11 Popular Restaurants Where You Can Enjoy Yamanashi’s Unique Local Flavors

Momijitei is a restaurant in Fujikawaguchiko where you can enjoy the local specialty hoto.
Its rich flavor comes from house-made miso that has been aged for two years using the same method since the restaurant first opened. The soup, made with added nanban miso, is rich yet light on the palate.
It is packed with fresh vegetables such as pumpkin, taro, and mushrooms.
Among the menu items, the beef hoto, which makes the most of the flavor of beef, is especially popular and very filling.

Sengen Chaya is located in Fujiyoshida City, a highland area at the northern foot of Mt. Fuji.
The hoto at Sengen Chaya is known for its rich, comforting flavor that reflects the warmth of the local area.
A popular menu item is the mushroom hoto. Simmered pumpkin melts into the miso-based broth, creating a dish with rich sweetness.
Other options include Yocchabare hoto, filled with pork, mushrooms, and chicken meatballs.

Kaisen Hoto Senmonten Hoto Labo continues to explore new menu ideas while preserving the essential elements of hoto.
Challenging the image of landlocked Yamanashi, its signature dish is seafood hoto filled with crab, salmon, shrimp, salmon roe, and other seafood.
It also serves original hoto creations such as sukiyaki hoto and tantan hoto that go beyond conventional ideas of the dish.

Koshu Hoto Kosaku Kofu Ekimae Branch is a place where you can enjoy hoto in a calm atmosphere.
The restaurant’s most popular item is the pumpkin hoto. The soup, made with secret stock and original miso, clings to the noodles, while the flavor of vegetables melted into the broth spreads across your palate.
Made using a method passed down since the restaurant’s founding, the noodles stay pleasantly firm even after simmering, making for a very satisfying bowl.

Genji is a restaurant where you can enjoy Yoshida udon, a local specialty of the Fujiyoshida area in Yamanashi Prefecture.
The soup, made by the owner, a former Japanese chef, blending soy sauce and miso, and the smooth noodles with a pleasant texture are well regarded.
The most popular dish is the Nikuten udon. Other menu options include kake, tsuke, and chilled tanuki udon.

A long-established Yoshida udon restaurant founded Approx. 70 years ago, now run by the third generation.
It is said to be the birthplace of Yoshida udon made with horse meat, now considered standard.
It features very firm, chewy noodles, and you can adjust the flavor with the restaurant’s original seasoning, suridane.
Horse meat is used for the meat topping, and cabbage as a side is also standard. The restaurant’s dedication to ingredients also stands out, including its refusal to use any chemical seasonings.

Ganso Miura Udon is a well-known Yoshida udon restaurant that uses house-made hand-cut noodles prepared with the same method and ingredients it has used since opening in 1981.
The most popular dish is the meat udon. The soup, made by combining niboshi-based stock with local Yoshida miso and soy sauce, pairs perfectly with the thick, chewy noodles.
Another reason for its popularity is its reasonable price, offering solid portions for just one coin.

Hakata Yasai Makigushi kanya is a kushiyaki izakaya in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture.
Centered on yasai makigushi, vegetables wrapped in pork belly, it serves more than 20 kinds of skewered dishes.
Yakitori and namero made with Yamanashi’s branded Koshu jidori chicken are also popular items.
You can enjoy its concentrated flavor and firm texture.

Founded in 1913, this long-established restaurant serves handmade soba and Kofu gourmet food.
It is also famous as the birthplace of Kofu torimotsuni, a local Kofu specialty that has been drawing attention.
It serves Kofu torimotsuni made with chicken liver, heart, gizzard, and tamamichi (egg yolk sacs), coated in a sweet and savory sauce based on sugar and soy sauce.
It is a perfect dish both as a side for rice and as a snack with drinks.

Fruit Cafe Bella Vista is located inside Fruit Park Fujiya Hotel in Esohara, Yamanashi City.
This resort-style cafe offers seasonal views through its large windows. Its specialty is seasonal parfaits loaded with fruit from Yamanashi Prefecture.
In spring, you can enjoy strawberries, in summer peaches, and in fall grapes, offering flavors unique to each season.
Among them, the Shine Muscat parfait is especially popular for its gorgeous presentation.

Budoya kofu Hanaterrace café is located inside Fuji Oishi Hanaterrace.
In addition to Budoya kofu’s signature raisin sandwiches and grape juice, it sells fruit soft serve made generously with Yamanashi-grown peaches and juices made from various grape varieties.
Its most popular items are sweets lavishly made with seasonal fruits.
You can also enjoy parfaits and plates made with seasonal ingredients such as strawberries, peaches, muscat grapes, and chestnuts.