19 Best Restaurants in Tohoku, Japan

As you approach the restaurant's entrance, look for the displays of seasonal vegetables and local sake, so you know you're in the right place. Delicious, unique regional dishes such as the highly recommended pickle selection served on antique plates by friendly staff. "All of Akita in one building" is promised (and delivered). There is something for everyone. Look for the statue of the namahage (a fearsome monster from Akita's mountains) outside the entrance.

Hearty soba is made from buckwheat, and Azuma-ya is easily Morioka's most famous place to eat these healthy noodles. The second level is devoted to the courageous with an appetite, where wanko soba courses—all you could possibly want to eat—are served. The ground floor is for a more casual (and less competitive) dining experience. If you don't want the eating challenge, order from their many other dishes. Keep in mind that they close for a two-hour break at 3 pm and stop taking orders by 8 pm.

Claiming to be the birthplace of Sendai's famous gyutan (grilled beef tongue), this little hole in the wall proudly serves excellent and inexpensive meals. It is a very casual environment but can get crowded with lines forming before opening.

Acclaimed executive chef and owner Okuda Masayuki prepares Italian dishes that are totally original and reflect the region. The cuisine upholds the commitment to the freshest ingredients, including the produce, fish, and meat, with a focus on local products. A set menu is offered at four different price levels and varies seasonally with the aim of enlivening the natural flavors and aromas of Shonai. The dishes need few condiments, creating perfectly combined, delicate flavors that are more important than heavy sauces or big portions. The success of Chef Okuda's style is evident in the other endeavors, including area food tours and restaurants in Tokyo and other parts of the country. Keep in mind that the restaurant has a sporadic schedule (especially in winter), so make reservations.

When you step through the sliding doors into what seems like someone's house, the sea creatures you might not recognize in the aquarium or packed on ice at the front give you a big hint about what you'll be enjoying—all manner of seasonal shellfish and fish—fried, grilled, and served raw. The vegetable dishes are similarly fantastic. The menu changes seasonally, but you can be drinking excellent local sake with friendly regulars any time of the year. It can get a bit pricey, but if you're a seafood fan you'll find it to be almost cheap for what you get. It is in a lively neighborhood filled with bars and nightlife, just to the west of the red-tiled Hotel New Carina. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends.

This good choice for seafood and sake offers can't-beat lunch deals. However, it's not all seafood, so rest assured that the Miyagi area, also known for its beef, is ready to show off. The place is very casual and also a great spot to sit at the counter and watch chefs at work.

On an unassuming corner in this major seafood city sits a restaurant serving some of the best of what is available from these cold waters. Dinner is not cheap, but lunches are more reasonably priced. The restaurant offers excellent service and bright surroundings. A seat at the counter is a great place to watch the chefs work.

Like Champagne, inaniwa udon must be produced in Inaniwa. Established in 1860 and currently in the hands of the eighth generation, this noodle empire has many branches across the region, but this one is less about how the noodles are made and more about enjoying them along with other regional foods and locally brewed sake. Cold udon in a dipping sauce is the way to go, along with the delicious sesame sauce. If you're feeling adventurous, though, try their take on noodles with Thai curries.

What was once an early-20th-century warehouse is now a modern sushi restaurant. The fish here is fresh, and the price is right (and a clear price list is hung on the wall). The casual atmosphere makes it popular among business travelers. The fish served varies according to the season and availability.

In its lively neighborhood, a curtain next to a big red paper lantern leads to this inviting eatery where kinki (deepwater white fish) are carefully grilled on a charcoal fire and other delectables are served. The interior is quaint and inviting, and the walls are plastered with signed posters and artifacts from celebrities.

Tasty, healthful, and authentic dishes from the region are Kikufuji's specialty. Excellent local varieties of sake are also available. It might look like an office building, but the glass case with some of their offerings on display clues you in. There is a picture menu, but it does not include everything they serve on any given day, so you could also look around at other tables to see what strikes you.

It would be hard to walk out of this seafood restaurant hungry. The restaurant has mostly seating on tatami mats on the floor, but there are areas with tables. You might just be focused on the view over the water. It is on the 10th floor of the lofty ASPAM building.

Crowded with locals, Mitsu-ishi has a convivial atmosphere and dishes that appeal to everyone. If you're in the mood for drinks and some finger food, take a seat at the bar where you can watch the action. Look for the mood-lighted white building with boxy dark roof.

It's difficult to travel around Japan and avoid all animal products, but if you're looking to sample some home-cooking-style cuisine, check out this restaurant that is welcoming, lively, and full of healthy vegetarian food—no eggs, meat, fish, dairy, white sugar, or chemicals. This place is hard to find, hidden in what looks like it might be someone's house, so don't miss it. If you're heading from the west, you'll cross a bridge and the tiny noren curtain on your left will be a clue.

While Korean food might not be on your list for a town like Morioka, reimen—a dish of clear noodles served cold with a hard-boiled egg, watermelon, and a slice of meat—has become Morioka's signature dish. It is often served in a set with Korean-inspired items such as bibimbap (rice in a hot stone bowl, topped with pickled vegetables, ground meat, and egg) in this airy modern restaurant near Morioka Station. Evening meals feature meat you can barbecue at your table. You'll have to check in at a machine at the entrance and get a number before going in. Ask for help if you need it.

Try it for yourself and you'll see why people come here from all over Honshu for a cup of the ringo no reisei supu (cold apple soup topped with crusted baked apple skins). The totally organic "miracle" apples that farmer Kimura raises and the dishes chef Yamazaki prepares keep attracting customers. The restaurant's cuisine leans toward the French with a bit of local color, hence all the apples. 

Sagoro will serve you a full dose of some outstanding Yonezawa and Yamagata beef. It will be difficult to forget the beef's impossible tenderness. Although most dishes are pricey in the evenings in this sophisticated, upscale setting, there are some real bargains at lunch.

Yamagata is famous for soba, and Shojiya is the oldest soba restaurant in Yamagata. Go for lunch and then wander around the neighborhood. The immediate area is interesting, with restored irrigation channels where five dams were built in 1623 to control flooding, as well as kimono and tea shops, and the historic city hall building.

While you could come and just enjoy the delicious food, the live shamisen music by local musicians is the main attraction here. Plan to arrive early, remove your shoes, and sit at low tables to start eating before the daily 7:30 pm performance. It's local fare from the Tsugaru region, which tends to be more rustic and more focused on preservation due to the area's harsh winters, so expect stews and fermented items (including squid!) that are on the saltier side, along with many items you'd recognize at any izakaya like grilled fish and things on skewers. Pickled vegetables pair nicely with the local sake. This remote region has a strong identity and produces foods that even people from Japan wouldn't recognize, so if you are an adventurous diner, point and anticipate. Dinner includes a cover charge of ¥700 and entertainment charge of ¥800 per person.