6 spots โ sorted by traveller rating
Hitachi beef is Ibaraki's premium wagyu brand, raised on the region's rich Kanto plains and prized for its finely marbled texture and deep, buttery flavour. Local steakhouses and yakiniku restaurants in Mito and Hitachi serve the beef in grilled, teppanyaki, and sukiyaki preparations that showcase the quality of the local cattle. At significantly lower prices than Kobe or Matsuzaka beef, Hitachi beef offers exceptional value for wagyu lovers visiting the region.
Anko nabe, or monkfish hot pot, is Ibaraki's most celebrated winter dish, prized for the rich, collagen-laden broth made from the monkfish liver and seven body parts cooked together in a miso or soy-based stock. The fishing port of Oarai is the primary landing point for the large, ugly-but-delicious fish which thrives in the cold winter waters off the Ibaraki coast. Restaurants up and down the coast specialise in the dish from November through March, when the fish are at their fattest and most flavourful.
Kuji chicken is a celebrated brand chicken raised in the rural north of Ibaraki Prefecture, known for its firm texture, clean flavour, and the golden colour of its skin from the grain-rich local diet. The birds are served grilled over charcoal at specialist yakitori restaurants in Kita-Ibaraki and also appear as whole roasted or simmered preparations on local restaurant menus. Pairing Kuji chicken with local sake from one of Ibaraki's small-batch breweries is a quintessential northern Ibaraki dining experience.
Mito is the capital of natto (fermented soybean) culture, home to several hundred-year-old producers of this pungent, stringy superfood. Marumo and Tengu Natto offer factory tours and tasting sessions featuring premium natto in sizes from tiny yukiwari to giant mito-natto, plus natto ice cream and natto ramen for the adventurous eater.
Mito has been Japan's natto capital for centuries, and the sticky fermented soybeans produced here are considered the finest in the country thanks to local water quality and long-refined fermentation techniques. Natto factories and specialty shops are found throughout Mito, and the city hosts an annual natto festival celebrating the pungent, stringy delicacy that divides even Japanese diners. Visitors can try natto in every imaginable form โ over rice, in sushi rolls, in tempura, or even in ice cream โ at dedicated shops near Kairakuen.
Ibaraki is Japan's largest producer of chestnuts, and the harvest season from September through November transforms roadside stalls and confectionery shops across the prefecture. Kuri gohan โ chestnut rice โ is the emblematic autumn dish, fragrant with the nutty sweetness of freshly harvested chestnuts steamed into short-grain rice. Confectioneries in Mito and Tsukuba produce sophisticated chestnut wagashi sweets, Mont Blanc pastries, and chestnut paste desserts that make excellent edible souvenirs.
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