5 Best Restaurants in Nagoya, Ise-Shima, and the Kii Peninsula, Japan

In a perfect world, all school and office canteens would be a bit more like this rustic restaurant in La Chic mall in Sakae. For a reasonable set price, you get all you can eat from a generously stocked buffet, which explains why it is always busy and lively.

Peppery tebasaki (deep-fried chicken wings) are the specialty at the main branch of Nagoya's best-known izakaya chain, though you can also order sashimi, fried noodles and other favorites. The prices are affordable, and it always attracts a lively crowd. If it's full, don't worry: staff can direct to one of another half-dozen Yama-chan (as it's familiarly called) nearby. The picture menu makes ordering easy.

Coffee and sweets are on the menu alongside tofu-based lunches at this mellow but popular café about a 10-minute walk southeast of the castle. Try the Tamatebako Kaiseki lunch set, which comes in an attractive lacquerware box and (alongside pickles, vegetable side dishes, and miso soup) features tofu that's been grilled on skewers and accented with a sweet-savory soy-based sauce.

Cormorants strut around the Japanese garden outside this café owned by a family that upholds the 1,300-year-old ukai tradition. It's a block and a half west of Ryokan Sugiyama. The menu reflects that ukai connection, with sweetfish dishes like ayu-zosui, a rice porridge, and ayu-no-narezushi, a kind of reverse sushi with the ayu stuffed full of rice.