If you go to Oita, you must try these 6 traditional, long-established and trending new dishes!

Hatsumi Ito
A gourmet blogger who eats and drinks at over 400 restaurants a year. He posts gourmet information on Twitter (@hatsu823) and other SNS.
Host of the online salon "Tokyo Gourmet Salon" limited to 140 people. "Gourmet is communication" is his life theme.

Kitchen Maruyama is a long-established restaurant said to be the birthplace of Oita's specialty, "Toriten."

Located in a quiet residential area about a 10-minute walk from Oita Station is the long-established restaurant "Kitchen Maruyama," which opened in 1962. It opens at 11:00, but is so popular that there are long queues at lunchtime.

It is said that this restaurant is the birthplace of Oita's specialty, Toriten. In addition to Toriten, they have a wide variety of other dishes on the menu, including meat and fish dishes, making it a restaurant you'll want to visit every day.

The restaurant has sofa seats, table seats, and counter seats, and the warmth of the wood creates a nostalgic atmosphere that is comforting.
A wide range of customers visited the restaurant, from people who work nearby to families and individuals.

This is the most popular "Toriten Set (750 yen including tax)" that more than half of the customers order. The set comes with rice and miso soup.

There are seven bite-sized pieces of chicken tempura. The seasoned chicken thighs are lightly coated in batter and deep-fried until crispy and fragrant. Try it as is and you'll enjoy the tender and juicy chicken meat peeking through the light and crispy batter. It's well seasoned and goes perfectly with rice.

The authentic way to eat it is with a special sauce made from vinegar soy sauce and mustard paste. This sauce is light yet rich, enhancing the umami of the meat.

For those who want to fill up on meat, we also recommend the "Maruyama Set (1,400 yen including tax)." This is an impressive amount!

This luxurious set includes two fillet cutlets, a hamburger steak, roast chicken in the middle, roast ham underneath, and two fried shrimp. The fillet cutlet has a moist texture and is packed with meat. The hamburger steak is fluffy and soft with a rich flavor, and the plump fried shrimp is served with the restaurant's original tartar sauce.

And this huge roast chicken! It's so big and heavy that it's hard to even lift it. When you bite into it, it's surprisingly tender, as it's been cooked thoroughly. The sweet and spicy seasoning and the moist and juicy meat make for an addictive taste.

Why not enjoy the traditional flavors of Oita at this long-established, homey restaurant that you'll want to visit every day?

Kitchen Maruyama

Enjoy the freshly slaughtered "Yufu Shamo" chicken to the fullest at "Shamo" Grill KITA

Opened in July 2022, about a 10-minute walk from Maki Station, Shamo Charcoal Grill KITA is a dining establishment where you can enjoy fresh Yufu Shamo chicken sourced from contracted farmers in a variety of ways, including grilling on a charcoal grill.

The spacious interior is equipped with comfortable table seats and counter seats. The cozy, homey atmosphere is loved by locals!

The Yufu Shamo chicken, procured that day, was butchered right in front of me. The Yufu Shamo chicken was butchered with a good tempo and grace, and it was so fresh! I was excited to see what each part tasted like.

The first dish we tried was the Shamo chicken tataki (1,280 yen including tax). The skin was grilled until fragrant, and the meat inside was cooked just right, rare. It was seasoned with plenty of condiments such as spring onions, ginger, and wasabi, allowing us to enjoy the deliciousness of the ingredients.

This is the "Yufu Shamo Chicken Assortment (1-2 servings, 2,980 yen including tax)." You can enjoy all the delicious parts of the Yufu Shamo chicken, including thigh, breast, wing, skirt steak, and neck.

This is the "Yufu Shamo Chicken (1,280 yen per portion, tax included)." You can enjoy all the delicious parts of the Yufu Shamo chicken, including thigh, breast, wing, skirt steak, and neck.

"Yufu Shamo Liver (980 yen per portion, tax included)" comes in three varieties: liver, shuri, and heart. The liver has no unpleasant odor, which can only be enjoyed because it is fresh.

First, the thighs, breasts, and chicken neck are grilled over a charcoal grill. Once cooked thoroughly until fragrant and juicy, the meat becomes just the right amount of chewy and the concentrated flavor fills your mouth.

The finely textured meat is unique to Yufu Shamo chicken. It is salty so it is delicious as is, but you can also add sweet soy sauce or lemon to taste.

The liver has absolutely no unpleasant odor and is rich and sticky, while the hearts have a crunchy texture, providing an irresistible richness and chewiness.

The final dish we recommend is the set of "Shamo chicken rice (380 yen including tax)" and "Shamo chicken soup (280 yen including tax)." The rice is packed with the flavor of Shamo chicken, and the ingredients are also Shamo chicken, making this a luxurious meal. When you eat it with the soup, the flavor will seep into your body.

This new restaurant has a homey atmosphere and serves authentic Yufu Shamo chicken at reasonable prices. Be sure to try the Yufu Shamo chicken that is unique to Oita.

Shamo chicken grilled on a charcoal grill KITA