My Favorite Farm-to-Table Restaurants in Izu

A region renowned for its farming and fishing, Izu produces an incredible variety of delectable ingredients. Whenever I’m in Izu, the peninsula directly southeast of Tokyo, I love to visit the establishments that are making the best use of the produce and seafood that they source from neighboring farmers and fishermen. Here are a couple of my favorites (as of November 2023).

Tagumi, a quaint cafe in Nagaoka, is one of Izunokuni’s hidden gems. Naoko’s parents first brought me here in 2019 because they knew I would love the homestyle cooking and intentionality of their sourcing practices, and they were right! The menu is set based on seasonal availability and features favorites like Omurice, Curry, and Bento Boxes. You can check out the current menu offerings here. Pro Tip: Open the menu link with Google Chrome and use the built-in translation feature to translate their website to English!
Photo Credit: Tagumi Cafe

Takamasa Nanba, the chef owner of Kuruha, trained under one of Japan’s original Iron Chefs, and he has a beautifully honed ability to present Izu’s seasonal produce and local seafood in a monthly rotating tasting menu. Some of my favorite dishes in our recent visit included: Miso Baked Salmon with Lightly Pickled Baby Ginger & Chestnut, Sake Lees Soup with Nameko Mushroom & Crab Dumpling, and the freshest Saba Sashimi I’ve ever had!
Photo Credit: Kuruha

It may surprise you to know that one of my absolute favorite restaurants in all of Japan is an Italian place, or perhaps more accurately Itameshi, the Japanese spin on Italian food, which follows the principles of Washoku & uses ingredients native to the island. We started with: Fresh Yuba, Mimolette Cheese, Buckwheat and Wasabi. Then came: Perfectly al dente pasta with shrimp, autumn eggplant, fresh salmon roe and green yuzu. And perhaps my favorite dish of the evening: Charcoal grilled lobster with fresh porcini and torn basil.

Chef owner, Kei Kitagawa, trained in Tokyo at the acclaimed Acqua Pazza. Not only is he a talented chef, but a consummate host. He greeted us at the door of his intimate 8-seat establishment in a cute residential neighborhood of Shizuoka; And all throughout the 10-course meal that he served us single-handedly, Chef Kitagawa never failed to keep our glasses full, and share interesting stories of his life and details about each of the masterfully executed dishes that he set in front of us — without breaking a sweat. I never would have found this tucked-away gem had it not been for Naoko (@atsusakasisters), who teed up a reservation for us within 4 months of Chef Kitagawa’s opening — which made me & Charlie the first foreigners to experience Italian Kitagawa! And I hope to return many more times into the future.

Anytime I visit Shuzenji Temple, I make a point to stop by Meshiya Mizu to enjoy their seasonal & locally-sourced bento boxes! Within minutes of slipping off our shoes and cozying up in one of their private dining rooms, the friendly staff presented us each with our own bento set - a gorgeous variety of local specialities tucked neatly into a two-tier bento along with a rich miso soup, several vegetable side dishes, endless green tea and a fruit parfait for dessert. At 1580 yen per person, I still can’t get over the incredible value of Mizu.

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