9 recommended places to eat in Matsushima. Savor Miyagi's local delicacies such as oysters and beef tongue

*Please refrain from eating while walking in crowded areas. Please enjoy sightseeing and gourmet food while observing good manners.
*Prices include tax.

If you come to Miyagi, you'll want to enjoy the local delicacies!

Matsushima is packed with Miyagi's local delicacies, including local specialties such as oysters, beef tongue, and sasa kamaboko. We'll introduce you to some of the best delicacies, which you can enjoy freshly made.

The secret to this taste that will change your perception of fried oysters is time.

Of the stores introduced in this article, Kaki Matsushima Kouha is the closest to Matsushima Kaigan Station. They have two stores in the rotary in front of the station, and we visited the second store in front of Matsushima Kaigan Station during our interview.

As the name of the restaurant suggests, oysters are the specialty here, and one of the most popular menu items is the "BIG Fried Oysters" (2 pieces for 704 yen). As the name suggests, the surprising volume and rich flavor are what make this a masterpiece, with 7,000 oysters sold at Miyagi product fairs held in department stores in Tokyo and Nagoya, creating long queues.

One of the things they are particular about is deep frying the oysters slowly at a low temperature to concentrate their flavor while preventing them from becoming hard. This takes about 15 minutes, but the result is a deliciousness that will overturn your previous ideas about fried oysters.

The recommended way to eat it is to eat it as is. Next, try it with oyster soy sauce, original black vinegar, or locally produced "Date no Umami Salt". It is also characterized by the fact that it is not served with tartar sauce so that you can enjoy the original flavor of the ingredients. The milky richness and mellow sweetness that overflows with one bite is impressive. By the way, this menu is available for takeout, so please stop by even if the seats inside the restaurant are full.

Oyster Matsushima Kouha Matsushima Kaigan Station 2nd store

Matsushima Kamaboko Honpo: Experience hand-baking and taste freshly made kamaboko

The most popular shop in Matsushima where you can enjoy Miyagi's specialty sasa kamaboko with an entertainment feel is the main store of Matsushima Kamaboko Honpo, affectionately known as "Matsukama." It is located on National Route 45, the main road that runs along the coast, and is about an 8-minute walk from Matsushima-Kaigan Station.

The storefront is decorated with grilled sasa kamaboko objects, and there is also a sign for the "Hand-baking Experience Corner." Beyond that is a booth resembling a hearth, where you can grill your sasa kamaboko to your liking.

The "Sasakamaboko" costs 300 yen, including the hands-on experience. Grill each side, and when it puffs up like mochi, flip it over and grill for a total of 6 to 7 minutes until it's lightly browned and ready to eat. The skin is crispy and fragrant, while the inside is plump and springy with a pleasant elasticity. With every bite, the rich flavor and gentle sweetness spreads, making it a blissful treat.

Reasonably priced and sized, the sasa kamaboko has a delicate and light taste. It's also healthy, so you can eat it without feeling guilty. There are also other items on offer, such as the deep-fried tofu kamaboko "Muu" (300 yen) and kamaboko for souvenirs, so there's plenty to see.

Matsushima Kamaboko Honpo Main Store

Genzo: Original Sendai miso and beef tongue croquettes

Genzo is a teahouse-like spot located at the entrance to Matsushima's symbol, Matsushima Godaido. There are tables and chairs with parasols in front of the store, making it a great place to take a short break.

The menu features a wide variety of Miyagi specialties, but the one thing you can only get here is the "Beef Tongue Croquette" (350 yen). The combination of Sendai miso and beef tongue creates a sweet and salty flavor with a chewy texture that makes for a uniquely delicious taste.

The key point is that the beef tongue Sendai miso sauce is sealed in without being mixed with the mashed potatoes. The three-layer structure of the fried crispy batter, the fluffy mashed potatoes, and the sauce underneath creates a well-balanced taste. Condiments such as sauce and ponzu are also available, but we recommend just biting into the ramen directly.

