From famous restaurants to hole-in-the-wall cafes. 5 Kirishima lunch spots you should go out of your way to visit.
Kirishima is a popular tourist destination within Kagoshima Prefecture. Surrounded by magnificent nature such as the Kirishima mountain range on the border between Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, and the calm Kinko Bay on Sakurajima, the symbol of Kagoshima, Kirishima attracts people with its hot springs, food, and scenery. This article introduces five lunch spots in Kirishima, ranging from popular restaurants to hole-in-the-wall cafes, that you may want to go out of your way to visit.
1Gamakouan
Popular soba restaurant established 47 years ago, where you can enjoy homemade soba and local ingredients in a luxurious atmosphere.
A popular soba (buckwheat noodle) restaurant located near Kirishima Shrine has been in business for 47 years. The buckwheat seeds grown locally in Miyakonojo are ground on a millstone, and the buckwheat noodles are made using spring water, a natural blessing of Kirishima. There are two types of homemade soba: "Nama-soba," which is made on the same day, and "Rural-soba," which is characterized by its thick noodles with a crisp texture.
Of the two, the popular "Nama-soba" menu item, "Jitokori-Soba," has been a favorite for more than 10 years. The light broth, which is a perfect combination of the soup stock inherited from the previous generation and the gravy from the Jitokko chicken, is rich and tasty, soaking into even the coldest body. Vegetables are home-grown or sourced from local farmers.
Soba-ya bread, a perfect snack or souvenir during your trip, is also highly recommended!
The spacious interior seats about 50 people, and since there are not only table seats but also tatami room seats, customers with small children can enjoy their meals with peace of mind.
In the store, you can also buy bread made with 100% Kyushu-grown wheat and natural yeast. Many customers come to the store for the handmade bread made with locally produced jam and red bean paste. Visitors can also enjoy choosing from a wide variety of handmade sweets, processed foods, and local specialties as souvenirs. The seasonal menu item, "amazake" made from glutinous rice and rice malt, is also highly recommended.
2Kurobuta no Yakata Restaurant
A Restaurant where you can taste authentic Kagoshima Kurobuta cuisine and where you can wait in line.
Located about 5 minutes by car from Kirishima Jingu Station, this restaurant serves Kagoshima Kurobuta pork. Kirishima Kogen Pure Kurobuta," which is shipped directly from the ranch, is a Kagoshima Kurobuta that boasts excellent meat quality and has been certified as a 7-star Kirishima Gastronomy brand by "Gensen Kirishima. We recommend the "Kurobuta Katsu-don," a bowl of rice topped with a thin, crispy batter and a perfectly balanced blend of broth and half-boiled egg, which gives the juicy meat a delicious flavor when you bite into it. In order to take advantage of the flavor of the Kurobuta ingredients, the bread crumbs are unsweetened and the broth is made with potherb mustard instead of sugar. The restaurant has been featured in numerous media outlets and is a popular place with a long line of customers.
Children are welcome. A friendly and bright restaurant that caters to everyone from single customers to groups.
The restaurant is spacious, with counter, table, and tatami room seating. Children's chairs are also available, so you can use the restaurant with your children without worry.
In addition to katsudon, the menu includes "katsu set meals," "Kurobuta shabu-katsu curry," "Kurobuta hamburger steak," and "Kurobuta shabu-shabu," which can also be ordered separately. The most popular is the "Kurobuta Sanmikatsu Set Meal. This set meal includes three kinds of katsu (pork cutlets): filet, loin, and shabu katsu, and is so popular that more than 60 orders are placed each day. The restaurant also has a store space where you can purchase Kurobuta pork and sausages on the spot and have them shipped nationwide.
- Kurobuta no Yakata Restaurant
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4962 Nagamizu, Kirishima, Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture MAP
5 min. drive from JR Kirishima Jingu Station
Meals 11:00-15:00, Shopping 11:00-17:00
Wednesdays (closed the next day if Wednesday is a national holiday), Year-end and New Year holidays
0995-57-0713
Free of charge
3chichinpuipui cafe
Quiche plates served in a relaxing space that makes you want to go out of your way to visit.
This café-restaurant is located in Kokubu, Kirishima City, where you can enjoy the clear air of the Kirishima mountain range and the view of the countryside. You can enjoy colorful lunch plates using seasonal vegetables, including Kirishima quiche, which has been certified as a "Gensen Kirishima" dish.
