11 Popular Restaurants in Gunma to Stop By Between Sightseeing and Hot Spring Hopping

Founded in 1582, Tamaruya is located in Mizusawa, Ikaho-machi, Shibukawa City.
Tamaruya began by serving udon to visitors staying for therapeutic baths at Ikaho Onsen and worshippers visiting Mizusawa Kannon Temple.
It is widely known as the birthplace of Mizusawa udon.
It serves two types: glossy white “Juwari Udon” and “Koden Kirimugi,” made with whole wheat flour milled in-house with a stone mill.

Suikoen Mizusawa Main Store is a restaurant specializing in Mizusawa udon, one of Japan’s three great udon varieties.
Carrying on more than 400 years of tradition, it is dedicated to additive-free homemade noodles made using only high-quality wheat, natural spring water from the foothills of Mt. Mizusawa, and salt.
The signature menu item is “Maitake Tempura Zaru Udon,” served with soy-based sauce and sesame-walnut sauce.
You can enjoy its rich umami, pleasant bite, and aroma.

Kamakichi is a specialty restaurant for himokawa udon located near the entrance to Sainokawara Park in Kusatsu Onsen.
Opened in 2024, it has been drawing attention as a new gourmet spot in Kusatsu Onsen.
Its most popular item is the “Pork Shabu Kama-Tama (with onsen egg),” featuring tender pork and a soft-cooked hot spring egg.
The udon is boiled only after you order, letting you enjoy its smooth texture and chewy bite.

Osawaya is a popular restaurant where you can enjoy Mizusawa udon with two kinds of dipping sauce.
Osawaya’s Mizusawa udon is known for its firm chew, translucent noodles, and smooth texture.
By repeatedly kneading and resting the dough over two days through 27 different steps, it creates its signature pleasantly chewy texture.

Hotakaya is a specialty shop for yakimanju located in Numata City, Gunma Prefecture.
Since opening in 1980, it has preserved traditional methods while incorporating modern ideas.
Its classic yakimanju is made by grilling dough prepared from wheat flour and rice malt, brushed with a special sweet and savory miso sauce.
It also offers a variety of original items, including yakimanju rusks, sake manju, and inaka manju.

Homuraan Main Store is a specialty shop in Numata City, Gunma Prefecture, producing and selling yakimanju directly.
It was founded in 1981 and has been loved by locals and tourists alike for more than 40 years.
It uses carefully selected domestic wheat and homemade koji. The dough is slowly fermented and steamed until fluffy using high-temperature steam.
Its yakimanju comes in two types: the simple classic version and a filled version with red bean paste. You can dine in starting from one skewer.

A long-established yakimanju shop founded in 1960, Chuji Chaya Honpo is known for its larger-sized yakimanju.
Its soft and fluffy plain manju is made with specially prepared wheat flour, then coated generously with a homemade sauce blending special miso and several kinds of sugar.
The result is a delicious item with a sweet and salty flavor.

Mayuzumi no Konnyakuya is a factory-direct shop using locally produced konnyaku.
While preserving traditional methods, it offers a wide range of products such as black konnyaku, white konnyaku, and aonori seaweed konnyaku.
Its signature item is “Miso Oden,” perfectly matched with a sweet and savory miso sauce.
You can order from one skewer and enjoy its pleasantly springy texture.

Gunma Prefecture is said to account for most of Japan’s konnyaku production. Located in what could be called a sacred place for konnyaku is the theme park Konnyaku Park.
A free buffet with a variety of konnyaku dishes and sweets, along with an all-you-can-pack konnyaku offer for 648 yen, are especially popular.
There is also a foods market selling freshly harvested vegetables from Gunma.

Gyuya Kiyoshi is a specialty restaurant serving sukiyaki and shabu-shabu for more than 60 years.
It offers dishes that make the most of local ingredients, including Gunma’s branded Joshu beef. Its signature item is sukiyaki made with A5-rank Joshu black wagyu beef.
It pairs perfectly with the warishita sauce. Shirataki made from Gunma-grown konnyaku potatoes absorbs plenty of broth and creates a rich texture.

Shitamiya Main Store is a long-established diner with more than 80 years of history, known as the birthplace of sauce katsudon.
It uses pork tenderloin. Coated in custom-made breadcrumbs and slowly fried in a blend of lard and salad oil, the cutlet becomes so tender it can be cut with chopsticks.
Its secret sauce is known for its light and refined flavor, with an excellent balance of sweetness and savoriness.