Where are some places to eat in Yufuin, Japan?
With one full day in Yufuin, Japan, we had limited time to try foods in the town. Even though we arrived the night before, our stay at the ryokan, Yufudake Ichibo no Yado Kirara, covered a kaiseki dinner and breakfast.
Luckily, Yufuin town is small so it’s easy to find cafes and restaurants along the main shopping street, Yunotsubo Kaido and Yufuincho Kawakami.
We used Google Maps and walked along Yunotsubo Kaido – Yufuincho Kawakami to see what looked good.
If you’re looking for more budget-friendly food options in Yufuin, continue reading this post on where we went. We’ll also share some places we didn’t get to try but the food looked delicious.
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Map
Click on the image to see a larger view of this map of places to eat in Yufuin. Credit: Map data: Google
Yufuin Kinshi Croquette (湯布院金賞コロッケ 2号店) – For Croquettes
Love croquettes? Two locations are on the same street for these piping hot deep fried goodness.
Which of these croquettes do you want to try?
We tried a special croquette which had beef and a veggie croquette. We ate them on the way to Lake Kinrin and they were delicious. They had a light and crunchy batter and yummy filling. I ate the vegetarian croquette and it had potato and carrots in it.
They are also affordable at 200 yen each.
This is one of the croquettes that we bought
Addresses:
- Shop 1: 1481-7 Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufu, Oita 879-5102
- Shop 2: 1079-8 Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufu, Oita 879-5102
Payment: Cash only
InakaAn (田舎庵) – For Soba
We went to lunch at InakaAn 田舎庵. Established in 1969, it’s a popular shop known for soba and udon.
We arrived after 1:30pm and thought we beat the lunch crowd but still needed to get a number and wait for a table.
We kept the lunch simple and ordered the soba with tempura. There was a larger set of soba with tempura and a side of chicken with rice, but it was too much food.
The soba was delicious and cooked well. It wasn’t mushy and still had a slight chew to the noodles.
The tempura complemented the soba as it wasn’t too oily and had the right amount of crunch. This was one of the better tempuras that we’ve eaten. We received 2 shrimps, 3 fried burdock, eggplant, carrot, kabocha, and lotus root. We received dipping sauce for the tempura.
There was also a side of green onions, wasabi, grated radish dish, and raw quail egg. We weren’t sure what to do with the quail egg so we placed it on top of the soba and ate it.
This soba set was delicious at InakaAn restaurant
We loved how there was a drink machine for unlimited tea and water. The unlimited hot and iced green tea was much needed after a warm day in Yufuin!
We paid 1480 yen for each tempura soba set. It was a good deal and there was plenty of food.
Address: 1071-3 Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufu, Oita 879-5102
Payment: Cash only
More Information: Website
Yufuin Soft Cream (ゆふいんソフトクリーム) – For Dessert
Yufuincho Kawakami has many soft serve ice cream shops to choose from. We decided to try one at Yufuin Soft Cream since the sign had a cute cow eating an ice cream cone.
The store offered milk (original), strawberry, matcha, chocolate, and a mix of chocolate and milk ice cream and milkshakes.
We bought a matcha soft serve with a chocolate waffle cone. Yum! The matcha ice cream was very smooth. We loved how the waffle cone still had a crunch.
Matcha soft serve is one of my favorite ice cream flavors
The front of the shop didn’t have a dining area but a sitting area about 20 seconds away from the shop.
We paid 420 yen for the ice cream.
Address: 1507-1 Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufu, Oita 879-5102
Payment: Cash only
Other Recommended Places to Eat in Yufuin
We passed by these shops and didn’t have a chance to try them. But we thought they looked delicious.
Large Crab Meat along Yufuincho Kawakami – For Snack
Want to try giant crab meat? These bright pink crab meats are grilled and slightly torched for extra flavor.
Would you like to try one of these crab legs?
I’m not sure how much of it is made with crab meat or surimi (seafood paste with white fish). But it looks like a yummy snack to try.
Each crab meat cost 400 yen.
We don’t have an address, but we saw a few shops along the main shopping street, Yufuincho Kawakami.
Miffy Mori no Bakery (みっふぃー森のきっちん＆べーかりー 湯布院店) – For Miffy Baked Goods
Are you a fan of Miffy, the adorable white bunny? Here is your chance to try Miffy-shaped breads, buns, and sweets! The Miffy red bean buns are too adorable to eat.
Aren’t these Miffy breads so adorable?!
This place also has soft serve and matcha parfaits.
Note: You can try Miffy shaped foods and desserts if you visit Huis Ten Bosch theme park for Miffy’s Birthday Celebration in Nagasaki.
Address: 1503-8 Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufu, Oita 879-5102
Snoopy Chaya Yufuinten (SNOOPY茶屋 由布院店) – For Snoopy Themed Foods
For Snoopy lovers, check out this themed tea house/cafe with Snoopy foods and desserts. The souffle pancake with fresh fruits and Snoopy macaron is a popular dish.
There is a shop where you can buy souvenirs.
Outside the shop, you’ll find a fun interactive comic panel. Simply step into the open panel, you’re a part of the comic strip.
On our run through Yufuin, we saw this interactive Peanuts comic strip
Bee Honey – For Honey Desserts
The bee logo stood out when we walked by this shop.
We were tempted by the soft serve drizzled with honey and topped with a piece of honeycomb. It was on the pricier side of 820 yen, but we already ate a soft serve.
Address: 1481-1 Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufu, Oita 879-5102
Final Thoughts
Which of these places would you want to try? There are many cafes and restaurants to consider when exploring Yufuin, so you’ll find something that fits your food preferences and budget.
We want to hear from you! If you’ve been to Yufuin, please share your food recommendations in the comment section below.
Check out the other posts we’ve written about Yufuin:
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