Yamagata

Any restaurant around Kahoku Town serve delicious bowls, such as “Chottotei” and “Iroha.” It’s made with slightly tough chicken, thick and chewy dark soba noodles—that’s all there is. Although it’s served cold, it doesn’t taste greasy at all! Cold Meat Soba is beloved even in the snowy Yamagata winters.

（Yui）

Yachi’s Cold Meat Soba is my comfort food. Even though the broth is cold, the oil doesn’t solidify! The chewiness of the chicken is top-notch. Even on the coldest days, Cold Meat Soba is a must! People in town have their favorite spots, like “Chottotei” and “Iroha.”

（Buran）

Cold Meat Soba is the best, year-round. The combination of chicken and the slightly sweet broth is perfect. My recommendation is “Chottotei.”

（Mamojii）

Recently, “Sakata Ramen” claimed the top spot in the “Local Ramen Grand Prix!” In Sakata, located in Yamagata’s Shonai region, this classic soy sauce ramen is made with a clear seafood-based broth using flying fish, kombu seaweed, and dried sardines. When we have visitors, we welcome them with ramen. This is a beloved flavor, close to everyone’s heart from a young age!

（Moko）

My hometown, the port city of Sakata on Yamagata’s Sea of Japan coast, is home to over 100 ramen shops specializing in “Sakata Ramen.” This ramen has a clear dried sardine-based broth with a hint of sweetness and depth, paired with chewy curly noodles. Recommended shops include “Sarashina,” “Mangetsu,” and “Mikazuki-ken,” though it’s hard to choose just one. For Sakata locals, it’s either rice or Sakata Ramen!

（maple）

When I used to visit Yamagata twice a month, I first discovered Tori Chuka at a soba shop called “Okeyaki.” It combines soba broth, chicken, and ramen noodles, which totally hit the spot. In summer, it’s served cold with ice, and that’s also delicious. It’s not as heavy as ramen broth, so it’s refreshing, and with ramen noodles, it’s smooth and chewy. I heard it’s a popular local dish in Yamagata, and you can even order it online now. Recently, I ordered it through the hometown tax donation program!

（Kinoppi）

This is “Suisha Kisoba”’s famous dish, a proud comfort food of my hometown Tendo City. It was initially staff meal food, but now it’s so popular that there’s always a line.

（Sakiyama）

This is more of a homemade dish than one found in restaurants. It varies slightly in name and preparation depending on the region. Where I grew up, we called it “Hikizuri Udon.” You’d warm up as many portions of thick udon noodles as there are people in a large pot and place it at the table. Each family member would stir natto in their bowl and take noodles from the pot to eat. On a popular local TV show, they called it “Hippari Udon,” where the same noodles are dipped in a sauce with natto and canned mackerel. Either way, it’s an inexpensive, simple, and warm family dish everyone can enjoy together.

（Miitan）

It’s a classic lunch on days off—the steam and aroma rising from a big pot bring back childhood memories. You’d cook the udon on a tabletop stove, and everyone would scoop their own noodles with a bamboo ladle and dip them in a sauce with natto, finely chopped green onions, and mackerel.

（Imo）

Yamagata has the highest ramen consumption in Japan. Among the offerings, “Tsu-ttai (Cold) Ramen” stands as a representative of Yamagata’s love for cold cuisine. The ramen has ice cubes inside. Using vegetable oil prevents the oil from turning white, even when cold. Visitors from outside the prefecture sometimes blow on it out of habit, but Yamagata locals simply slurp it up without hesitation.

（Momokurisannen）

Essentially cold zaru udon, but in the Shonai region of Yamagata (Sakata City), it’s called Mugikiri. The noodles are flat, with a fresh and plump texture. Most soba shops in the Shonai area serve it. I recommend the homely “Mori no Ie.”

（Gamakun no mama）

“Ryushanhai’s” Spicy Miso Ramen is even made into cup ramen and has become famous—it’s unique in both appearance and flavor. It has a hint of shrimp flavor, with seaweed flakes on curly noodles, making it especially good in winter.

（Kayo）