The quiche, which is light and light enough to be eaten like a dessert, is made with ingredients from Kirishima, and the sauce is also homemade. The flavor of the ingredients that fills your mouth is a taste of the season. You will have a happy time, as if by magic.
Stylish interior lighting and antique sundries line the walls of the restaurant.
The restaurant's interior, where the gentle light from the light bulbs and the natural light from outside intersect to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere. The sofa seats for sitting deep and the tasteful woody tables are said to be serving tables that were originally used in an elementary school.
The store is a renovated warehouse that also serves as a general merchandise store. The shop is lined with old-fashioned items and rare items that will intrigue men and women of all ages. Also, the windows offer a view of the countryside, recommended for taking a break while gazing blankly at the flowing clouds.
- chichinpuipui cafe
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- 244-1 Kamii, Kokubu, Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture MAP
- 10 minutes drive from JR Kokubu Station
- Lunch 11:00-15:00 (L.O.14:30), Dinner 18:00-21:00 (L.O.20:30)
Dinner reservations must be made by the day before. - Tuesdays, Wednesdays, New Year's holidays
- 080-4696-4190
- Free of charge
4Kirishima Koji Kura GEN
Koji Restaurant, where you can taste dishes made with "koji" (malted rice).
The Koji Restaurant is located in "Barrel Valley Prague & Gen," a koji theme park not far from Kagoshima Airport. You can enjoy Kagoshima's specialties and koji with all your senses. Under the motto of "contributing to people's beauty and health through koji," the restaurant serves "Roast pork cutlet set meal" and "Tonkotsu-ni (pork bone stew) set meal" using koji pork raised on the company's own farm.
We recommend the "Hamburger Plate" made with amazingly tender and juicy koji pork. The hamburger steak made from koji pork raised on the restaurant's own farm is so tender that it melts in your mouth. The flavor and juices overflow with every bite, and the rich demi-glace sauce is a perfect match.
The modern and colorful interior of the restaurant is impressive.
The restaurant is lined with carefully selected interior decorations, and has both table and tatami room seating to enjoy the modern Japanese-style space. When the weather is fine, you can relax on the terrace while being healed by the sunlight filtering through the trees and the flowers and grasses.
After dinner, we recommend the "koji cream puffs," limited to 55 per day. This koji sweet has been popular since the restaurant opened, and is a superb product created in collaboration with the former chef of the famous French pastry store "Michel Blanc. Visitors can also tour the koji warehouse adjacent to the Restaurant and the factory where they can learn about the history of beer and shochu and how they are made.
- Kirishima Koji Kura GEN
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- 876-15 Fumoto, Mizobe-cho, Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture MAP
- 1 minute drive from Kagoshima Airport (pick-up service available at Kagoshima Airport)
- 11:00-15:00 (L.O. 14:30)
- Wednesdays, Year-end and New Year holidays
- 0995-58-2535
- Free of charge
5Stajio Mominoki
Today's lunch served in a picture book-like pastry shop
This weekend bakery is located in a renovated old house surrounded by nature in Makizono Town, Kirishima City. Run by a couple who love to travel, it was renovated in the image of a Nepalese café. At the entrance of such a cute store, sweet aroma of baked sweets, quiches, cakes and puddings are spreading.
The "Lunch of the Day" menu consists mainly of Thai dishes and spiced curries. The spinach and chicken curry has surprisingly tender meat, and the spices bring out the sweetness of the vegetables. In any case, the lunch menu is full of vegetables and satisfying, and is gentle on the body and makes you feel warm inside and out.
Take a break in a relaxing space filled with natural light.
Every seat offers a different perspective, from counter seats with a view outside to sofa seats with natural light pouring in. The interior of the restaurant, converted from an old private house, utilizes floorboards and windows that were once used in an elementary school, giving the space a nostalgic feel.
A wood-burning stove warms the entire restaurant during the winter, and hot "café au lait" and "brown rice quiche" are recommended after dinner. There are also wooden toys inside the store and a seesaw and swings outside, so customers with children can spend a relaxing time in peace.
- Stajio Fir Tree
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- 2089-8 Kaminakatsugawa, Makizono-cho, Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture MAP
- 10 minutes from JR Kirishima Jingu Station by car
- 11:00-16:00 (Lunch from 11:30)
- Monday-Friday (during events)
- 0995-78-8131
- Free of charge
Local Guide who was in charge of this article
- Mana Yamaguchi Guide to Kirishima
