hungry in nara

GYUKATSU KYOTO KATSUGYU

This place is all over the Kansai area including Osaka and Kyoto however I did notice this one isn’t as busy. There are a few locations but I did photo link the location I went to! This would be a good competitor of GYUKATSU MOTOMURA. I think it’s a good idea for you to try this spot to compare to Motomura. I did get what I felt was equivalent to Motomura to compare and I do prefer theirs. I do want to come back to try a more premium cut to see if it’s worth it. They do offer different cuts such as beef tongue, sirloin, wagyu and more but you can also choose a mixed platter set where it includes a sampler offering of several cuts.

ONE OF THE BEST RAMEN IN NARA

Could be the best that Nara has to offer for ramen? FUJIMEN SEIMEN could possible have that crown! The small bowl is about $5 USD or the large bowl for $7 USD which are both quite affordable. Choose between two broths: SAKANA or BUTA. Sakana is a fish broth that light but still has a richness because there is a small portion of pork broth added while Buta is the opposite where it tastes slightly richer but has a lighter addition with the fish stock. You can also choose the noodle type: HOSO-MEN (THICK) or FUTO-MEN (THIN).

UDON SUGGESTIONS FOR THE ROAD

There are two udon spots I got to visit and one of them is a unique way to eat udon. The udon at MENTOUAN (photo above) serves their udon in a pouch. It is soup based and the pouch is of a tofu skin. It was pretty cool to try udon this way as it was my first time. Noodles were bouncy, tofu skin still had a firm bite to it and soup was light. Be sure to arrive early as the queue can get insane.

Another spot (pictured below) MENTOAN serves udon in a its simplistic form. Light broth, great noodles and add ons are perfected here. It is supposedly one of the best in Nara so I would give it a try. Stop by early as it can get hectic here as well.

KAKIGORI ANYTIME OF DAY FOR ME

I think kakigori can be enjoyed anytime even in cold weather. Grant it, it’s probably more enjoyable during the Summer humid months of Japan but I would still be down for it after a lunch/dinner. HOSEKIBAKO is one of the more popular spots but for good reason: their kakigori is pretty great. I love black sesame so that was a nice treat for me.

EVERYONE HAS SEEN THIS GUY

I mean honestly who hasn’t seen viral videos of this? Fresh mochi in the making at NAKATANIDOU MOCHI SHOP on the hour and it is a sight to see. Quick action of pounding of the wooden hammer and hand slapping that has you nervous for his fingers! Mochi is super soft, fresh and filled with red bean plus dusted with kinako (roasted soy bean powder). Priced at about $2 USD, it is a nice treat after lunch or walking around Nara Park. CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE for the Google Maps link. ALSO CHECK THE LINK BELOW FOR THE IG REEL!