's Nature
The "Restaurant in the Mountains" is located in Nikko National Park. It is located at an elevation of 800 meters and is surrounded by mountains, including the Nikko mountain range. The building is designed in a North American style using Canadian wood to blend in with the rich natural surroundings. The restaurant has an open-air atrium with plenty of windows from which to view the mountain scenery during each of the four seasons.
The view from inside the restaurant on the first floor or from the observation floor on the second floor is wonderful, but on a clear day, you should definitely go to the terrace. In particular, the seats closer to the north are the best seats from which you can look down on the Kirifurino Falls. Around the end of Golden Week, about 15,000 azalea plants can be seen turning the mountainside pink.
Jazz concerts are held four times a year during each season, so a visit is also recommended.
- Mountain Restaurant
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- 1546 Tokorono, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture Kirifuri Falls MAP
- 9 minutes drive from JR Nikko Station or Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station
- From JR Nikko Station or Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station, take the Tobu Bus Nikko. 1 minute walk from the "Kirifuri Falls" stop.
- 10:00-20:00 (L.O.19:00)
- Wednesdays (open if Wednesday is a national holiday, closed on Tuesdays in lieu)
- 0288-50-1525
- Free of charge
4Japanese Cuisine Rokoan
The café is housed in a renovated 200-year-old house, and was opened by the owner, who was a teacher at a cooking school in Tokyo for nearly 20 years before returning to his hometown and opening the café with his wife.
The restaurant offers a Japanese omakase course (from 4,000 yen) by reservation only, and since the entire building can be rented out, it has a premium feel.
However, on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, the restaurant offers reasonable lunches that do not require reservations, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The limited-quantity lunches include the "Kakiage Gozen with seasonal vegetables" and, during the current season, the "Roshin-an Special Sea Bream Chazuke Gozen". Each lunch comes with 7 to 8 "rice dishes". The main ingredients are locally produced, and the dishes are rich in flavor and color, such as sesame paste and sweet potato stewed with honey.
The antique atmosphere of the restaurant
Roshin-an stands quietly in the mountain village of Okorogawa in Nikko. The owner took over his ancestral home and opened the restaurant. The ancestor was a wealthy merchant who was successful in the lumber business, and the gate at the entrance is so magnificent that a gatekeeper used to live inside. The spacious garden and warehouses also show the prosperity of the time.
The restaurant is divided into a main hall with two eight-mat rooms, a wooden floor with counter seats, and a private room for up to six people. The atmosphere of the past remains in the vintage pillar clocks and furniture, and the room is decorated with a collection of antiques.
After dinner, we recommend ordering a cup of the restaurant's select coffee and relaxing on the porch while enjoying chatting and looking around the garden and the interior design.
- Japanese Cuisine Rokoan
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- 2953-1, Shonokogawa, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
- Approximately 24 minutes from Shimo-Imaichi Station on the Tobu Railway Line by car.
Approximately 26 minutes from JR Nikko Station and Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station by car. - 11:00-16:00 (limited lunch available from 11:30-14:00, ends when sold out. Courses on request)
- Limited lunch: Monday-Friday (except national holidays), courses: Saturday, Sunday, and lunch on national holidays
- 070-3163-0917
- Free of charge
- Reservations required at least 3 days in advance for courses; from 2 persons (may not be reserved for 2 persons).
No credit cards accepted
5Nikko Spa Restaurant
This restaurant specializes in homemade fresh pasta using water from the Nikko mountain range. The pasta is made from a blend of durum semolina flour and Tochigi wheat flour and aged slowly for 72 hours. As a result, it has a firm wheat flavor and a firmer texture. It is 3 mm thick and extremely filling.
The pasta menu is full of originality, including meat sauces and Japanese-style pasta using Nikko's soy sauce. More than 10 types of pasta are always available, and you can choose a large serving of pasta (1.5 times the amount of pasta), as well as thin dry noodles.
The "Spa Shop Special," available only for lunch on weekdays, is a set of pasta dishes at a discount. It includes your choice of pasta, an assortment of appetizers, dessert, and a drink. There is also a "Nikko Kaido Siesta" that does not include dessert.
Pasta in a trattoria-style restaurant
The main restaurant is located in Utsunomiya and is a pasta and pizza restaurant famous for such dishes as "the thickest meat sauce in Utsunomiya. The restaurant is also proud of its "Superb Meat Sauce with Tochigi Prefecture Black Wagyu Beef," a super thick sauce made by adding custom-made coarsely ground beef and boiling it down to three times its normal thickness. Slices of Tochigi black wagyu beef flavored with red wine are also added, giving the dish a punchy taste and volume that makes you feel as if you are eating a meat dish.
These specialties and many other exciting and special dishes based on authentic pasta can also be enjoyed at the Nikko restaurant. In the trattoria (Italian popular diner) style interior, you can enjoy a memorable and enjoyable dining experience.
