Morioka's culinary scene isn't just about its three famous noodle dishes! Discover unique, off-the-beaten-path local delicacies only available in Morioka [Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture]

When it comes to Morioka's cuisine, the three most famous noodle dishes are "Reimen" (cold noodles), "Jajamen" (a type of noodle dish), and "Wanko Soba" (small bowls of soba noodles)

But did you know that there are other lesser-known, affordable foods out there?

Here, we'll introduce some of the local flavors that the people of Morioka absolutely adore

(Please note that the prices listed in this article are as of early August 2026.)

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Montan's tomato soup spaghetti exudes the charm of a Showa-era coffee shop

"Montan" is a coffee shop that opened in 1959 (Showa 34) as a jazz café in a corner of the Higashi-odori shopping street, across from Morioka Castle Ruins Park and Sakurayama Shrine

The spacious and bright interior still plays jazz music, and from the window seats on the second floor, accessed by a spiral staircase, you can enjoy views of the stone walls of Morioka Castle ruins and Kamegaike Pond, which is the site of the former moat

This restaurant mainly serves traditional spaghetti dishes, including "à la montant," and also offers pizza and appetizers, making it a great place to enjoy drinks during the day

À la montant (1,000 yen)

This dish, named after the restaurant, is a spicy tomato soup spaghetti dish that was created by the previous owner around 1969 (Showa 44)

The photo doesn't really convey it, but it's incredibly hot, so be careful not to shove the spaghetti into your mouth without paying attention

The soup has a slightly mild flavor, but the tomato taste is quite pronounced, and it contains ingredients such as bacon, onions, and bell peppers

What defines "A La Montan" is the generous amount of grated cheese and the thick, chewy spaghetti that isn't cooked al dente

As you eat, the grated cheese melts and sticks to the spoon, but the flavor of this cheese deepens the taste of the spicy and tangy tomato soup

The chewy, thick noodles are perfectly coated in the slightly spicy tomato soup, and the more you eat, the more satisfied you become

Additionally, each spaghetti dish comes with a choice of hot or iced coffee, which nicely resets the aftertaste of the hot tomato soup

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The rose set meal at "Miyoshi Shokudo," a restaurant where people of all ages gather

Miyoshi Shokudo, located in Aoyama-cho in the western part of the city, fills up its 17-space parking lot as soon as it opens at 11:00 AM, even on weekdays, and the restaurant quickly becomes full

This restaurant is also a long-established eatery founded in 1960 (Showa 35), and it is extremely popular not only with locals but also with customers from far away

All the menu items are generously portioned and reasonably priced, and among the popular choices such as the rich miso ramen and set meals, we'd like to introduce the most popular item: the rose set meal

Rose set meal (1,200 yen)

Thick slices of pork belly, coated in a sauce flavored with ginger and garlic, are piled high on the plate

The rich garlic and ginger-flavored sauce perfectly complements the sweet fat of the pork belly, making it incredibly delicious and irresistible with rice and beer

This sauce goes well with the mountain of cabbage served as a side dish, and when you mix it in, it refreshes your mouth after eating the greasy food, making you want to eat more and more

Rose Rice Bowl (1,090 yen)

This dish also features thick slices of pork belly stir-fried with sweet onions and bell peppers, placed on top of rice, and then drizzled with sauce

Bara-don is a rice bowl dish with plenty of sauce poured over the rice, and the pickled ginger adds a nice accent, making it a rice bowl that you'll want to eat more of

The rice bowl comes with the same side dishes as the set meal, including stir-fried lotus root and lightly pickled cucumber, and is served with miso soup containing seaweed and green onions

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What is "Reifu-men," a summer delicacy of Morioka?

Are you familiar with "Reifu-men," a noodle dish considered a summer tradition in Morioka?

You might be wondering, "Besides the three major noodle dishes, are there any other new noodle dishes in Morioka?" But actually, "Reifu-men" is Morioka's unique name for the summer specialty, "Hiyashi Chuka" (cold ramen)

Many people from Morioka who know me say that "cold ramen doesn't get me excited," and they argue that the cold Chinese noodle dish for summer should be called "cold air noodles" rather than "cold ramen."

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The now-closed Chinese restaurant "Chinman" was the birthplace of "Reifu-men" (cold noodles)

It is said that the origin of "Reifu-men" (cold noodles) was a Chinese restaurant called "Chinman" located on Odori Street in Morioka's downtown area, which started offering it as a menu item that could be enjoyed all year round

"Chinman" was a beloved local Chinese restaurant in Morioka for 70 years since its founding, but sadly closed its doors in March 2023

I have fond memories of visiting the restaurant several times and enjoying dishes like cold noodles and cold tantanmen, but their mapo tofu and pickled mustard greens were also delicious, so I am truly saddened by its closure

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Cold noodles from "Ezokko," a long-established Chinese restaurant located inside an alternate dimension dungeon

This is a local Chinese restaurant located in the basement of the S Building Nakanobashi (formerly Tatsumi Building), which has a convenience store on the first floor, across Nakanobashi Street from "monaka" at the entrance of Sakana-machi Arcade

You can go down to the building's basement by elevator or stairs, and this is the "Morioka Underground Food Court," known as Morioka's first underground food court

Descending the stairs from the underground shopping mall entrance facing Nakanobashi Street gives you the feeling of exploring a deep dungeon (labyrinth)

This area, which still remains a deep underground shopping street, was once home to many restaurants that are still in the city today, including the popular gyoza restaurant "Baijiu" in Uchimaru

Currently, the only restaurant is "Ezokko," and the only other establishment is "Fushigidou," a mysterious fortune-telling (psychic reading) place whose operation is unclear

I tried the cold noodles at a Chinese restaurant in a town with a nostalgic Showa-era atmosphere

"Ezokko" is a local Chinese restaurant run by an elderly couple. Their stir-fried chives and liver, fried rice, and dumplings are popular, and the restaurant is bustling with office workers during weekday lunch hours

The sauce for the cold noodles (900 yen) is not too sweet and has a nice vinegary taste, making it a refreshing dish that will whet your appetite on a hot summer day

The ingredients are all typical of chilled ramen—cucumber, bean sprouts, ham, seaweed, and shredded egg—but the addition of glass noodles is unusual, allowing you to enjoy the difference in texture from the ramen noodles

There is also an upgraded version called "Grilled Meat Cold Noodles (1,100 yen)," which features grilled pork belly instead of the ham found in the regular cold noodles

Although it's the only item on the "Ezokko" menu that costs over 1,000 yen, it's actually a great value because it's topped with plenty of seasoned pork belly

While the meat is hot, you can enjoy it as yakiniku (Japanese grilled meat), and once it cools down, you can coat it with the sauce and enjoy a taste similar to pork shabu-shabu

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summary

In addition to Morioka's three famous noodle dishes (Jajamen, Reimen, and Wanko Soba) and Fukuda Bread, there are other local delicacies that you can only enjoy if you come to Morioka, as mentioned in this article

Please come to Morioka sometime and enjoy these flavors

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