Among the first establishments in Nagoya to earn a Michelin star, Kato specializes in gleaming-white, hand-cut udon. Start with the seasonal tempura, which emerges piping-hot with a quick sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Then inquire about the restaurant’s selection of local and regional sake. Order a chilled bottle and drink it over ice for a nice contrast to the steamy fried food. Finish with a bowl of udon, either barely submerged in subtly briny dashi or crowned with niku miso, a paste of wagyu beef and the region’s famed red miso. [$$]

It’s your last day in Nagoya and you haven’t had a chance to eat kishimen, the flat tagliatelle-like noodles the city is famous for. Don’t sweat it. Before jumping on a train to Kyoto, Osaka, or Tokyo, stop by Kishimen Sumiyoshi, conveniently located on platforms 3 and 4 of Nagoya Station, for a quick pre-departure meal. The restaurant’s plain kishimen in broth is a crowd favorite, as is the kakiage kishimen topped with a nest of vegetable and shrimp tempura. Buy a ticket at the vending machine for your preferred style, enter the tiny booth and hand your ticket to the clerk, and find a spot at the communal counter. There are no seats, so stand shoulder-to-shoulder while slurping. [$]

Those visiting Nagoya for a single day likely can’t eat every dish the city is famous for. But they can attend the breakfast buffet at the Nagoya Crown Hotel, where 1080 yen ($10) buys small bites of Nagoya-meshi, from miso katsu to kishimen to hitsumabushi. The hotel won the Rakuten Travel Award for Best Breakfast (Aichi Region) in 2017 and 2018, and the buffet’s truly extensive selection is a great way to sample much of Nagoya in a single meal. [$$]

Decorated like a chic apartment, Cafe Molly hides on the second floor of an otherwise nondescript building, making it the perfect place to escape the frenetic chaos of the Osu Kannon shopping arcade outside. Settle into one of the many low-slung couches and choose from one of their two rotating seasonal specials for lunch. If you’re craving something sweet, ask for the apple mille-feuille, which comes with a hot drink of your choice. You can also stop by in the evening when the cafe serves alcohol. [$$]

This high-end restaurant has been in operation for 60 years, serving excellent sushi along with amazing views from the 29th floor of the Hotel Grand Court Nagoya. You could try to order a la carte to save money, but if you’re here, you might as well go all-out. At Kenzan, fish is as fresh as possible. A recent visit included a squiggling leg of octopus, which had arrived from the coast where it was caught earlier that morning. Multicourse prix fixe menus start at 8,000 yen ($73) for eight courses without drinks, but some tasting menus go as high as 13,000 yen ($120) for 10-plus courses. [$$$$]

Each location of this local chain of butcher shops hosts an attached yakiniku (barbecue) restaurant, serving fresh, high-grade beef to customers who eat in. Cutting out a step in the supply chain, the restaurants can offer cheaper beef than the competition, but that deal comes with some restrictions. There’s a 1000 yen ($9) cover for men, or 700 yen ($6.50) for women, a time limit (90 minutes for diners who don’t order alcohol, 120 minutes for diners who do), and surcharges for any wasted rice, meat, or soup, so order wisely. While these rules might seem draconian, your concerns will quickly melt away when you receive the restaurant’s famed rounds of blushing beef tongue or plates of glistening, fatty long intestine. Fire up the grill on your table and cook your meat to your heart’s content. [$$]

It may be hard to believe you can find quality pizza in Nagoya, but one visit to Solo Pizza Napoletana will convince you. The restaurant is the work of Adolfo Marletta, a 69-year-old native of Napoli, and Mayo Ota, a young Japanese woman. Ota won the 2014 Caputo Cup, a competition that tests classic pizza-making, but the duo have since secured many more awards for their collaboration at Solo Pizza. Order their most popular pie, the Margherita Extra, which comes topped with buffalo mozzarella imported from Italy. [$]

It’s impossible to beat the lunch menu at this Indian restaurant, located in the basement of an office building. Though the subterranean dining room can feel a little dark, the vibrantly painted walls offset any gloom, especially combined with the bustling traffic of workers from nearby offices. Lunch sets make for fragrant, hearty meals, with a special curry that changes daily and freshly baked, all-you-can-eat naan, all for 850 - 1000 yen ($8-10). Without set menus, dinner is slightly pricier but still entirely worth it. Akbar is also an excellent option for vegetarian visitors. [$$]

When you say misonikomi, the first thing people from Nagoya say is Yamamotoya. The restaurant has become iconic for its clay pot full of noodles in earthy, flavorful stew. Most visitors and Nagoya natives like the Sakae location of this chain for its modern-meets-traditional atmosphere. The restaurant’s long shared tables often get packed during the lunch rush, but it’s worth finding a spot to enjoy your noodles in the perfect environment. [$$]

With nine locations throughout the city, Konparu is a Nagoya mainstay famous for sandwiches and coffee. Visit the main location in bustling Osu, where the atmosphere, including the impossibly narrow tables and burgundy velour seating, hasn’t changed a bit since opening in 1947. On weekdays, join the locals for the morning set meal, when you’ll receive ham and egg on toast alongside a cup of hot coffee; pay the extra 130 yen ($1.20) to upgrade from the watered-down drip to a robust pour-over. For lunch (or a more substantial breakfast), get their signature ebifurai sando, featuring three breaded, deep-fried shrimp sandwiched between golden-brown shoku-pan (fluffy slabs of milk bread). [$]