- Nikko Spa Restaurant
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- 456-2 Ishinada-cho, Utsunomiya-shi, Tochigi MAP
- Approximately 21 minutes from Tobu Railway Shimo-Imaichi Station by car
Approximately 23 minutes from JR Nikko Station and Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station by car - From JR Nikko Station, take the Kanto Jidosha Bus bound for JR Utsunomiya Station (approx. 37 min.); approx. 4 min. walk from Sakaki-Sato Bus Stop.
- Mon, Wed, Thu (Open only during lunch time) 11:30 - 14:30 (L.O.)
Friday 11:30 - 14:30 (L.O.), 17:00 - 21:30 (L.O.)
Saturday, Sunday, Holidays 11:00-14:30(L.O.), 17:00-21:00(L.O.) - Tuesdays (open if Tuesday is a national holiday)
- 028-669-2651
- Free of charge
6Ramen Donguri
This ramen restaurant has been in operation for 36 years, with two generations of mothers and daughters. The menu is recommended by the second generation, who trained at a famous restaurant in Hokkaido.
The "Nidaime Shio Ramen" is a blend of niboshi (dried sardines) and chicken broth with an original salt sauce made from natural sea salt. It is light yet rich, with an elegant flavor that makes you want to eat it every day. The noodles are medium-thick and straight, and the flavorful oil flavored with onion is well balanced with a hint of yuzu, which is refreshing. Toppings include pork shoulder roast tender pork chashu pork and Japanese bamboo shoots.
The set meal, which includes three gyoza and a small rice bowl, includes the garlic-flavored, vegetable-filled gyoza that were directly handed down from the restaurant's predecessor.
Stylish café-style interior
The interior of the restaurant is decorated in a white café style, and is casually adorned with Mashiko pottery lamps and handmade accessories made by artists in Tochigi Prefecture.
There is a corner selling accessories and handmade goods, as well as toys for children. The restaurant has a reputation for being easy to enter, not only for men, but also for women on their own or with small children.
The spicy miso sauce tsukemen is also highly recommended.
- Ramen Donguri
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- 1622-6 Moritomo, Nikko, Tochigi MAP
- Approximately 10 minutes from Shimo-Imaichi Station on the Tobu Railway Line by car.
Approximately 12 minutes from JR Imaichi Station by car
Approximately 20 minutes from JR Nikko Station and Tobu Railway Tobu Nikko Station by car - Mon, Thu-Saturday 11:00-15:00 (L.O.14:30), 17:00-20:30 (L.O.20:00)
Tuesday and Wednesday 11:00-15:00(L.O.14:30)*Open for lunch only
Sunday 11:00-15:00(L.O.14:30), 17:00-20:00(L.O.19:30)
Soup will be closed when sold out. - Closed on Mondays and irregular holidays
- 0288-25-6025
- Free of charge
- Reservations: Not accepted for lunch, from 3 people for dinner
7Ramen Aristocrat
Founded 25 years ago, this ramen shop has many fans among both locals and tourists. Even on weekdays, many people visit the restaurant as soon as it opens.
The signature item, karubi ramen, which is ordered by about 80% of customers, is a luxurious dish made with plenty of high-quality karubi meat for steaks. The bright orange soup, reminiscent of kimchi nabe, is refreshingly spicy and moderately sour, enhancing the sweetness of the Ashikaga Wagyu beef. The chewy, thick, curly noodles go well with the dish, and there are plenty of vegetables such as green onions, carrots, eggs, radish, and shiitake mushrooms. It is also attractive in that it is hearty yet healthy.
A very popular restaurant that fills up as soon as it opens.
Gyoza (Chinese dumplings) are a must-have with the Kalbi Ramen. The dumplings are handmade daily in the restaurant's kitchen and are characterized by the abundant use of chives, so much so that when you bite into one, the cross-section of the dumpling looks green. You can enjoy the flavor of the meat and the aroma of the chives as they spread in your mouth.
Another great point is that all soft drinks, including after-meal coffee, are free during lunch hours. Soft serve ice cream is also very popular, with an unusual system that allows customers to serve their own cream. In addition to the well-known vanilla and chocolate flavors, unusual flavors such as cookies & cream and apricot bean curd are also available.
- Ramen Aristocrat
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- 340-1 Moritomo, Nikko, Tochigi MAP
- 10 min. drive from JR Imaichi Stn. or Tobu Railway Shimo-Imaichi Stn.
- Mon-Wed 11:30-14:30 (L.O.), 18:00-21:00 (L.O. 20:30)
Fri. and Sat. 11:30 - 14:30 (L.O.), 17:30 - 21:00 (L.O. 20:30)
Sunday 11:30-14:30(L.O.), 17:30-21:00(L.O.20:00) - Thursday, 2nd Wed.
- 0288-22-1811
- Free of charge