Genzo

Oysters and rice crackers are the new "M Pantry"

M Pantry is a gourmet select shop from Miyagi Prefecture located about a 10-minute walk from Matsushima-Kaigan Station along National Route 45. The shop's tiled roof façade and stylish emerald green exterior are its landmarks, and although it is a small shop, you'll easily find it.

Inside the store, the owner himself has traveled around the prefecture to find a wide selection of seafood, local cuisine, sweets, and alcohol. They also stock original foods, with their signature product being "Kaki to Kome to" (300 yen per piece). This is a craft rice cracker made from local oysters and Miyagi Prefecture-grown Hitomebore rice flour, and you can enjoy it freshly baked in the store.

The rich oyster flavor and fragrant taste are addictive. Also, because it is made from rice flour instead of wheat flour, it has a strong crunchiness, offering a new and delicious taste. It is also available in packaged versions for takeaway, in souvenir boxes, and even in palm-sized "small oysters and rice" (120 yen per piece), so you can choose according to your needs.

M Pantry

Enjoy the local specialty, oysters, in a wild, beach-grilled way at Matsushima Fish Market

Located just over a 10-minute walk from Matsushima Kaigan Station, next to the Michinoku Date Masamune Historical Museum, Matsushima Fish Market stands tall here as a landmark that sells a wide variety of local seafood. It handles over 1,500 types of products, and is a huge space with a market on the first floor, dining on the second floor, and a free space marine deck on the third floor. In front of the building is Yakigaki House, a popular place for all-you-can-eat grilled oysters, which can also be enjoyed as a single item.

I ordered the "Grilled Oysters (2 pieces)" (500 yen) as a single item. The chewy texture and sweetness are as you would expect from a famous place. You can enjoy the change in flavor by adding ponzu sauce to your taste. It's a delicious dish that you can eat in no time, and it makes you feel like you're getting your money's worth with the all-you-can-eat buffet.

If you want to enjoy it as a meal, there is also the "Matsushima Yakigaki Set" (1,800 yen), which includes five grilled oysters, mixed rice with oysters, and oyster soup. If you want to enjoy it even more, try the all-you-can-eat option (from 3,300 yen for adults, 1,500 yen for elementary school students, free for infants). The time limit is 45 minutes. If you're an oyster lover, why not give it a try?

Matsushima Fish Market Oyster House

"Matsushima Kushiya" - Enjoy the hearty beef tongue skewers

Matsushima Rikyu Uminoeki is a complex built on the site of Atsutaya, where the haiku poet Matsuo Basho stayed. Matsushima Kushiya is located on the first floor, facing the street. It is located opposite the pier entrance where the sightseeing boats depart and arrive. It is located along National Route 45 and is easily accessible, about a 6-minute walk from Matsushima Kaigan Station.

As the restaurant's name suggests, they serve a variety of mountain and sea delicacies, with a focus on skewers. Of course, the fresh seafood caught locally off the coast of Sanriku is delicious, but the highlight is the "Beef Tongue Skewers," which allow you to savour the luxurious taste of Sendai's specialty beef tongue.

The large amount of beef tongue on a long skewer is impressive. It is grilled to a fragrant finish and simply seasoned with salt and pepper to bring out the flavor of the ingredients. It is cut to the right thickness, has a bold elasticity, and is sure to knock you out with the juices that overflow when you bite into it. Sprinkle shichimi pepper on top to taste.

Matsushima Kushiya

Also pay attention to the sweets that reflect the local flavor

Cafes are great places to stop by to get a sugar boost after a walk or for a snack. The sweets you can enjoy there are exceptionally delicious. We will introduce you to some sweet shops unique to Matsushima, Miyagi.

"Masamune Parfait" - tasteful and delicious

Date Masamune, the first head of the Sendai Domain and a representative warlord of the Tohoku region, is said to have had such a keen aesthetic sense that he was called a role model for "Date men." The specialty of "Date Cafe," the "Masamune Parfait" (950 yen), is a tasteful dessert worthy of the name of such a charismatic warlord.