Residents of other Japanese cities tend to poke fun at Nagoyans’ (admittedly heavy) use of miso, but with 40 years of experience and 18 locations, Yabaton is a perfect example of how to best serve the beloved condiment. Order their miso katsu don, fatty pork breaded and fried until golden, nestled on white rice, and covered in molasses-like miso sauce. Other favorites include their hire-kushi katsu, skewers of pork breaded, fried, and sauced just right. [$$]

Sure, Atsuta Horaiken is far from the city center, the wait almost always tops 30 minutes, and it’s expensive, but there’s a reason people have flocked to the hitsumabushi specialist since 1873. The kitchen barbecues eel in a sticky, sweet soy sauce, dices it, and serves it over white rice with the traditional array of garnishes, such as grated wasabi, julienned scallions, and paper-thin nori. Despite the drawbacks, you need to taste this classic Nagoya dish in a classic Nagoya institution. [$$$]

Beloved by Nagoyans since 1968, Yuri is a jazz cafe and bar that attracts a diverse crowd. Though it would be perfectly acceptable to sit quietly listening to the vinyl playlist with just a coffee or glass of scotch, the food at Yuri is an unexpected star. Favorites include the buttery, ketchup-doused chicken rice, the tomato pasta with asari (littleneck clams), and, for those with a sweet tooth, the custardy banana cake and bitter chocolate brownie. [$$]

One of four Nagoya-meshi chains to garner national acclaim, Yamachan is a multi-floor izakaya famous for tebasaki. Yamachan fries the wings directly without any batter or cornstarch to such a severe crisp that even the cartilage shatters into delicious fragments. Cooks finish the wings off by showering them in a spice rub redolent with white pepper. Side dishes range from fine to average, so the pro move is to order a pint of ice-cold beer and a mountain of tebasaki, and call it a night. [$$$]

This upscale French-Japanese restaurant sits in an old Tokugawa residence, overlooking manicured gardens. The lunch menu changes based on seasonally available ingredients and starts at 2,500 yen ($23), including a post-meal coffee. Dinner is a more glamorous affair, with many guests dressed up to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. A recent evening menu included shiso-and-char siu-stuffed guinea fowl, as well as phyllo-wrapped conger eel. Make sure to reserve a table ahead of time, especially for dinner. [$$$$]

After glowing write-ups in numerous publications, Ramen Kanade usually commands a wait. While other patrons finish their bowls of fragrant noodles, stand outside the tiny restaurant considering your options: shio (salt), shoyu (soy), or niboshi (sardine) ramen. Once it’s your turn, restaurant staff will usher you inside, where you’ll purchase your ramen from a ticket machine, paying extra for larger sizes or toppings like extra chashu (roast pork). Ramen Kanade has perfected all three of its signature styles, but if you’re feeling adventurous, go for the niboshi soba, which layers noodles with a punch of bitter, oceanic brine. [$]

You’d be forgiven for thinking that a dish called “Taiwan Ramen” would come from Taiwan, but it was actually popularized in Nagoya by the Taiwanese owners of this establishment. Ground pork tops a bowl full of noodles in a crimson broth roiling with garlic and bird’s eye chiles. Though there are multiple locations (Nagoya station, Yabacho, even one in Tokyo), rumor has it that each location prepares the signature dish its own way. Head to the Imaike location to slurp the original version, and order a side of asari itame (littleneck clams sauteed with chiles). [$]

Tucked away in the basement of an office building, Shirakawa offers a cheap, casual way to enjoy hitsumabushi. The serene, well-lit location is also a lot more convenient than the more famous Horaiken. At first glance, the hitsumabushi does not appear so different from other versions around town, but Shirakawa’s charred eel is saltier, more savory, and less caramelized than competitors. You can certainly go for dinner but most locals opt for lunch, when prices are slightly cheaper and the wait is shorter. They also serve a mini hitsumabushi for those who want something lighter. [$$]

Arguably the most famous of Nagoya restaurants to become a national chain, Komeda Coffee has been in operation since 1968 and now boasts more than 800 locations across the country. The chain is particularly ubiquitous here, ideal for meeting a friend, killing half an hour between appointments, reconnecting with a long-lost relative, or pretty much any other down moment. Pay homage to the coffee empire at the original location in Irinaka, which retains its smoky, lodge-like charm. The bitter dark roast comes in an 8-ounce regular and a “big size” closer to the 16 ounces Americans are accustomed to. If you’re craving something sweeter, order the neon-green cream soda, capped with a mound of vanilla ice cream in a boot-shaped glass. Komeda is also famous for shiro-noir, allegedly a brand invention, which consists of a hot danish piled with soft serve. [$]

Sweets shop Amato Yokota specializes in kakigori, or shaved ice, in the style of Gifu Akawani, a regional shop famous for its generous use of seasonal fruit and finely shaved, almost fluffy ice. You’ll likely see local customers ordering the popular coconut milk special (a mountain of shaved ice topped with coconut milk and seasonal fruit), as well as the tiramisu-like cafe mocha kakigori, ice crowned by clouds of whipped cream and dustings of cocoa. [$]