Where I Ate in Matsumoto & Narai-juku
A two-day food diary from Matsumoto and Narai-juku, Japan.
Breakfast and late-night ramen were taken care of by our hotel, so this food diary picks up at lunch and carries through to late-night drinks. First order of business upon arriving was a quick caffeine fix at Tipsy Coffee on Nawate Shopping Street; the coffee was decent, and it did the job. From there, Matsumoto turned out to be a surprisingly great soba city.
Eats in Matsumoto
Soba at Soba-dokoro Kippo
On our way to Matsumoto Castle, we enjoyed a soba lunch set at Soba-dokoro Kippo. There are many soba places in Matsumoto, so if you’re having a hard time choosing one, just go here!
We came right at 11 AM opening time on a weekday, and right after we ordered, a large group of Japanese people who looked like they were at a convention took up the rest of the seats at this restaurant. Guess we came in at a good time!
There are two soba lunch sets you can choose from, and at the time in February 2026, they were 1250 yen per person. My partner chose the oyakodon (egg and rice) set while I chose the tempura set. My favorite, with some bias, was obviously the tempura set. The crisp of the tempura was on point, and it pairs wonderfully with the fresh soba noodles. Both lunch sets came with pickles and cheesecake as well. This joint is cash only, so make sure you prepare accordingly.
Sushi… cause why not
Matsumoto is landlocked, and I’m fairly sure most of the sushi restaurants were flying their fish in. Regardless, I wanted to get sushi anyway, and so we stopped by すし屋左衛門, which was run by a really friendly elderly couple.
The front door was unassuming and easy to miss if you cannot read Japanese. We ordered a three-box set for dinner, which came with 3 pieces per drawer. We started with a sperm sac appetizer and even had a seared scallop gifted as an extra present. My favorite was the medium fatty tuna, while my partner enjoyed both the raw and cooked forms of scallop.
Upon hearing that we were going to Nari-juku, the lady handed us a tourist pamphlet to help us with our travel. They gave us a keepsake magnet to take home as well! While we were the only ones in the restaurant that night on a weeknight, their kind service made the whole experience enjoyable.
Shinshu Salmon at an Izakaya
I wanted to experience a local izakaya experience, but I had also seen Shinshu salmon on a lot of menus and wanted to try it. We walked past this 信州ゴールデン 新館 izakaya, and it felt like the right busy-with-locals vibe, AND it had the Shinshu salmon I wanted. They had tablets that we could use to order dishes as we wanted, and the food came out really quickly.
What is Shinshu salmon? Shinshu salmon is a local landlocked trout from Nagano. In Japan, the word trout is often used interchangeably with salmon. This Shinshu salmon was created from crossbreeding female rainbow trout and male brown trout.
My favorites were the Shinshu salmon sashimi and the Matsumoto variety of fried chicken thighs, which were super juicy. I wrote about what the Shinshu salmon tastes like in my 3-day itinerary post here.
Drinks at the Main Bar Coat
I came for the whiskey, really, but ended up getting cocktails at Main Bar Coat. While there is a small cover charge to go in, it comes with an appetizer. Drinks are strong here, but tasty! And the atmosphere was a nice, cozy speakeasy vibe, perfect for a couple or small group.
Eats in Narai-juku
Toji Soba at Kokoro-ne
There are plenty of soba options at Narai-juku, but we settled on going to Kokoro-ne to try their Toji Soba.
What is Toji soba? It is a type of soba from Matsumoto that reminds me of hot pot. This hot, soupy dish was the perfect way to enjoy soba in the cold winter. A large nabe pot is filled with tsuyu, chicken, and vegetables, then heated. To eat, steep the noodles in the broth for a few seconds before eating them together with the veggies.
While the toji soba tasted great and warm in the winter, I think the one-time experience was good enough for me. I’m just a cold soba noodle girl. Regardless, I recommend the experience, especially if you are visiting while it’s still cold outside.
Coffee & Dessert
After a warm bowl of hot soup, I needed some coffee and dessert. We visited the Izumiya Cafe, which had a selection of pour-over coffee, cafe au lait, and a few desserts to choose from. We ordered both the cheesecake and the apple pie, and the apple pie was the clear winner!
While the cafe was definitely tourist-priced, it was a super cute restaurant with a relaxing vibe and modernized but charming aesthetics. The seats in front of the window looked like a great spot to people-watch as it faces the main street of Narai-juku.
For more of my adventures and travel tips for Matsumoto and Narai-juku, check out the following posts:
3-Day Itinerary to Matsumoto & Nagano
Matsumoto is a charming city in the Japanese Alps. Honestly, it was the castle that got me interested. I had seen photos of Matsumoto Castle online, and built a visit to Matsumoto around it. What I didn’t expect was how much I’d enjoy the quiet streets, the soba, and the general sense that nobody is here in a particular hurry. When paired with a full da…
Matsumoto and Nagano Travel Map: Sights and Food
The Matsumoto & Nagano Google Maps list includes every place I saved, such as restaurants, points of interest, and backup options, organized so I could decide quickly while walking around. The Google Maps list can quickly sort things by distance so that you see what is closest to you.