Nagano is known for a number of local specialty foods. A few of which were basashi (raw horse sashimi), sauce katsudon (marinated pork cutlet), and soba (buckwheat noodles). We found Nagano Meijitei in Nagano Station that had a meal serving all three. We were able to knock out three birds with one stone. It was getting a little late, so we stopped here for a late lunch after completing the Zenkoji Temple/Shrine Stamp Rally & the Zenkoji Walking Food Tour.

The location of the restaurant was excellent. It was right in the station next to a number of other restaurants. A number of the booths had a nice view of the stations Zenkoji Exit.

Nagano Meijitei Menu

The menu was quite extensive. They had a nice assortment of rice bowls and set meals with a variety of options.

Nagano Meijitei Food Review

We went with the Shinshu Gozen (信州御膳). It came with generous portion sizes of all three local specialties. We were glad that we had decided to share as we were barely able to finish.

The sauce katsudon was the highlight of the meal. The katsu was nice and crispy on the outside, but still juicy and tender on the inside. The sauce on top was sweet and tasty. We could have easily just ordered the sauce katsudon.

One thing we’ve noticed about the handmade specialty soba we’ve had throughout Japan was that they all seemed to have a very elastic and chewy texture. That compared to the dry soba we got at the super market which was much firmer. The soba at Nagano Meijitei was no different. The texture was quite chewy and the cold sauce with green onion and wasabi was a nice compliment.

The basashi was an interesting experience. We were pretty neutral on the taste, when it was plain. It wasn’t particularly good or bad. The main downside for me was how chewy it was. The smaller pieces were fine since they were small enough to swallow. The larger pieces however were very chewy and difficult to bite into smaller manageable pieces. We were also given garlic, ginger, onions, and green onions for garnish. We added them, but since the basashi didn’t really have much of a flavor, it just tasted like the garnished we added to it. It was a nice experience, but not something we’re likely to get again.

Final Thoughts

The prices were a little expensive. However, its super convenient location with three local specialties in one meal made the prices more tolerable. If you only have time for a quick bite to eat at Nagano Station, then we recommend Nagano Meijitei in Nagano for its convenient location and variety of local Nagano specialties.

Note: This restaurant has menus in English upon request.

More to Come…

Here is the link to their website.