Foodies Asia (en)For "foodies" who are particular about food.

 

The Route 41, also known as the Buri Kaido or Nobel Birth Road, is a national highway that connects Nagoya to Hida and Toyama.

Along this route, many public works such as the reconstruction of Ise Bay typhoon and dam construction have been carried out, making it a historic treasure trove of hearty meals aimed at Gatten-style workers.

Here, we will pick up the top gourmet B-class restaurants that are so delicious that foodies cannot help but nod their heads, starting from Hida City to Takayama City to Shirakawa City.

 

 

What’s the Route 41？

A national highway with a total length of 268.3 km running through Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, and the Chubu region.

 

The route 41 is commonly referred to as “Yoniichi.”

Historically, the Route 41 was known as the “Buri Road,” as it was used as a route for transporting seafood from Toyama Bay to Hida Takayama (and even to Matsumoto) through the Noge Pass.

Recently, it has earned the nickname “Nobel Road,” due to the five Nobel Prize winners who have a connection to the route, in addition to its image as a road for transporting buri, a type of fish.

Along this route, due to many public works projects such as the recovery of the Ise Bay Typhoon and dam construction, it has become a historical treasure trove of hearty meals aimed at Gatten-style workers.

For food lovers, the route is an irresistible destination with its numerous B-grade gourmet restaurants picked up from Hida City to Takayama City to Gero City.

There are also B-class gourmet legacy-class shops where the owner is elderly and it is unknown for how many more years the delicacy can be enjoyed, so let’s take the opportunity to visit now!

 

Recommended restaurants in Hida City (1)

Hida Hosoe Station; ‘Hormone Set Meal’ from “Kaoru”

Ave. Budget: 1,000-2,000 JPY

Check the information on Tabelog

 

This is a hidden gem of a yakiniku restaurant located at the north end of the central part of Hida-Furukawa, a yakiniku restaurant known for its affordability.

It can be considered to have a national level of quality as one of the best B-grade gourmet places along Route 41 for blue-collar workers.

They mainly use Hida beef and are known among foodies as one of the places to get the most affordable Hida beef.

It’s a well-known fact that their set meal of hormone is only 900 yen and set meal of kalbi is only 1,100 yen, which is a great value.

If you want to have a good meal, the Mix Set Meal in the photo is recommended.

 

Infomation of “Kaoru”
Business Hours: 11:00-19:00
Holiday: Irregular
Telephone: 0577-75-2450
Address: 294, Noguchi, Furukawa-cho, Hida-shi 509-4204
Official web

 

 

Recommended restaurants in Takayama City (2)

Ueeda-station; ‘Tofu steak set meal’ at “Kunihachi Shokudo”

Ave. Budget: Lunch below 1,000 JPY,  Dinner 1,000-2,000 JPY / “Set meal 100 stores 2021′ on Tabelog

Check the information on Tabelog

 

A teppanyaki restaurant located about 10 minutes by car north of the city center of Takayama.

Although the “beef hormone set meal” is also highly recommended, the signature “tofu steak set meal” for 730 yen must be tried.

The rich sauce and the tofu that makes you think that tofu is indeed tofu.

The “Pickled Steak” is a specialty of Hida, which is said to have originated from the pickles that froze in the cold and were grilled on the iron plate.

This style of grilling everything on an iron plate to make it delicious is familiar to the Hida people. That’s why the menu becomes delicious through kneading.

If you think half serving of tofu is not enough, don’t worry.

There are plenty of single item menus like “Grilled Hormone” for 450 yen, so feel free to add it without hesitation.

It is a very popular restaurant with a line, selected as “Set meal 100 stores” on Tabelog.

It is best to arrive 30 minutes before 11:00 AM when it opens, especially during lunchtime, as there is a high chance you won’t be able to get in if you don’t line up early.

If you’re planning to go, it’s recommended to go later at 13:30 towards the end of lunch or in the early evening before 18:00 or after 20:00 when there are fewer cars parked in front of the restaurant. However, keep in mind that they may run out of food, so it’s up to luck.

