Oita

The noodles are fried nice and crispy, and are topped with sweet and spicy sauce. Each restaurant has its own flair, and the dish is great to take around town to eat out.

（Nisu）

Hita yakisoba has really unique noodles because they cook them to a crisp. It’s a really addicting texture. It’s also tasty when mixed with yuzu kosho (Japanese pepper with yuzu citrus)!

（Mogumi）

Hita yakisoba is made by taking a plate of crunchy fried noodles and topping it with bean sprouts, onions, and pork. I especially recommend the restaurant Mikuma Hanten.

（chami）

I highly recommend the Hita yakisoba at the restaurant Sofuren! It’s such a nostalgic taste for me because whenever we’d go to our grandma’s house, she’d get takeout from that place. It’s got such a nice crunch to the yakisoba noodles. You might be intimidated by the amount at first, but you’ll clear your plate before you know it.

（sumochi）

This is basically a noodle soup, with the noodles considered the “dango” (dumplings) and the soup having a miso base. The noodles are made by kneading flour into round dumplings and then hand-stretching them to the thinness and length of noodles. Each home makes the noodles a different way, shape, or length. Dish ingredients include taro and other seasonal vegetables. In Oita, families enjoy time together by kneading the dough and stretching it out together, and then enjoying the warm meal together. There are almost no restaurants specializing in dango-jiru, so you’ll only see it hiding in some menus at cafeterias and such. If you visit Oita, it’s worth trying out several restaurants.

（Nyanko）

This is the quintessential Oita local dish! I don’t know if this counts as a noodle dish, though. It tastes fantastic when you squeeze some kabosu citrus juice onto it.

（Rittsubon）

This is a soup with lots of ingredients, and that includes fat, thick noodles. I remember it being served often on special occasions like New Year’s, and I love eating this warm dish on a cold day.

（Kokeko）

I recommend the dango-jiru at the restaurant Amamichiya in Beppu. It’s different from the dago-jiru from other prefectures; this one is dango-jiru. The noodles are nice and chewy and pair well with the miso soup base.

（Mirume）

Oita is rich with seafood! We have sea bream, lizardfish, and horse mackerel that taste great with a blend of ground sesame seeds, soy sauce, and other seasonings. You put that atop boiled udon noodles and finish the goma-dashi soup by adding lots of green onions and hot water. The goma-dashi made by Mebaru—a fishing village women’s group—is delicious.

（Kirin no Aosan）

You can make a nutritious and complete meal by taking udon noodles with goma-dashi, adding lots of green onions, and topping it with wakame seaweed and an egg. I recommend the restaurant Miyuki Shokudo in Saiki City. This local dish is a great substitute for miso soup on a busy morning.

（hanako）

This dish pairs fish with a refreshing sesame-based soup, but it has a richness to it and is extremely nutritious! It also pairs wonderfully with sake. It makes a great souvenir, as all you have to do is add hot water.

（Hirapa）

This dish is a snack local to Oita that’s made with noodles. I’m sure many of you have never heard of a sweet-tasting noodle dish. This is made by boiling noodles and adding kinako flour. That’s it! It’s simple but delicious.

（Yukarin）

This uses the same noodles as dango-jiru, but tops the noodles with a combination of kinako powder and sugar. Offering this dish at snacktime can get everyone excited.

In Oita, you can’t go wrong with chicken tempura, dango-jiru, and yaseuma! You can buy this set at the restaurant Amamichiya in Beppu City and fill your belly until you’re feeling great.

（Kaokao）

Yaseuma is a local snack made with kneaded flour that’s set to rest and then stretched and boiled into noodles before being topped with kinako powder. I used to make it with my grandmother, and this year my mother taught my children how to make it. If you like kinako, you’ll love this.

（Kokeko）

These cold noodles are made with buckwheat flour and have the perfect amount of chewiness. It’s served with a refreshing broth and tastes delicious. I recommend the restaurant Kogetsu in Beppu City.

（chami）

This dish has some bite to it, but it’s really refreshing. These cold noodles are so delicious you’ll gobble them up.

（T.N）

The cold noodles at Rokusei are fantastic. The clear soup has a clean and crisp taste. The food was beautifully presented, and even though I don't like cold food, I found it very tasty. I’d like to have it again, even having to wait in line.

（Meijia）

I’ve never had these local noodles anywhere else. It’s not ramen, it’s raumen. The soup is rich and so the noodles catch it well. The key to these hearty noodles is the mildly spicy broth that contains soy bean sauce.

（Mamabokkuru）

This is a local dish in the Hetsugi region of Oita City. Locally sourced wheat flour is mixed with water and salt, and kneaded into thin noodles that look like houchou (abalone intestines). The noodles are about two meters long and are eaten at home, not at restaurants.

（Tsukigumi）