The shop is located within the grounds of the Michinoku Date Masamune History Museum, and the entrance is marked by an impressive motif of a black helmet with a crescent moon on the front. Original sweets include the Bonten Maru Anmitsu (800 yen) and the Sengoku Plate (1,590 yen), but the most popular item is the Masamune Parfait.

The set is an elaborate affair, with warabimochi (warabi mochi) made with Miyagi's specialty zunda, vanilla ice cream, coffee daifuku (rice cake), crescent-shaped cookies, monaka (bean paste filling), and cheesecake, but inside the ceramic glass are even more surprises: bean paste, coffee jelly, hojicha (roasted green tea) ice cream, corn flakes, and more, and the variety of flavors will surprise you as you eat.

The sweet harmony of Japanese and Western styles is reminiscent of the foresight of Date Masamune, who is said to have been proactive in new overseas trade. The deliciousness is not just eccentric, but is truly not just date-like. Another casual charm is that it comes with green tea. Please spend a relaxing time thinking about the romance of the Sengoku period.

Date Cafe

Stay hydrated with a Matsushima-style drink

Although the theme of this article is food, we will also introduce drinks that are unique to Matsushima. We recommend drinking them while walking around the city.

"85 Shake" - Recharge your energy with sake lees from rice-growing regions

Opposite the aforementioned food specialty shop "M Pantry" is the liquor store "Mutouya Matsushima Main Store." In addition to sake from Miyagi breweries, they sell a variety of local alcoholic beverages, including whiskey and wine from Tohoku distilleries such as Miyagikyo Distillery and Asaka Distillery.

Another feature of this store is that it operates a standing bar called "Marumu no Tachi-nomi" where customers can enjoy tastings for a fee. The booth is located in a corner at the back of the store, and drinks are available from 300 yen per glass.

The menu offers a wide variety of alcoholic drinks, including sake and wine, as well as non-alcoholic options, and one of the most unusual is the homemade shake "Sakuraya no 85 Shake" (300 yen) made with local sake lees. It comes in plain and seasonal varieties (shekwasha on this day), and I ordered the plain version.

The taste is milky and rich, with a hint of sweetness and a hint of sake lees. It has a light, refreshing aftertaste, and the chewy texture and cool touch are irresistible. They also offer non-alcoholic drinks such as "Homemade Amazake" (200 yen) and sweets such as "Salt Soft Serve" (300 yen), so feel free to stop by.

Mutoya Matsushima Main Branch

"Zunda Saryo Zunda Shake" - the perfect combination of the rich flavor and chunky texture of edamame

When it comes to sweets that represent Miyagi, the first thing that comes to mind is the famous Sendai confectionery, Hagino Tsuki. Next on our list is Kasho Sanzen, the manufacturer of this confectionery, and if you're looking to buy some sweet souvenirs, we recommend their Matsushima Teramachi Koji store. The store is conveniently located, just a four-minute walk from Matsushima Kaigan Station. There are a wide variety of products on offer, but the drink you can't miss here is the Zunda Shake (360 yen).

Other items on the menu include the "Zunda Shake Large" (470 yen) and the limited-edition "Zunda Shake with Warabimochi" (630 yen). When you try the "Zunda Shake," you'll find that the mellow sweetness is accented by the texture of edamame beans and the fresh richness. It has a similar nuance to a soy milk shake or latte, but the Zunda has a more youthful flavor.

There are standing tables inside the store, and benches in front of the store where you can take a short break. In addition to being able to buy famous sweets such as "Hagino Tsuki" and Zunda Mochi, the store is also connected to the Matsushima Teramachi branch of "Abe Kamabokoten," which is famous for its sasa kamaboko. It might be a good idea to buy all the souvenirs from your trip to Matsushima here on your way back.

Kasho Sanzen Matsushima Teramachi Alley Store

As mentioned at the beginning, Matsushima is one of the "Three Views of Japan," but it's not just the beautiful location; there are also many gourmet spots scattered around the town. These delicacies are probably one of the reasons why Matsushima attracts so many people. If you visit the area, be sure to use this article as a reference and enjoy your walk around the town.

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