 

Infomation of “Kunihachi Shokudo”
Business Hours: 11:00-14:40, Dinner 17:00-20:30(LO.19:50)
Holiday: Wed.
Telephone: 0577-33-5171
Address: 1441-3, Shimokiri-cho, Takayama-shi 506-0041

 

 

Nagisa-station; ‘Kei-chan set meal” from “Drive-in Tougeya”

Ave. Budget: Lunch below 1,000 JPY

Check the information on Tabelog

 

The restaurant is located approximately halfway between the Nagisa and Kuguno stations on the JR Takayama Main Line.

It is a traditional eating place located in the mountains and as the name implies, it is located along Route 41, which evokes a nostalgic feeling with its naming as a “Drive-In.”

The specialty of the restaurant is a local dish from the Okumino and Hida region, “Keichan”, which is a simple dish of marinated chicken with cabbage and other vegetables that is grilled and then served with a sauce based on soy sauce or miso.

The flavor of “kei-chan” varies greatly depending on the region, the restaurant, and the household, but this restaurant’s version is based on miso and has a taste close to a soup-like stew.

Even the lunch set meal is served with the ingredients not fully cooked and customers have to finish cooking it on the tabletop stove.

Whether it’s chicken or pork, a raw egg is apparently a must.

As a secret menu not listed on the menu, I have heard that “fried rice” is said to be exquisite, but I have not tried it yet.

When driving along Route 41, I guess it’s time to try that next.

 

Infomation of “Drive-in Tougeya”
Business Hours: 10:00～19:00
Holiday: Irregular
Telephone: TBA
Address: 48−1, Tokusabora, Kugunomachi, Takayama-shi 509-3216

 

 

Recommended restaurants in Gero City (2)

Hida Kosaka; ‘Ton-chan set meal’ from “Toshi-chan”

Ave. Budget: below 1,000 JPY

Check the information on Tabelog

 

Toshichan is a dining hall located just as you enter the Hida Kosaka town as you head south from the 41st line in the direction of Gero.

It’s a 1000 yen set meal and is the specialty of the restaurant.

Unlike Tagou, this area has more Pork Chan than Chicken Chan.

Since the taste of “Keichan” varies greatly depending on the region, store, and household, the taste here is close to a hearty stew, based on miso.

It is placed on the stove built into the table, but it is served almost completely cooked.

The unique feature of this store is that, along with meat and vegetables, even the udon is also grilled.

The proprietress kindly says “If you need more rice, I’ll bring you some more”, but with udon & a large serving of rice, it’s already more than enough for a typical serving.

Here, we also crack the raw egg and eat it like a Suki-Yaki.

The sauce is the best.

 

Infomation of “Toshi-chan”
Business Hours: 7:00～16:00
Holiday: Mon. Irregular
Telephone: 0576-62-3567
Address: 506-1, Monsaka, Kosaka-machi, Gero-shi 509-3102

 

 

Hida Miyata: ‘Fried chicken set meal’ from “Hinokiya”

Ave. Budget: Lunch 1,000-2,000 JPY, Dinner 2,000-3,000 JPY

Check the information on Tabelog

 

Compared to the four shops mentioned earlier that still maintain the appearance of traditional lunch restaurants, “Goudo Shoku Hinokiya” is a shop that gives off a sense of high-endness like a traditional Japanese cuisine and small dish restaurant.

However, their lunch options can also be quite rustic.

There are menu items that are typical of the Hida region, such as “Keichan set meal” (900 yen), “Houba Miso set meal” (1,000 yen), “Tofu Yakit set meal” (800 yen), but my personal favorite is “Karaage set meal” (1,300 yen).

This is a lunch set meal with plenty of side dishes in the style of a small dishes restaurant, but the main highlight is still the chicken for its deliciousness.

This dish, “chicken chang” which is a local specialty, is also connected to the time when chicken farming became very popular in this area, and you can fully enjoy the deliciousness of the chicken meat.

 

Infomation of “Hinokiya”
Business Hours: 11:00-14:00 , Dinner 17:30-20:00
Holiday: Wed.
Telephone: 0576-62-2375
Address: 661-1, , Kosaka-machi, Gero-shi 509-3105
Official web

 

 

 

 

 

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